Little Miss
Muffet
In
researching the meaning behind Little Miss Muffet, I found a lot of
speculation surrounding the meaning of the nursery rhyme. Although some believe
an entomologist named Thomas Muffet (1553-1604) wrote it for his stepdaughter.
“Popular” interpretations of this nursery
rhyme usually portray a little girl, alone, sitting on her ‘tuffet’ eating from
a bowl of curds and whey, when she gets frightened by a spider and runs away. From
this I took the underlying theme of the nursery rhyme to be something to do
with fear. It made me question whether or not Miss Muffet had a right to be
afraid of a little spider or if it was just an over-reaction. I took this
underlying theme of fear and applied it to a modern context. I wanted to create
a ‘modern’ world for Miss Muffet, and take the idea of the spider and apply it
to day-to-day life. So I created an urban city for Miss Muffet, and imagined
how she would react living in our environment.
In
my interpretation, Miss Muffet is afraid of shadows. We see the shadows distort
and transform, as we presumably see the world through Miss Muffets eyes – her imagination
running wild. Eventually she cannot handle the fear and she runs away. However
after Miss Muffet leaves the scene, the shadow still lingers, making the viewer
question whether or not Miss Muffet was really imagining things.
I
chose this aesthetic because I wanted it to reach a younger audience. There is
an underlying humorous tone to the storyline, which is emphasized by the bright
solid colours of Miss Muffet, and the ‘cuteness’ of the dog. For the font, I
chose a handwritten style, something a little more personal and fluid, but
which could easily turn creepy when distorted. The soundtrack I chose
complimented the emotions Miss Muffet was feeling and subsequently aided in
telling her story, and setting the tone for the animation. In the beginning the
music is almost cheerful, but it soon turns creepy and the pace quickens as she
becomes more afraid.
I
wanted to tell the nursery rhyme this way because I wanted to delve into the
idea of the spider and what it meant. Was this spider dangerous? Did she really
need to run away from it instead of dealing with it? Was she just over-reacting?
I wanted to question the viewer’s opinion of Miss Muffet, but also make them
question themselves, would they be afraid and react the same if they were in
her shoes?
................................Miss Muffet Final Move - Link.......................
................................Miss Muffet Final Move - Link.......................
