Educational Media Reviews Online

This video is a combination of live action and animation. It begins with a class of fourth through sixth graders discussing bullying and name-calling. The exercise involves writing down names they have heard used to bully others. Some of the terms might be unfamiliar to younger viewers. Then a student shows her painting of one girl bullying another because she has lesbian mothers. This segues into an animated story based upon the characters in the picture. The bullied girl, with the help of her advice-giving cat, decides to take revenge on her tormentor. She unsuccessfully tries three different tactics before realizing that getting even is not the best course. Deciding upon creativity instead, she writes a song about kindness and cruelty, and goes on to win a competition with her garage band.

The video then returns to the classroom, where the teacher leads a discussion on homosexuality from a social standpoint, i.e. are gay people different, and should they be treated any differently than anyone else? Another child in the classroom displays a picture he drew, which then turns into another animated segment. This story is about a boy who wants to be friends with another boy, until he learns the other boy is gay. In the course of shunning him, he misses a basketball play because he won’t pass the ball, and loses the game for the team. He in turn becomes a victim of bullying, until he is rescued by the boy who is gay. They become friends. The video returns again to the classroom, where the children decide to rip up their sheets filled with all of the bad names.

The interaction between teacher and students in the live action portions of the film are engaging. This video would be useful in opening a discussion on bullying, name calling, and homophobia with upper elementary school aged children. Questions for discussion and activity ideas are included on the inside of the case. The technical quality is good. This would be a useful addition to any public or school library.