Identity constructions in contemporary animated cinema between parental identifications and generational legacies

Abstract

The paper addresses the role that identifications with parents play in the identity construction of daughters and sons as represented in contemporary animated cinema. In particular, the value of these processes in the intergenerational hereditary transmission is emphasized. A first section outlines the main features of contemporary identity complexity and flexibility as opposed to the rigidity of classic conceptions. A second section presents identifications as one of the main processes providing order and stability to identities, in a dynamic balance between solidity and flexibility. The second part of the paper examines The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013), directed by Takahata Isao, The Song of the Sea (2014), directed by Tomm Moore, and Wolf Children (2015), directed by Hosoda Mamoru. These works exemplify how the protagonists try to construct their identities balancing personal fulfillment and family heritage.