Pull out the popcorn, grab your favorite beverage, turn down the light, and nestle into the couch, Aaah…its movie time. When we need a break, but don’t quite have the time or money for a vacation it’s good to know that a great movie can rapture you away in its world of lights, camera’s and action. Let’s face it; most adults love a good movie, but even more captivated by movies are our children. According to the box office list, DreamWorks Animation films have grossed nearly 13.5 billion dollars through 32 films alone. Movies are our “go to,” because they’re so convenient; they place entertainment at our fingertips. They are often lifesavers for the baby sitter, the party host or the stay at home mom who has run out of activities or ideas. Movies, particularly animation, are filled with life, color and excitement; children can’t seem to get enough of them. Some animations are so riveting, I too find myself roaming the kids section of Netflix for my next giggle.
Much like a recent movie night where I thought it would be great to catch a movie with some friends, the movie of our choosing was “A Monster in Paris.” The movie was funny, thrilling and chilling, and sometimes for the wrong reason. Yes, there was a big ugly Nat and some weird looking characters, but real monster in Paris is the Mayor. His behavior towards the female singer in the movie with whom he was supposedly “smitten,” was most alarming and unacceptable. There were several accounts when the Mayor was quite abusive towards his delicate counterpart. On one occasion he hurled her against a wall and on another he choked her, yet she forgave him without conflict or protest as if it were his right to treat her with such disdain and disrespect. Is this the message we want to send to our little girls and boys? No, it is sick, twisted and wrong! John C. Wright, Althea C. Huston and a few other psychologists conducted “The Early Window Project,” which studied the relations to early television viewing to school readiness. What they found is that educational television such has Electric Company and Sesame Street, has a significant impact on children that make them better readers. If the Electric Company and Sesame Street are achieving such results, what do you think violent animation is doing? They are teaching our children to mimic the behavior of these animated characters, but this is a very real world and if your son or daughter flings another student against a wall you may find yourself in juvenile court.
If animated writers and producers won’t be more responsible with what they release onto the big screen, then parents have to take a more adamant role and only purchase or go to see animation with positive messages. This world is filled with influences, but we must train up our children in the way they should go, and when they are older they will not depart from it (Proverb 22).
