Seeing films like “Frozen” and TV shows like “Phineas and Ferb” make me think of what types of movies and television I watched as a child. Animation really was the king during the ‘90s and, since we did not have cable, I would go to the library with my mother to rent movies. I'd watch them over and over again until I knew all of the lines and songs. I would climb everything like Tarzan, raise my dog in the air like Simba in "The Lion King," and pretend that I had super powers like Spiderman. My obsession with animation started at an early age and it never really ceased to exist. I thought that this was abnormal until I got to college and I realized that almost everyone loves cartoons as much as I do. Looking back, animation has given me certain values that I cherish.
I think that the reason that my generation (Millennials) loves ‘90s animation is because it revolves around a heroic protagonist in a world of endless possibilities. Most ‘90s animated film and television characters originate from humble beginnings and accept their unordinary lives until they realize their true potential and become something greater. The main character believes that anything in the world is possible. He or she is not limited by what society or their families tells them. Instead, they go off on their journey.
My favorite '90s animated film is "Mulan." "Mulan" changed the formula of how we look at women in popular culture. She goes against all societal norms and joins the army as a woman in a period where women were not even acknowledged. She transformed the way that gender roles apply in today’s world. Before the ‘90s, most animated films were about a princess who was waiting for a man to save her, but that's not Mulan's story.
In 2016, a time of e-cigarettes and hover boards, we care about our verbal equality. Some people may disagree and prefer to “say it how it is,” but that's not the majority of Millennials. "Mulan" shows us that girls can throw better than boys, fight just as hard (if not harder), and do anything that anyone else said that they can't.
My other favorite piece of ‘90s animation is "Hey Arnold!" There is an episode that aired in 1997 where Arnold and all of his friends try to save a tree. There is a clubhouse in the tree and all of the kids want it to be there forever. Days later, Big Bob has announced that he is bulldozing the tree to build a Beeper Store (look it up if you are unaware of what this technology is). Arnold convinces all of his friends to protest and sit in the tree, refusing to let the tree get bulldozed. This episode showed its audience that if you believe in something strongly enough, you can achieve it.
