That has all changed. We're speedily working our way through the catalogs of Pixar, Disney (new and classic), and Dreamworks (having almost exhausted Studio Ghibli): How to Train Your Dragon, Ratatouille, FernGully, Peter Pan, Mulan, Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Wall-E, Toy Story 1 . . 2 . . . 3, Beauty and the Beast, Madagascar, Aladdin, to name the ones I can think of. Plus Star Wars, of course. Over and over. Oddly, they won't watch Brother Bear or Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc again and refuse outright to watch Cars or Happy Feet at all.
And some fascinating things have arisen. They have been comparing the narrative arcs of the films, particularly focusing on Good vs. Evil, heroes, and journeys/quests. Seems like most kids' movies (and I daresay adults' too) explore these themes. They keep asking me why. Why are there always bad guys? Why is there always a big fight at the end? Does good always win? I try to remember everything I've read about the importance of superheroes to children as well as the importance of stories, often fairy tales, about children going out into the big, bad, world to meet challenges and winning with the help of friends. Instead of scaring them (think Brothers Grimm, most obviously--the originals with the cutting off of bits of Cinderella's sisters' feet, etc.), these stories apparently give children hope that they too can go out into the world and survive, even thrive. Just like in most of the movies above. (And I'm reading in NurtureShock that violence in movies like Star Wars is actually less detrimental to children than bullying and insults on shows and in books like Sponge Bob Square Pants and Arthur! More on that, the whole book even, when I finish it.) So I try to draw out those themes and draw parallels to their lives.
The kids, though, prove their age by having trouble distinguishing between real and pretend. They take Star Wars very literally, as if it were a documentary of a real world and not a science-fiction fantasy, asking all manner of technical questions about lightsabers and X-Wings and the Force. Though, at the same time, they circumvent the reality of the films so that Obi-Wan Kenobi never dies and Darth Vader turns good and helps out. Similarly, they don't always recognize that CGI animation is still animation, like with How to Train Your Dragon or Wall-E. And they often believe animation is just as real (as in not pretend) as "actor movies." I guess I would've thought, after years of picture books, they would recognize animation as fiction immediately. Perhaps the reverse is true.
Which all means that I'm always sitting there watching these movies with them, to answer questions, allay concerns, provide that teachable moment, while also enjoying the sheer entertainment of it (plus, I need to bone up on the plot because we inevitably play it later). So I'm watching these films much more than I otherwise would have. And I've learned some things myself:
- If you watch carefully during the Dreamworks' logo of How to Train Your Dragon, you can see Toothless fly by, from right to left, after the cloud balloons. This film is multivalent, not only about a hero's quest but also about the difficulty of differences in families, particularly between parent and child. It's touching.
- Aladdin is even worse than I remember. Blatant sexism, outdated pop culture references, confusing plot with the Jafar, the cave, the lamp, that big snake, which only leaves the "Whole New World" sequence to redeem the entire film. We won't ever watch that again.
- I cry at the end of Return of the Jedi every time. Luckily, the kids don't notice.
- Peter Pan is problematic on a few fronts (women, Native Americans) but gets the imagination going like almost none of the others. And Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure, which I suspected I wouldn't like, is enjoyable. As veteran faerie-house builders, the kids liked seeing them. I also like that Tinkerbell has a temper and has to make amends. And how many female leads are there in children's movies even now?
- I thought they'd hate Lion King because of the death of Mufasa and how Scar manipulates Simba. But that doesn't seem to bother them at all. And they love the songs. I'm still not watching Bambi or Dumbo, though.
- Object all I want to the Disney merchandising machine, they certainly made beautiful films. With incredible music.
- Several older films--Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon (Mama's all-time favorite--truthfully, she fell in love with me because I could sing all the songs. In Elliot's voice!), even the relatively recent "Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater," to name three we've tried--are paced at such a slower speed than children are used to nowadays. It takes a strong plot to compensate. And we haven't gotten through a whole one yet.
So, we're updating our Netflix list. Any suggestions?
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