Cultural Inaccuracies Make "Ferdinand" A Problematic Movie | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

American Movies Like 'Ferdinand' Need To Stop Depicting Different Cultures Inaccurately

I know it's a "triumph against toxic masculinity," but it's an abomination for cultural accuracy.

476
American Movies Like 'Ferdinand' Need To Stop Depicting Different Cultures Inaccurately

If you've seen "Ferdinand," you know it's a pretty cute movie, and it was probably pretty nostalgic for you if you read the children's book when you were younger. However, despite the cute animation, addition to the original story, and the wonderful performances by the voice actors (I LOVE John Cena); the movie was problematic.

One issue is that the movie took place in Spain, yet of the 26 credited characters in the movie, only NINE of them have any amount of Spanish ancestry, and only ONE of them actually has Spain-Spanish background. One of the characters was a Scottish bull named Angus who was played by Scottish actor David Tennant. Why couldn't they have had Spanish voice actors to play the Spanish characters?

The second issue, which is much greater than the first, is the fact that the characters attended Feria de las Flores in Seville, Spain, but that festival is ACTUALLY a Colombian festival that takes place in Medellin, Columbia every August. At first, I was willing to give leeway for this if the original book spoke of the festival, but the only mention of flowers in the book was that Ferdinand liked to smell them. Therefore, Robert L. Baird, the writer of "Ferdinand," decided to pick a random Spanish festival and shove it into a Spanish movie. That doesn't actually work when the Spanish festival is Colombian, but the movie takes place in Spain. I'm not sure why the man that voiced Juan, Juanes, didn't have a problem with this, considering he actually is Colombian.

I know the intention of the movie was to re-create a classic children's novel rather than creating a culturally accurate movie about Spain, but I don't see why both of these goals couldn't be accomplished. I don't see why the actors couldn't have been Spanish, and I don't see why the writer couldn't have either a) chosen a Spanish festival, b) if he couldn't find a Spanish festival about flowers, he could have made up a flower festival, or c) not include a festival at all and use flowers in some other way.

In a time like this where we are so focused on diversity and inclusion, the media should be more sensitive and intentional about the work they produce. Hopefully, we will see more of that in the future.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

20 Things You Forgot To Thank Your Mom For

Moms are super heroes dressed in yesterday's clothing and they deserve an award for that.

1011
family
Facebook

Dear Mom,

You took care of me and my brothers our entire lives and you still continue to! I will not be able to truly grasp all of the hard work that you put into this family until I create my own one day. But, I know that there are plenty of times I forgot to give you a simple thank you or an appreciative smile. I thank you for everything that you have done for me and will continue to do for me. Here are some examples of those times where you had my back and I forgot to pat your back for saving me:

Keep Reading...Show less
pumpkin
Holytaco.com

College is hard. As people ages 18-22, we’re just trying to figure out what we’re doing with our lives, our careers, our eating habits, exercise routines, sleep patterns, and other necessities for adult life. We definitely don’t take proper care of ourselves; it’s basically impossible when we have essays, tests and readings due and somehow we’re supposed to eat right, exercise and sleep. We’re doomed to get sick. I have zero experience in science but when I get sick there are certain things I do to make myself better.

Keep Reading...Show less
Bob's Burgers
Hyannishyball

First of all, there is no shortage of fun when you're together.

And you often find yourselves entertaining each others terrible ideas.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

The Unwritten Rules Of "Talking"

What is "talking?" How does one "talk?"

9041
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments