Investigation of the Responses of Children to Animated Film that They View

Abstract

Children spend an important part of their time watching animated films on different platforms (cinema, television, internet). Box office figures indicate that this is true at the global level. However, it is not known how children react momentarily to the animated films they watch, and how these reactions fit the content of the film viewed. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy level of children’ responses to the content of the animated films that they view based on age, gender and different variables. The research was carried out with a mixed-method using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study group consisted of 210 children between the ages of 3-9. An average of 30 children was included in each age group. In this way, it was aimed to examine the behaviour of the children in each age group while watching animated films, the way the content of the scenes affects the children during viewing, and the change that children undergo as age progresses. First, a film suitable for the research was selected and the film content was analysed on a scene and minute basis. The standard emotions to be given at every minute and scene were determined. Then Toy Story 3 film was shown to the children in the research group. During the viewing session, each child was recorded with a camera and the camera footage and film minutes were matched then. The children's reactions observed on the camera footage caught while they are watching the film were compared to the content of the animated film. In the meantime, the parents of the children in the research group were given a demographic evaluation form developed by the researcher. As a result of the research, age was found to be a determining factor in the accuracy of children's responses during movie viewing sessions. On the other hand, no significant difference was found between the groups based on gender. Other results are also included in the study.