Movie Characters With Strabismus Likely to be Portrayed Negatively

TUESDAY, Nov. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Characters with strabismus are often portrayed in animated movies and are significantly more likely to be portrayed negatively than positively, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in Pediatrics.

Jintong Liu, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, and colleagues reviewed all animated films released by Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1989 to 2022 and all films released by Pixar, DreamWorks, and Studio Ghibli before 2023 to examine the depiction of strabismus.

Overall, 46 characters were identified with strabismus in 125 movies; at least one character was identified in 33 of the movies. The researchers found that the characters with strabismus were more likely to be portrayed as unintelligent than intelligent (30 versus 2 percent); villains than heroes (15 versus 4 percent); and followers than leaders (41 versus 7 percent). More than half (58 percent) were mute or did not speak, and 24, 35, and 35 percent were portrayed as frightening, had other physical deformities, and were clumsy, respectively. For most of the character traits, substantial or moderate agreement was found between five raters.

"These films are marketed to children, and their negative depictions of strabismus are likely to exacerbate the social stigma faced by children with strabismus," the authors write. "Pediatricians and ophthalmologists should advocate that animation studios refrain from using strabismus to visually convey negative character traits."

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