'Scary' Cartoon Films in Modern Animation

The paper addresses such issues as "Can animation be scary?", "Should a child be allowed to watch scary cartoon films?", "What exactly in a cartoon can evoke the feeling of fear in children of different age groups?", "Are images of 'scary things' different at different historical times?". The author attempts to answer these questions basing, on the one hand, on the analysis of animated films and factors that might contribute to the development of fears in children of different ages (and taking into account the age specifics of child fears), and on the other hand, on the analysis of various data obtained through tests carried out on children. In the modern culture, 'scary' animated films or the ones containing the images of 'scary things' have the same therapeutic function as fairy tales have had for centuries now. If organized appropriately, watching animated films can be of much assistance in preventing fears as well as helping the child to deal with them; it contributes to the child's adaptive abilities, promotes creativity and communication, and restores the child's self-esteem and self-confidence.