Abstract:

Over recent years, a debate has arisen in Spain regarding the quality of children's television programmes and the mechanisms in place to protect children by preventing access to certain content, such as violence and racial or sexual discrimination.
However, there is not enough information available to ascertain exactly what type of programmes are broadcast before the watershed and what type of messages they convey.

This research project aims to analyse the cartoons shown on Spanish television in order to find out how the messages they convey and the appearance of their characters can influence children's psychological development and patterns of behaviour. A similar study, entitled "Analysis of Cartoon Images Shown on Television", was carried out for the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science in 2005 by María del Carmen Hidalgo and Jesús Pertíñez, both lecturers at the Alonso Cano Faculty of Fine Arts, part of the University of Granada (Spain).

We have used the objective analysis method created by Hidalgo and Pertíñez, which allows us to obtain an accurate overview of the quality of the cartoons shown on television. We have also based this study on the learning theories developed by Bandura and Vygotsky, amongst other psychologists, and the priming effect, in order to interpret the results.

The results of this research are relevant because no other studies have been carried out in Spain that provide enough information about this subject, according to the conclusions drawn by the country's Official Radio and Television Institute (IORTV) in its 2005 study, entitled "Children's Television Programmes: Priority Content and Directions".

Furthermore, the "Pygmalion Project", carried out by a group of psychologists interested in assessing the influence that television has on children, also found that there is not enough information available to help us to understand how television affects Spanish children.

The method used in this study includes:

1. General information about the series; year, producer, channel, theme, era, setting.
2. Story type in terms of plot, artistic technique and use of colour.
3. Animation technique used.
4. Animation quality; basics, stills per second.
5. Analysis of characters: role, sex, character, age, profession, clothes.
6. Film language: shots, camera movements, points of view.
7. Soundtrack.

We have a database of 80 series recorded from the television between November 2009 and January 2010, and October and November 2010.

Using this method, we can draw conclusions about the type of cartoons currently shown in Spain.

This research project has been carried out in the drawing department of the Alonso Cano Faculty of Fine Arts, part of the University of Granada, and is being financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science as part of its R&D&I Plan.

Keywords:

Cartoons, education, television, childhood.