Oral Presentation The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ): 27th Annual Conference 2018

Animated animal nativity tales. (#11)

Emily Plec 1
  1. Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR, United States

The Christian Nativity story is often told to children in a manner that features animals as actors or witnesses to the birth of Christ. The 2017 film The Star tells the story of the journey to Bethlehem from the perspective of the animals who might have aided and witnessed Mary and Joseph's arrival in the famed manger. This paper analyzes The Star from a qualitative, critical-cultural perspective drawing from semiotics, feminist criticism, and animal studies. In addition to the analysis of the film, the paper offers insights into audience members' responses to the film, as it relates to their own relationships with animals. The demonization of particular canine species, the deployment of and resistance to gendered stereotypes, the use of archetypal characters, and issues of animal agency and cross-species communication are among the specific topics addressed in the paper. Ultimately, this yet-to-be-released film which, according to the producers is "The Greatest Story Never Told," uses animated animal bodies to offer a contemporary interpretation of the classic nativity story. The story, and the way in which it is told, has implications for how we understand religious and social values, how we communicate with the animals who witness or accompany us on our journeys as humans, and how we conceptualize our relationships with other animals in our environments.