The ‘Tales of Peter Rabbit’ are a collection of short illustrated stories about a wild and farm animals who interact with each other natural enough to be real, but human enough to be emotional.
For me the name alone reminds of the scene of a woman painting and then escaping the rain, to go home where she perhaps lives alone, where her pet rabbit Peter is waiting with her English tea. And as she paints the lightly water-color based art of the series comes in and her imagination comes to life.
The story had since its inception inspired or been enjoyed by thousands of children. I also grew up with a strange alienated attachment to those animals, especially the rabbits, but what makes the story endearing and relevant? How does a show maintain its freshness, sensitivity and honest ambiance .
I feel like what makes the show good ( The original series) is that it was honest to the text, and for a kids story, it spoke about the well dressed danger that walks around the safe lines of life. There is intelligence and artistic beauty integrated so that the end product is almost paradoxical, to the point of enchanting an adult mind, while keeping the children entertained.
Even as an adult I still binge watch shows of this nature, that are typically targeted for children. I think what it does for mature minds is provide a vision into the space of beautiful chaos that once had in their lives, and they enjoy seeing a world that is full of evil and danger but has a clear compass that protects the good in its world. The lack of apparent complexity also helps makes the world more likable, for a while our fantasies of happy spaces can be real, or at least something to be seen.
I suppose the hyper-reality of the fictional is also something that eases the burden of truth for us as we see danger that is not real. It more comfortable to feel and imagine because of the knowledge that it is fake.
But at the end of the day can the same claim be made for the minds and reception of children. Is beauty and movement enough for them, or is their understanding and demand of the balance between reality and magic the same as mature people, and they just don’t know how to fully express their feelings and feel more.
Either way I feel like Peter Rabbit is a treasure and a treat for its detail of animal like motion, human sentiment and British culture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter
Maheen's Muse 