Abstract:

The relationships between childhood and the media have been studied increasingly by means of Communication and Education. Their link with the identity, the habitat, the patrimony and cultural diversity has located these relationships focused on different psychological and multicultural studies as well as in critical pedagogy. This research is interested in knowing the effects in childhood of one of the parts of the audio-visual binomial: music in films, with a particular presence that takes place in the soundtrack. From a semiotic approach, this research explores some descriptive approaches and both content and musical analysis to attend to three contents: the characteristics of music in the two films selected for the research; the links between them and the film story and the representation of the world included, which is offered by the music, by analysing the animation films Happy Feet and The Lion King and carrying out a musical journey along their soundtracks. The analysis main goal is to know the effects of this kind of daily music that is close to children by means of films, by others and from others, their values and cultural domains.

This research is part of a wider investigation that studies the effects of the music of the daily environment of children and young people, being focused on the study of the MEDIA, especially films and television. In short, our research has examined the way music and lyrics in the two selected animation films interact to produce meaning in children as spectators. The lyrics that act as presentation of the musical numbers of both films and their relationship with the songs that introduce have been thoughtfully analysed. The research has considered the planning of both films, the study of the music and outstanding musical numbers. Finally, they have been studied in a comparative way by means of content analysis of music and musical numbers. The results from the research have shown the support of the music to certain social groups and the characters' roles in detriment of other elements, the cultural domains as well as the role of music in the film story as narrator, as the one with the most knowledge, as the anticipatory element of the action. By means of these results, the research shows the way music in films for children often expresses much more than words.

In conclusion, we can state that films soundtrack of and television programmes have considerable educational impact and social responsibility since it plays an important role in the construction of children and teenagers consciousness because it contributes to their cognitive, social and expressive, aesthetic and critic construction. The results of this research will be very useful as an orientation for the audiences, producers, television channels and educators as well for future curricular designs.

Keywords:

music, education, soundtrack, movie, television, research, communication