Lessons From The Pink Panther

http://youtube.com/watch?v=831lwEpdw5c




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Panther_%28character%29

One of my favourite cartoons as a child was The Pink Panther. Like most classics, it functioned on different levels so a child watching it and an adult relate to it simultaneously at their own level The series started out as an introduction to the main feature of the same name. From there it went to being a cartoon that was played after the previews and before the main attraction. Because it was received so well, more Pink Panther cartoons were made. In most of them, the main characters did not speak.
My children and I watched this cartoon ("Psychedelic Pink") together. They considered it a "stoner" cartoon. It has the sort of free association that is commonly associated with altered mental states. I feel that this cartoon is probably the best anti-drug movie I have ever seen. In the beginning of the movie, he goes through the door for no other reason than curiosity. A glib talking guy offers him a tour, which turns more and more bizarre and dangerous. Eventually, the friendly guy turns on him. When he escapes, he passes the same door with the same man in front of it inviting him in . This time he refuses without hesitation. It is easy to compare this learning pattern to the experiences of one who has tried drugs experimentally, gets in over their head and pulls themselves out of that way of life. What makes the film most effective is that the analogy was probably unintentional. In the creative process, many of the details creep in unintentionally. This is critical to a treatment of drugs in our society, where a preachy approach merely annoys those it is intended to reach. Along with "Road Runner" in America and "Nu Pagodi in Russia, Pink Panther is one of the great non verbal cartoons. Years later, it still stands the test of time. It is a pleasure to watch and present.