Kid's Movies - Waste of Money?

[cschin4]

I occassionally like to take the kids for a day out at the movies. But, I am getting tired of the Disney shtick where burping, farting, etc take the place of any real humor. There are still some very good movies made such as Toy Story, Nemo, but they are getting fewer and further. Just my rant for today!

[pearlieq]

Yeah, it has been a pretty bad year or two for movies. Usually I can barely find something worth seeing, and I imagine it's got to be just awful to try to find something decent that's appropriate for kids.

I'll never forget getting dragged to see Zathura a couple of years ago. It was billed as a kid movie, but in the first 10 minutes one of the kids called his brother a euphamism for the male anatomy that rhymes with "rick". I was so shocked, and I can't imagine what the parents who all brought their first graders must have thought!

[disneysteve]

Personally, I find going to the theater at all a waste of money and time. I need to get there 30 minutes early to get a decent seat, buy some grossly overpriced snacks, then have the "show" start on time only to have the first 15-20 minutes be commercials and previews. Once the movie starts, I have to deal with deafening sound levels, other people talking, the back of my seat getting kicked, people talking on cell phones, etc.

Maybe I'm just an old fart but I get a lot more enjoyment out of sitting down in my family room and popping in a DVD. No commercials. A kitchen full of snacks. No interruptions. A pause button if needed. And I control the lighting and volume. Plus I spend less for one month of Netflix than I would spend for the 3 of us to see one movie.

[meaghanchan]

It seems like there have, as long as I can remember, only been 1-2 good movies for kids every year. As a kid (in the 80s) I remember going to see 1 movie a year. As an adult with no children, but working in the children's media field, I still see about 1 kids' movie a year. I don't think the fact that there are very few good movies for kids is anything new. I could go into the reasons why, but I won't. If it were me, I'd take them to the one or two kids' movies a year that are actually worth seeing (this years' "Cars" wasn't Pixar's best, but IMHO it was definitely worth seeing, and without a doubt the best kids' movie this year.).

[cschin4]

I really find alot of the "humor" over the top. There seems to be more swearing, sexual references, portrayal of drinking, smoking, etc and on and on. I don't see the need for "adult" humor in a kid's movie. But, we have all become so numb to this that it doesn't seem to phase anyone anymore. Unfortunately, even if I chose not to see these movies I know that my kids are going to see them somewhere, usually at a friend's house, etc.
Many of the kid's shows on Nickolodean are downright rude, crude, ignorant and disgusting. The last time I watched one of them with the kids it consisted of vomiting, snot, and burping.

[pearlieq]

Originally Posted by cschin4

Many of the kid's shows on Nickolodean are downright rude, crude, ignorant and disgusting. The last time I watched one of them with the kids it consisted of vomiting, snot, and burping.

Yeah, some of the dreck out there is pretty bad. I know so many parents who just turn on the TV and leave it on Nickelodean or Cartoon Network with absolutely no idea what their kids are watching.

That being said, I don't mind a certain amount of mild "potty humor" for kids. At their age, it's what they're fascinated with and find uproariously funny. And our basic human foibles can be humorous.

Think of "Shrek". Yes, there was some gross-out humor, but don't think it went over the line or negated the positive aspects of the movie. It's humor on their level--I don't think the 6 year old set is quite ready for Oscar Wilde .

I like Nemo, Shriek and other old disney movies... The new ones don't appeal to me much.

[Ima saver]

I don't go to movies at all anymore. I don't think there are any good ones. I have seen about 3 or 4 in the past ten years. I chose pretty good ones, Forest Gump and titantic. I also went to see the kid's movie, "Babe" and I loved it!

[aurielle]

I think most movies made today, kids and otherwise, are dreck. Now and then my DH drags me to see some movie he's really gung ho about going to see, and I am usually bored to death, getting a headache from the sound level and checking the time to see how much longer I have to be sitting there.

When I get my CC's paid off I'm seriously thinking of joining Spiritual Cinema Circle, a Netflix-type of movie service where they have movies that are actually worth watching, to me, anyways.

[cschin4]

What is "dreck"? A new one on me!
I don't think the kids are ready for "sophisticated" humor. But, what was wrong with Bugs Bunny? I ordered the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Flintstones and Wacky Races on DVD. I think some of the Looney Tunes are quite hysterical without constant burping. I have thought of "upgrading" the cable system just to get Boomerang.

[PrincessPerky]

IMO, yes, but then so are adult movies, It is just a msatter of what you are willing to waste your money on, I am perfectly willing to waste it on starwars, but not on most of the recent cartoons movies.. If my kid is going to watch something they don't get I would prefer it was not in cuutesy animation....

[geojen]

I took my neices and nephews to see the Cat in the Hat and wish I hadn't. The humor was NOT appropriate for youngsters--some of it was based on sexual innuendos for pete's sake!

[cschin4]

It is Hollywood's way of sexualizing our children and corrupting the morals of minors. Didn't that used to be against the law? Now we welcome it!

[Mathew Green]

I haven't been to a theater in years. I get DVD's from our public library and watch them at home. I also buy used DVD's if the price is right and the movie sounds interesting.

