Maybe it’s a sign of the times, or maybe I’m just getting older. At twenty-three, I’ve got to start thinking about these things. Sigh…
Like so many things from our childhood, or more realistically our parents' childhoods (but which enough of us liked/watched allowing us to lay generational claim to it; Scooby Doo, anyone?), Schoolhouse Rock is back, and this time they’re not just here to make you learn. Nope, nope. This time they’ve got a message with them.
The new DVD Schoolhouse Rock: Earth has 11 all-new songs on it, including “Report from the North Pole” and “The Little Things We Can Do.” Naturally, I was not the intended audience for this video, being above the age of six, but for the most part, it’s all so genial that I can imagine children enjoying it well enough. The songs are all catchy in their own way. Honestly, is the hook for “You Oughtta Be Savin’ Water” any less engaging than that for “Womanizer”? They’re all very well-intended, even if “Conjunction Junction” doesn’t need to worry about having its place in history challenged. The animation has a similar quality to those of the cartoons released in the 70s, even if it is a little bit brighter in its colors and a little bit sharper in its movements. On the whole, I’m sure that many children of the intended age group could watch this upwards of a hundred times without too much effort or growing bored. Because, you know, that’s how kids are (and always were).
So why was I left with this sort of uneasy feeling after watching it? I’m not sure. I’m still figuring it out, but I think I’ve got an idea.
I was an environmental kid and I did things like go to environmental camp, pressure people to recycle and all that good stuff. But for the life of me, I don’t think I had the slightest idea of what ‘global warming’ was, nor did I know anything about alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power. I mean, I might have, but I’m at least pretty sure the issue hadn't been politicized in the way that it has now. Basically, it’s impossible to watch this video and not think of Al Gore and his multi-million dollar Powerpoint presentations.
I’m certainly not one to presume that there's a vast liberal agenda attempting to indoctrinate children through the media, but there is a song on here called “Solar Power to the People.” If we weren’t in the middle of this Obama budget debacle, you can’t help but think that our typical forces of social conservatism would cry foul on this thing. Not that this video is actually doing anything nefarious. It never actually pins the problem on another demographic or political ideology in the way that, I don’t know, a few other things have done (*cough* The Day After Tomorrow *cough*); it does present lots of helpful solutions for preserving the environment in ways a child could understand. But the difference between generational perspectives is clear: something like this never would have cut the mustard even a decade ago; but now, it seems perfectly innocuous. Heck, this thing is released by Disney, perhaps the most controversy-sensitive of all companies. It shows just how much the game has changed in the last several years and just how more environmentally aware we are as a culture; that’s naturally going to pass on to the children. For all intents and purposes, that’s a good thing. It’s just strange to see it showing up in Schoolhouse Rock of all things.
DVD Bonus Features
The DVD also features a bonus music video for "The Energy Blues".
"Schoolhouse Rock: Earth" is on sale April 7, 2009 and is rated NR. Children & Family. Written and directed by Various. Starring Various.
