Animation is the soul of children’s imagination. They give a vivid childhood experience provide knowledge about friendship, sacrifice, true love and understanding your parents in your difficult times. Just the other night I was watching the Ice-Age movie and I caught hold of this subject. I decided to write a few lines and I hope the readers will agree on it to some extent. OK here goes…

A gigantic elephant (African mammoth) called Mammy is worried about his teenage daughter peaches. (So it spells.) She is growing up and has large tastes and thoughts about life, love, and adventures. Just like her parents she enjoys being free and wild and going crazy with her offbeat friends. Her best-friend is an earth-hog who lives under the earth and stays inside most of the time. He is too tiny to be noticed and so is made fun by other mates and mammy too. Peaches does not care and loves her tiny friend a lot. He feels the same way for her but as we always imagine a young blood can never stay away from the feelings of attraction and love and it happens with Louis. (The hog) He has feelings for her friend but is unable to express under the veil of friendship and trust. It seemed so right to me that even animals have an understanding about the feelings of their partner and if they are unwilling to be in a relationship, they will not pressurize or decide to take revenge that normally happens with us humans. I just mean to say that through the medium of each cartoon that we saw in our own childhood or are viewing today the makers are giving some or the other message. This is so thoughtful. The girl mammoth has a huge crush on a handsome young mammoth called Ethan who is a spoilt brat. She does not listen to Louis who warns her and her father who gets red-angry on her when she wanders near the pond and sweeps off the cliff when she is caught by her father. We see a glimpse of an age-old tradition of a dominating, strict, yet caring father and equally supportive mother in the form of mammy and ale.

In a moment of sheer anger and frustration peaches blames her father in an abusive way that leaves him shell-shocked. She is not entirely wrong as kids do need some freedom in that age but it is equally important to understand the concern of your parents. They will be worried about their growing child as the world outside is filled with many people with diverse minds. Peaches was young and she did not quite understand the difference between a mere mirage of attraction fake friendship of Ethan and his glossy girlfriends. When the drift happens, she immediately realizes her rude behaviour and apologizes to her mother who tells her to be patient. The whole part shows us that when calamity strikes what we need is our family and nothing else. We need our family and friends to be with us so that we feel safe and secured. Mammy is separated due to sudden catastrophe but he promises to be back. This is the power of parenthood and love. In the midst of adventures peaches learns a lot of lessons while hurting her only friend and realizing the true color of her fatal attraction. In the end, Louis shows the true spirit of friendship and heroism and saves the mammoth family from the claws of the pirates. Peaches makes her parents proud by kicking off the evil monkey pirate and saving her mother. The lines “Now she really has grown-up” shows the revealed pride and love of a parent for their child’s wisdom and brevity.

The entire movie shows the importance of all the feelings that we see in our daily lives. What we feel when we get hurt, frustrated, lose our identity or create misunderstandings. The genre is portrayed through the medium of innocent yet matured animals and that is a big benefit to the growing kids and adults.

Animations are not a waste of time, as some people believe. They are a hidden medium of knowledge, learning, and life-teachings if we view them in a correct way. So, watch cartoons and learn all you can about your near and dear ones.