James and the Giant PeachThe 1996 Disney Pictures film James and the Giant Peach is based on the 1961 novel by Ronald Gahl (PBworks, 2005). The film's characters, plot, and themes address child development concepts such as social development, emotional development, family, friendship, relationships, and attachment. The film begins with the concept of family and parenting style of child development introducing the audience to the main concepts character James and his parents. James lives in a two-parent household with his authoritative parents providing him with warmth, love, and encouragement (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-522). This concept of parenting styles is shown at the beginning of the film and James is seen spending time with his parents. Then suddenly, James' world changes and he is abandoned due to the killing of his parents. This causes James to be orphaned and forced to live with his domineering aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are very controlling of James and expect him to obey their rules without allowing him to express his feelings. This authoritarian behavior is visible throughout the film. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are also uninvolved, neglectful, and abusive, using verbal and physical punishment on James when they deem it necessary, which is also seen throughout the film (Levine & Munsch, p. 522). These behaviors cause James to develop lower self-esteem, show less intellectual curiosity, and feel alone and afraid, which are typical results of an authoritarian parenting approach (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-523). Although the authoritative parenting style of James' aunts has an effect on his emotional and social behaviors, it is the authoritative parenting of his parents that plays a... center of paper ......ent: An Active Learning Approach (p 436 ). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publishers.Levine, L. E., & Munsch, J. (2011). Regulations of emotions. In L. E. Levine and J. Munsch, Child Development: An Active Approach (p. 371). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publishers.Levine, L. E., & Munsch, J. (2011). Temperament. In L. E. Levine and J. Munsch, Child Development: An active Approach (pp. 342-343). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers.Patel, R. (2010, November 3). Children and the media: The effects of films on children. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Loving Your Child: http://www.lovingyourchild.com/2010/11/children-media-exposure-effects-movies-children/PBworks. (2005, December 5). children's literature. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from PBworks: http://childrensliterature.pbworks.com/w/page/15756439/GiantPeachSelick, H. (Director). (1996). James and the Giant Peach [film].