Who Are Scientists?

*Frankenweenie* and *The Octonauts* both have a lot to say about the place in science for various types of people. Here, we break down some of these representations.

This page serves as a primer for our video essay on Teachers and Teaching and thus the explanations are quite brief for topics that find coverage there.

## Age

*The Octonauts* is targeted at children, but that does not mean they are directly represented. The main cast are adult-coded (adults with jobs, and the third season reveals that Captain Barnacles has a twin sister who is a mother) and function as teachers for the implied child viewer. This dynamic colours the show's perspective on children's agency. When children do appear, they tend to be passive, and have science *told* to them as opposed to doing it themselves.

*Frankenweenie*, however, is far more inclusive on that front; the cast is mostly comprised of children, with the adults either taking on a supporting or antagonistic role throughout the narrative. The story is also adapted in a way that revolves around more child-oriented concerns to resonate more with a child audience, such as winning a science fair. Additionally, the children in this movie are active participants in their investigation of science and the events of the movie, therefore encouraging the child audience to get involved in scientific activities.

## Ethnicity

In *The Octonauts,* the main cast have an array of accents associated with different human nationalities. As discussed on Anthropomorphism as an Educational Tactic, this is not a natural result of a diverse voice cast, since Dashi, Tweak and Shellington's accents are not those of their actors. Kara Lynn Andersen attributes this choice to the desire to 'create an impression of diversity', but this is complicated by the inaccuracies of the performances. To a Scot, for instance, Shellington's accent does not sound authentic, and while the show's target audience might not yet be able to instantly recognise a fake accent, that does not mean it is without consequence for their readings. A Scottish child may not even recognise him as Scottish. If the 'diversity' can go unnoticed by those it is supposed to represent, its worth must be called into question. Further, in the US dub, Peso the penguin, who originally spoke with an English accent, is portrayed with what Ryan McCarty describes as 'a softened chicanx phonology'. He worries about the effects a 'mock accent' will have on a (white) child's perceptions of other groups, especially in 'bastardized' form. US Peso is easy to read as 'bastardized'— he is a Latino character literally named *peso.* (The peso is the currency in several Latin American countries, including Mexico.) Inaccurate portrayals of certain ethnic or national groups send the message that viewers of those groups are not welcome, and bolster stereotyped notions in the minds of the dominant group, creating an even more hostile environment.

Luther M. Siler notices 'a weird colonialism thing' in the Octonauts' leader, Captain Barnacles, 'who has the Britishest of the accents' and is 'supposed to come off as this nineteenth-century naval captain dude'. They observe that Barnacles' authority is often imposed and completely unfounded: 'Even if it’s a ~~indigenous culture~~ species of animal they’ve never seen before, *obviously* everyone ought to just agree with what the *white* animal thinks.' This colonialist reading is worryingly plausible within the context of the show's paternalistic approach to scientific discourse and education.

*Frankenweenie*, unfortunately, is not much different. On the surface, it would appear to be inclusive as the cast of children is diverse, and this has been presented as a homage to a variety of different horror and monster movies that make up our perception of the horror genre, as suggested by the contents and marketing of the film (such as this trailer in the style of old fashioned horror advertising). However, the presentation of these characters does not paint them in a favourable light, as most of the children who are not Victor are presented as selfish characters who bully and harass each other. Toshiaki for example, an Asian character whose design and voice are made up entirely of stereotypes, may be a reference to Japanese monster movies such as Godzilla - as his creation resembles this - but is presented as a malicious contrast to Victor, demonstrated when he inadvertently breaks another child's arm after strapping makeshift rockets to their back. Chikezie Uzuegbunam and Chinedu Richard Ononiwu argues it 'seems to suggest that only ‘whites’ can use science for the benefit of humans, while ‘people of color’ will use it to cause harm.' This extends further into gender, as the only girls of the child cast are either not interested in science or also use it for wrong. Some have suggested that this is further bolstered by Burton's iconic style, as it emphasises traits that do not fit into the cultural perceptions of 'normal' or 'attractive' to present these characters as monstrous in contrast to the more visually appealing or socially accepted characters. All of this unfortunately points to Frankenweenie implying that only a certain class of people - white men - can and should be scientists.

## Can *Anyone* Be a Scientist?

Despite the unfortunate implications of their portrayal of gender and ethnicity, for *Frankenweenie* any child is capable of being a scientist as long as they have compassion and the desire to ask questions.

In *The Octonauts,* science is not something that the child viewer is invited to participate in; rather, their engagement is limited to listening and remembering facts.

This question and the role of teachers in answering it is explored further in the Teachers and Teaching video essay.

## References

1. ↑ N/A, 'Bianca', *Octonauts Wiki*. 20 October 2016. <https://octonauts.fandom.com/wiki/Bianca> [accessed 6 Dec 2020]
2. ↑ Kara Lynn Andersen, *Racialized Voice Acting and Transracial Voice Casting of Animated Animals* (2019) <https://blog.animationstudies.org/?p=3074> [accessed 5 Dec 2020]
3. ↑ Ryan McCarty, *Language, Race and Cartoons* (2018) <https://ryanmccarty.org/2018/11/24/language-race-and-cartoons/> [accessed 4 Dec 2020]
4. ↑ Luther M. Siler, *Creepy Children's Programming Review: OCTONAUTS* (2015) <https://infinitefreetime.com/2015/03/29/creepy-childrens-programming-review-octonauts/>[accessed 6 Dec 2020]
5. ↑ Ibid.
6. ↑ Suzannah Otis, 'Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie – A Fun Homage To Creepy Movies Past', *Zannaland*. 6 October 2012. <https://zannaland.com/tim-burtons-frankenweenie-review/> [accessed 6 Dec 2020]
7. ↑ Chikezie Uzuegbunam, & Chinedu Richard Ononiwu, 'Highlighting Racial Demonization in 3D Animated Films and Its Implications: A Semiotic Analysis of *Frankenweenie*', Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 20.2 (2018), pp. 5-20 (pg.17)
8. ↑ N/A, 'Tim Burton Breaks Our Hearts: ”Frankenweenie” and Demonization of the Marginalized', Ruby Soup with Pearl Juice (maaretta). 2 April 2013. <https://maaretta.blog/2013/04/02/tim-burton-breaks-our-hearts-frankenweenie-and-demonization-of-the-marginalized/>