'Why do they not want to play with me?': a multimodal critical discourse analysis of the construction of colourism in cartoon films
Dr. Fahad Ahmed Otaif
College of Languages and Translation, King Khalid University
Abha, Saudi Arabia
otaiff@kku.edu.sa; otaiff@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9832-4289
This study employs multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore how cartoon films construct and convey colourism. The investigation scrutinizes the interplay of visual imagery and linguistic elements within these films, revealing how narrative structures, dialogue, and symbolic representations work together to reproduce racial hierarchies and stereotypes based on skin colour. By deconstructing various semiotic resources and contextual factors, the research uncovers the subtle yet pervasive ways in which these media texts reflect and perpetuate societal biases, suggesting that such portrayals are instrumental in normalizing colour-based prejudices.
The analysis highlights that the combined use of visual and verbal cues in cartoon films not only serves an entertainment function but also transmits ideologies regarding race and social status. The findings indicate that these multimodal representations contribute significantly to shaping audience perceptions, reinforcing traditional notions of colourism, while also offering potential pathways for subversion. This underscores the need for a critical examination of media texts and calls for more equitable and inclusive portrayals in visual storytelling.