(Re)Animating the Horror Genre: Explorations in Children's Animated Horror Films

215 Pages·2017·0.85 MB·English

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations
5-2015
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Megan Estelle Troutman
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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Troutman, M. E. (2015). (Re)Animating the Horror Genre: Explorations in Children's Animated Horror
Films. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1090
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(Re)Animating the Horror Genre: Explorations in Children’s Animated Horror Films
(Re)Animating the Horror Genre: Explorations in Children’s Animated Horror Films

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in English

by

Megan Estelle Troutman
Southern Nazarene University
Bachelor of Arts in English Education, 2010
University of Arkansas
Master of Arts in English, 2012

May 2015
University of Arkansas

This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council.

____________________________________
Dr. M. Keith Booker
Dissertation Director

____________________________________ ____________________________________
Dr. Lisa Hinrichsen Dr. Susan Marren
Committee Member Committee Member
ABSTRACT
This project seeks to define the subgenre of children’s animated horror film by examining
its classification within the children’s film genre and its use of generic conventions of horror.
While this project does not aim to conflate children’s film as a genre and animation as a medium,
the scope of this project will be limited to children’s animated horror films from 1993 – present
day. In order to explore the subgenre of children’s animated horror films from 1993-present, I
will focus specifically on the following films: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
(1993), Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (2005), Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
(2006), Monster House (2006), Igor (2008), Coraline (2009), 9 (2009), Frankenweenie (2012),
Hotel Transylvania (2012), and ParaNorman (2012). These films not only raise questions about
children and childhood, but also specifically engage in the generic conventions of horror through
various monsters, use of comedy, gender stereotypes, and generic hybridity. By engaging in
conversations with the conventions of horror films, children's animated horror film legitimates its
status as a horror subgenre, not merely simple children’s films.
© by Megan Estelle Troutman
All Rights Reserved
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks are extended to the University of Arkansas English Department for their
assistance with fulfilling all the requirements for this degree. Specifically, I owe a huge debt of
gratitude to director, Dr. M. Keith Booker, and my committee members, Dr. Lisa Hinrichsen and
Dr. Susan Marren. Without your flexibility and invaluable feedback, this project would be
impossible.
I would also like to thank my support network of family and friends for the endless
encouragement and assistance. For the endless emotional and financial support (not to mention
the never ending cups of coffee), I would like to specifically thank my husband, Nathaniel. Your
investment in my dreams and this project can never be repaid. Furthermore, I would like to thank
my friend and colleague, Dr. Mary K. Leigh, for her endless suggestions on this project and the
mental and emotional stability she has provided during this process.
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this project to Eli Robert. You certainly made the race between
this project and your arrival a unique and unforgettable experience.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILMS: AN INTRODUCTION .............................. 1
CHILDREN’S FILMS AND HORROR ..................................................................................... 2
DEFINING CHILDREN’S FILMS ............................................................................................ 4
DEFINING HORROR FILM ..................................................................................................... 6
CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM .......................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 1: PUTTING THE CHILD IN CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM ...... 9
CHAPTER 2: FRANKENSTEIN, VAMPIRES, AND GHOSTS, OH MY! MONSTER
TYPES AND FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM ..................... 11
CHAPTER 3: IT’S ALIVE . . . AGAIN: CHILDREN’S HORROR FILM AND
POSTMODERN TRAITS ........................................................................................................ 12
CHAPTER 4: BOYS OR GHOULS? : GENDER ROLE DIFFERENCES IN CHILDREN’S
ANIMATED HORROR FILMS ............................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER 1: PUTTING THE CHILD IN CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM15
CONSTRUCTING THE CHILD: ............................................................................................. 16
CHILDREN IN ANIMATED FILMS: ..................................................................................... 21
CHILDREN AND LIVE-ACTION HORROR: ....................................................................... 23
CHILDREN AND ANIMATED HORROR: ............................................................................ 25
DJ : MONSTER HOUSE (2006) .............................................................................................. 28
CORALINE JONES: CORALINE (2009) ................................................................................ 33
NORMAN BABCOCK: PARANORMAN (2012) .................................................................... 39
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN: FRANKENWEENIE (2012) ...................................................... 45
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 49
CHAPTER 2: FRANKENSTEIN, VAMPIRES, AND GHOSTS, OH MY! MONSTER
TYPES AND FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM .................. 51
MONSTERS IN HORROR FILMS .......................................................................................... 53
MONSTERS IN CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM ............................................. 56
COMEDY AND RECYCLED MOSNTERS ........................................................................... 57
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012) ......................................................................................... 58
IGOR (2008) ............................................................................................................................. 64
DOMESTIC MONSTERS ........................................................................................................ 70
MONSTER HOUSE (2006) ..................................................................................................... 71
CORALINE (2009) ................................................................................................................... 76
HORROR AND COMEDY COLLIDE .................................................................................... 81
PARANORMAN (2012) .......................................................................................................... 82
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 87
CHAPTER 3: IT’S ALIVE . . . AGAIN: CHILDREN’S HORROR FILM AND
POSTMODERN TRAITS .......................................................................................................... 89
POSTMODERN PARADIGMS AND CHILDREN’S MEDIA .............................................. 90
GENERIC HYBRIDITY AND CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILMS ................... 93
WALLACE AND GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT .......................................... 94
9 (2009) ..................................................................................................................................... 99
POSTMODERN HORROR .................................................................................................... 103
HORROR IS A VIOLENT DISRUPTION OF EVERYDAY WORLD ................................ 105
HORROR TRANSGRESSES AND VIOLATES BOUNDARIES ........................................ 110
HORROR QUESTIONS RATIONALITY ............................................................................. 116
HORROR REPUDIATES NARRATIVE CLOSURE ........................................................... 121
HORROR AS A BOUNDED EXPERIENCE OF FEAR ....................................................... 124
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 128
CHAPTER 4: BOYS AND GHOULS: GENDER ROLE DIFFERENCES IN
CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILMS .................................................................... 130
FEMINIST THEORY AND THE CINEMATIC HORROR GENRE ................................... 132
FEMINIST THEORY AND CHILDREN’S FILMS .............................................................. 136
HORROR CHARACTER CATEGORIES ............................................................................. 139
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) ............................................................... 143
WALLACE AND GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (2005) ............................. 149
CORPSE BRIDE (2005) ......................................................................................................... 152
MONSTER HOUSE (2006) ..................................................................................................... 157
IGOR (2008) ........................................................................................................................... 163
CORALINE (2009) .................................................................................................................. 168
PARANORMAN (2012) ........................................................................................................... 174
FRANKENWEENIE (2012) .................................................................................................... 179
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012) ............................................................................................ 184
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 187
POSTSCRIPT: THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILM ......... 190
THE BOXTROLLS (2014) ....................................................................................................... 193
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 199

WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................ 201
CHILDREN’S ANIMATED HORROR FILMS: AN INTRODUCTION
Trends in current horror films, such as the Saw franchise, elicit images of blood, gore,
somatic violence, and other various forms of physical and psychological torture, which is why
the phrase “children's horror film” appears paradoxical. There is clear cultural anxiety regarding
age and appropriate cinematic content, which is evidenced by early Hollywood morality codes
and more recently the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating system. A child’s
engagement with any element of cinematic horror creates a debate about whether or not horror
films are suitable for children. On the one hand, critics such as Joseph Strayhorn posit, “The
notion that horror films are good for children is untenable; the more realistic debate is how much
harm can they do” (Derdeyn and Strayhorn166). On the other hand, scholars like Andre
Derdeyn assert, “Horror films and adolescents are a medium and age group that that seem made
for each other” (Derdeyn and Strayhorn165). However, a dichotomous approach to children’s
horror films is not the sole approach to the debate.
Joanne Cantor and Mary Beth Oliver explode this bifurcation in order to explore the ways
in which children respond differently to horror than their adult counterparts. Cantor and Oliver
claim, “Viewers of different ages will be frightened by different components of horror films, just
as they are frightened by different real-world stimuli” (230). Their argument moves away from
the assumption of harm and centers on the different stimuli that effect children such as animals,
darkness, monsters, and strangeness. Moreover, they argue that younger children, defined as ages
3-8, “will be more responsive than older children and adults to the visually grotesque aspects of
horror film stimuli” (231). This enhanced response to the visually grotesque helps explain why
there is a cultural anxiety surrounding children and the current trends in horror. According to
Michael A. Arnzen, “Many films today use graphic violence to achieve effect . . . Nearly all
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