Project Description

With the entire earth ravaged by environmental pollution, what better way than to use universal stories to tell real life cautionary tales of a universal issue? these stories have been so embedded in culture all over the world, it has become a staple in childhood for entire generations. How can the use of these classic fairy tales and stories be used to encourage people to act against environmental pollution? By reimagining 5 classic stories into movie posters and mini screenplays as cautionary tales about environmental pollution, and by leveraging nostalgia, it will urge people to act against climate change.

Literature

Influence from fictional tales passed down for years has been the core backbone to the movie posters. The Stories The Little Red-Cap (Red-Cap was its original title, but the project uses Little Red Ridinghood), Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Mermaid have been reimagined in a new context. Some original dialogue was kept the same, just in different contexts in order to both pay homage and add a nostalgic tone in the story; in the Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf in both this project and the original says, “Good day, Little Red…,” (Grimm) and uses similar speech patterns like the consistent use of her name.

To deepen the imagery for the consequences of environmental pollution, real life medical and environmental conditions were implemented into the stories. For Jack and the Beanstalk, the effects that air and light pollution were used in the screen plays and posters; light pollution disrupts wildlife, interrupts both human and non-human sleep cycles, and air pollution can lead to extensive respiratory issues which can lead to more concerning health conditions (Chepesiuk).

Methods

UMD database as well as other online websites were used for research. IBISxPaint was the platform used for digital art. Existing movie/shows such as the Adventure Time title cards were used as stylistic models when creating the design of the movie posters.

Audience/Impact

Environmental pollution impacts every single living creature, including humans, but over the years, people have gotten habituated to hearing the consequences of environmental pollution. The project will reemphasize in a new light the consequences of environmental pollution through cautionary tales, and touch any book and/or movie lover using the nostalgia of classic stories, so people are more compelled to act against actions that enable environmental pollution.

References:

Chepesiuk, Ron. “Missing the Dark: Health Effects of Light Pollution.” Environmental Health Perspectives, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2009, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2627884/. Accessed 08 Apr. 2025.

“Grimm’s Fairy Tales.” CMU School of Computer Science, www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/.

Acknowledgments:

Irene Park

my parents!

My classmates