Voices: What DreamWorks movie ‘Home’ means for Hollywood representation
DreamWorks Studio was founded 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Its animation spin-off, DreamWorks Animation, came about in 2004 and has released 30 films. Now, one might think that after 11 years, everything innovative has already been done, right? Wrong.
Fast forward to 2015 and DreamWorks Animation is doing something never done before. In fact, as Zak Cheney-Rice from NewsMic put it, “Not one major Hollywood studio” has done what’s about to happen.
Ready for this, America?
On March 27, DreamWorks will release their first 3D animated film starring a black protagonist. The movie, titled Home, will co-star singer Rihanna and The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons respectively playing a young girl named Tip and an alien named Oh.
RELATED: Another required course? UCLA proposes a diversity requirement
Long story short, the movie centers on the Boov alien race who come to Earth looking for a new home. While all other humans are relocated, a feisty and “resourceful” young girl named Tip, evades capture and finds herself in the company of a banished Boov named Oh. The two reportedly end up working together to reunite their people.
The plot itself may sound clichéd and Disneyesque, but what’s really making headlines is that a black woman is starring in a major Hollywood film — and not as a slave or maid. Since The Princess and The Frog in 2009 (and keep in mind, the African-American lead spent most of her time in the body of a frog) and the Annie adaptation in 2014, it’s been quite some time since a black female has graced Hollywood theatres as the main character.
Say what you will, but DreamWorks is long overdue on this. In fact, this shouldn’t even be making headlines. I find it very hard to believe (and quite sickening actually) that in the 11 years DreamWorks Animation has been around, no one thought a young, black, female protagonist was a good idea.
Just like every other child, kids of color need on-screen representation as well. However, for whatever reason, Hollywood seems so caught up in detailing the white male perspective, that they neglect having female characters, unless she’s, of course, the beautiful (and white) love-interest to the main character.
RELATED: Students view Google demographics report as cry for diversity in STEM programs
So where does that leave minorities? Usually, as seen in animated films like the Shrek series, where Eddie Murphy voiced the right-hand man and only main black actor in the series, and Clueless, which starred Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash, black people play the best friend to the white guy or the sassy friend to the white girl.
Black actresses shouldn’t only get their time in the limelight when they’re playing supporting roles. Believe it or not, seeing somebody that looks like you on the big screens does wonders for youths. Not only does it help diversify the film industry that already severely underrepresents minorities, but it exposes kids to gender roles that help shape their thought processes as they grow older.
While representation may be crucial to kids, what does this mean for Hollywood? Are black-centric films all flops? And is it true that films with all-white casts really sell more?
Well, according to a 2013 study done by University of California, Los Angeles’ Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, these diverse films are not going unrecognized. Research found that “more viewers were drawn to shows with ethnically diverse lead cast members and writers, while shows reflecting less diversity in their credits attracted smaller audiences.”
Hear that, guys? Diversity makes a difference. But are people of color, namely black people, being represented in the film industry? According to a 2013 study released by The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School from Communication and Journalism, they’re not.
Researchers examined 500 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2012 and found that 38% of the movies analyzed had only 0 to 4.8% of a black cast. In contrast, only 2% of the movies examined had a 53.6 to 66.7% black cast. So while the demand for diverse roles may be in demand, research proves that the film industry is not giving black people proper screen-time. That, to me, is definitely a problem.
Hollywood may be attempting to increase racial diversity, but they’re not doing enough. Since the problem doesn’t seem to be a lack of audiences for diverse films, the blame should be put on the film industry. A diverse set of studios, directors and agents are needed to spark the change to make sure minorities are getting their deserved representation.
So while Home is definitely a step in the right direction as far as representation goes, there’s still ways to go before black people get the proper amount of time on film. Every movie doesn’t need to center on white people because as DreamWorks, and America really, should understand, is that other races have relevant stories as well, and these stories are worth sufficient screen-time.
I for one hope that this animated children’s film can go beyond what’s expected and really show America that a white-dominated film industry isn’t an accurate depiction of society nor is it beneficial to youths looking for a children’s movie where the main character looks somewhat like them.
Hopefully this movie is one small step in the greater scheme of helping black people get their deserved time in the limelight. As About-Face.org put it, “Rihanna, take us Home.”
Alex Samuels is a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a spring 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.