THE MIGHTY CHILD, AETONORMATIVITY AND CINEMA: A CRITICAL READING OF THE MOVIE SOUL

Abstract [English]

Power negotiations of various forms constitute any social structure and most literary theories have their onset inspired by such power relations. Aetonormativity is a recent theoretical development that focuses on the normative dominance of adults in children’s literature, which has a wider scope and applicability in different fields including psychology, visual media and so on. The paper investigates the possibilities of interrogating Aetonormativity through cinema and studies its competence as a medium in endorsing the notion of the mighty child, thereby attempting a desirable power balance in adult-child or any age-based interactions. This study analyses Disney’s 2020 animation movie Soul which involves the interplay between an adult protagonist and a child protagonist as the primary source text. It relies on schema theory and the concept of the cognitive script to interpret Aetonormativity and its ventured subversion in the aforementioned visual text. The paper also identifies the necessity to analyse the interpretive strategies used to educate and guide children and the impact of different media to which they are exposed to. The findings are useful in interdisciplinary research involving visual media, psychology, and literature. The study thoroughly investigates the advantages of breaking certain set standards that are taken for granted in adult-adolescent relationships. It also emphasizes the connection between cognitive psychology and fiction and how it can influence the comprehension and development of a child. It also establishes how visual media initiates a balance of power in texts intended for children compared to printed texts that tend to be Aetonormative as a medium.