Vamos fortificar o nosso Monte! A série de animação Esquilo e Ouriço

: uma ferramenta ideológica do regime Norte-Coreano

Abstract

Squirrel and Hedgehog (darami wa goseumdochi) is a North Korean children’s animation series released between 1977 and 2012. It follows the story of the animals of Flower Hill who, after being threatened with an invasion by the weasels and mice, are forced to defend their homeland. To keep their plans from coming to fruition, the protagonists go on undercover scouting missions in Commander Weasel’s headquarters, strategically adapting themselves to the “others”, both physically and mentally. Through an allegorical world, this series promotes and disseminates the official ideology of the North Korean state. Starting with the notions of propaganda and cultural production in authoritarian regimes, this dissertation aims to explore how this animation series spreads the ideals of nationalism and militarism to its target audience: North Korean children. From the concept of propaganda, which in North Korea intimately connected to education, this dissertation will examine the ways in which Squirrel and Hedgehog functions as an useful tool for the preservation of this country’s authoritarian state. This will be accomplished by an analysis of its visual features (the way the characters and backgrounds are designed), of its textual elements (such as dialogues and song lyrics) as well of its audio elements (the rhythm and tones of its voices and melodies). Through this investigation, we’ve concluded that by the way both the protagonists and the antagonists are portrayed, this animation series promotes a very particular vision of the world to its young audience: one where North Korea, represented by the animals of Flower Hill, will always be able of defeating its enemies and be victorious. On one hand, due to their physical and psychological features, the protagonists are archetypes of the brave and nationalist hero, who children must try to emulate. On the other, the antagonists, being mostly composed of predators, are vile and incompetent creatures, and thus, children should hate them as much as the real enemies of North Korea. Because of these monolithic and antagonistic representations, Squirrel and Hedgehog is understood as a strong tool both for child indoctrination and for the reproduction of the country’s nationalistic rhetoric.

Date of Award	16 Mar 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Beatriz Hernandez (Supervisor) & Tânia Ganito (Co-Supervisor)