Role of Animation in Promoting Environment Behaviour in Teenagers

Abstract

“Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are
drawn.” - Norman McLaren. Animation serves as a powerful catalyst for promoting
pro-environmental behavior among teenagers by making environmental issues
more accessible, engaging, and personally relevant. Through visually rich storytelling,
animation translates complex ecological concepts into compelling narratives that
capture adolescent attention, increase knowledge retention, and foster emotional
connections to nature. Animation has emerged as a vital medium for influencing
environmental attitudes and behaviors among teenagers in an increasingly mediacentric
world. Research demonstrates that teenagers exposed to animated stories
centered on climate change, conservation, and sustainability exhibit increased
environmental concern, knowledge, and motivation to engage in eco-friendly
practices compared to traditional educational approaches. This abstract underscore
animation’s unique potential to bridge knowledge and action, proposing its integration
into environmental education initiatives as an effective strategy for nurturing longterm
pro-environmental behavior in adolescent audiences. Stuart Hall’s representation
theory posits that representation is not a simple reflection of reality, but an active
process of constructing meaning through language, images, and symbols. This
theory argues that meaning is not inherent in things, but is created and shaped by
cultural and social context, and can be influenced by power structures. Key concepts
include the role of the media in encoding and audiences in decoding these messages,
the use of stereotypes, and the idea that representation is a “re-presentation” that
reshapes reality rather than simply showing it. Multiple studies report that narrative
formats reliably increase factual understanding (names of species, causes of pollution,
simple ecosystem relationships) among young learners. Storytelling helps children
remember cause–effect links.