Dermatological Findings in Children's Films

The study analyzed 18 Disney live-action movies and their earlier animated versions to understand how dermatological findings are used to portray characters as heroes or villains. The results showed that film antagonists were depicted with significantly more dermatologic findings than protagonists (p<0.0001). Specifically, the frequency of periorbital hyperpigmentation (p=0.02) and nasolabial folds (p=0.05) were significantly higher in antagonists compared to protagonists. The study concluded that filmmakers continue to use common dermatological findings to indirectly portray characters as 'good' or 'bad', which has important implications about the dermatological content of movies directed toward children.