How We Feel About Sound

This semi-animated short is intended for children. I would imagine that it was intended for first-grade classes. It offers a variety of sounds that a middle-class child might encounter during the day and their emotional impact.

It comes off as condescending, as a lot of these films do. It is also minimally animated, but the style of illustration offers some interest. Given the small budgets of this sort of film and the expense of animation, design was minimal: large, blocky masses, in the style of books designed in the era, books intended for reading to toddlers.

While this may have been stylish in the 1960s and is executed with undoubted competence, it simply adds to the air of condescension of the entire piece. I have issues with that condescension. Yes, children lack sophistication, but it is possible to treat them with respect and dignity. This movie fails.