Frames of Reference: Gender Socialization Across Eras of Children’s Animation

In an era of growing dominance of visual media, it is increasingly important to critically examine themes and imagery presented on-screen. As children are primarily socialized through media consumption, animated content plays a significant role in helping them understand social norms and identities. Within the medium of animation, visual and narrative elements are often embedded with cultural norms, enabling the communication of characteristics such as gender to young audiences. As culture shifts, these representational strategies must do so as well for films to be relevant and profitable. This study adopts a quantitative and comparative methodology to trace the evolution of film techniques and gender messaging in children’s animation, particularly its effect on internalized gender ideology across generations. Drawing on ideas from feminist film theory, this research analyzes a selection of classic and contemporary films, alongside audience reception data from Common Sense Media across age groups. The findings indicate a discernible shift from traditional to more nuanced portrayals of gender, reflecting broader cultural changes while actively shaping audience’s internalization of gender norms.