I suggest you look for movies made by Studio Ghibli and released on DVD in english by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. They are classic heartwarming animated movies and totally inoffensive. There is a little bit of a culture gap since they were made in Japan, but that just teaches kids that "people are all alike, but all different." In fact, it's fascinating to watch the movie in english, and watch it again later in japanese with english subtitles (the original japanese-to-english translation, not "english for the hearing impaired"). There are many cultural details in the japanese script that get americanized in the english sountrack.

Among the best known Studio Ghibli films:

Spirited Away {I love this movie!}
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro {An absolute classic.}
Wisper of the Heart
Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind
Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Link to a fansite with synopsis of movies, photos of the people who provided voices for the characters, etc.: http://www.onlineghibli.com/films.php

Most of the Studio Gibli films have a common theme: "No matter what is happening, you are capable of making it through this on your own and becoming whatever you want to be." These movies are full of spunky kids who work hard for what they believe in, but the "bratty kid" image is totally missing and so is all the burping and farting.

The only Studio Ghibli film I've seen that wasn't suitable for children was 'Grave of the Fireflys'. It's about two Japanese kids trying to survive during WW II and was intended for adults.

There's also a very mild caution on My Neighbor Totoro because it contains a scene of the two girls bathing with their father. That's normal in Japan and the scene is totally innocent, but I've seen reports that some American parents freak out about it. Like I said, cultural differences. I mention it only so parents who do object won't be surprised halfway through the movie.

And don't forget, movies like Swiss Family Robinson that we loved when we were kids are now on DVD, and for a kid who's never seen it before it's still a brand new movie! So why pay the high cost of going to a theater, especially if you can get movies like this at your library?

[meaghanchan]

Matthew Green- Agree 100% on the Studio Ghibli films. Every one of them is a winner! My absolute favorite (and one of my top favorite movies of all time, for children or for adults) is "My Neighbor Totoro".

Regarding "The Cat in the Hat": Although I do think it's unfortunate that movie studios put such a large degree of sexual innuendo in films based on classic children's books, I think it's ultimately up to the parents to find out what's in the movie before taking their kids. Every single review I saw of "The Cat in the Hat" mentioned that it had humor/sexual references which parents might think were innapropriate for their children. Their are great websites about movies for parents, telling them exactly what the content is that might be inappropriate for children...
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ is the first one that comes up during a google search, I don't know whether it in itself is very good but here's an example (from "The Cat in the Hat", since that's what we're talking about here

"This movie isn't for the kids who are reading the book -- in its quest for a commercially-rewarding PG rating it has aged itself out of the youngest audience. It's not right for your five-or six-year-old. There is surprisingly rude and crude humor including double entendres and almost-swearing, potty humor, and other bodily function jokes. The Cat picks up a muddy garden implement and refers to it as "a dirty hoe" and spells out the s-word. The Cat is hit in the crotch. There is a lot of comic peril that may be too intense for younger children. An adult character drinks beer.

Families who see this movie could talk about why Sally had a hard time with her friends and why Conrad had a hard time following rules."

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by cschin4

What is "dreck"? A new one on me!

NOUN: Slang Trash, especially inferior merchandise.
ETYMOLOGY: German, dirt, trash and Yiddish drek, excrement, both from Middle High German drec, from Old High German. See sker-3 in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: drecky —ADJECTIVE

[PrincessPerky]

I love the Cat in the Hat book, I read it weekly here, and I thought the movie might be interesting, like the grinch who stole christmas (origional version) but you know they couldn't leave it at that, I read about some production issues, they needed to come up with a reason why the boy had to clean up...I don't know what they finally set upon, but in my house you keep te place clean PERIOD! and trust me we play plenty, but when we are done we clean up, regardless of company comming or what.

there shouldn't be a reason to clean up a ship sunk deep in a cake, or a special reason to fix a bent rake...you broke it/messed it you fix it, and if the culprit is a reprobate who runs off, someone else has to..and that someone is YOU!

it is a classic example of what may very well be a good movie (like I said never saw it) that ruined its liscense...(I robot, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, to name a few others)

[Kris10Leigh]

The problem with movies like "The Cat in the Hat" is that people just assume that since it is based on such an innocent book, it will be a good movie. They don't read the reviews. Then too, you have parents who just don't realize that the kind of humor movies like that have are inappropriate. They trust the media to make those decisions for them. I really do think it is irresponsible of the media.

I'm so thankful for our DVR! It really allows us to know exactly what our children are watching! Everything they watch is pre-recorded without exception and they are all shows I pick with them. It's so nice! And for the most part, cartoon network is just awful!

[shelbylovesmelby]

Originally Posted by cschin4

It is Hollywood's way of sexualizing our children and corrupting the morals of minors. Didn't that used to be against the law? Now we welcome it!

I agree! I dislike like this trend alot! What happened to letting kids be kids?? I thought I grew up too fast the generations since are wearing things I would of worn in HS in GS & I'm only 30!

[pearlieq]

Originally Posted by Kris10Leigh

I'm so thankful for our DVR! It really allows us to know exactly what our children are watching! Everything they watch is pre-recorded without exception and they are all shows I pick with them.

DVR is a blessing for a concerned parent. If we ever have kids I imagine we'll have similar house rules. What I also love is that with DVR you can limit the amount of commercials they see for Super Sugar Neon Fruitiee-Ohs (Now with extra corn syrup!)