In 1962, writer and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats published 'The Snowy Day,' a children's picture book that went on to win the Caldecott Medal and become a staple on kindergarten shelves to this day. This year, as the holiday season enters full swing, Amazon has produced an animated short based on 'The Snowy Day.'
Taking the same name and using a very similar animated aesthetic, the new Amazon series pays tribute to the original story in many different ways. One of the most noted aspects of the original book was its portrayal of race. Peter, the main character in the book, is black, and the characters he encounters throughout are of many different races -- though the book never overtly mentions race as a topic. Amazon's 'The Snowy Day' similarly portrays people of many races and ethnicities without making any overt statements about race.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Diverse Kids' Christmas Specials
- Creating animated Christmas specials that feature diverse characters and promote inclusivity is an opportunity for disruptive innovation in children's entertainment.
- Adapting Children's Books
- Adapting popular children's books into animated series or films presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the entertainment industry.
- Representation in Media
- Highlighting diversity and representation in media, such as portraying characters of different races and ethnicities, is an opportunity for disruptive innovation in storytelling and content creation.
Where This Applies
- Children's Entertainment
- The children's entertainment industry can explore disruptive innovations by creating diverse and inclusive content that appeals to a wider audience.
- Entertainment Production
- The entertainment production industry can capitalize on disruptive innovations by adapting popular children's books and creating animated series/films that feature diverse characters.
- Media and Content Creation
- The media and content creation industry can embrace disruptive innovations by promoting diversity and representation in their storytelling, making their content more inclusive.
