• Have so-called 'family films' ever upset your kids?

    AP

    For many of us, it was Walt Disney's “Old Yeller”: When the beloved title character (SPOILER ALERT) leaves this mortal coil, it left us shaken to the core. For others, it was the animated classics: From “Bambi” through “Dumbo” and beyond, Disney seemed to have a penchant for inserting tragedy into otherwise family-friendly fare -- a tradition that continued in 2003's "Finding Nemo."

    Though billed as wholesome children’s entertainment, many kids’ movies are rife with needless, inappropriate and/or just plain disturbing content. Watching “101 Dalmatians” with my 6-year-old fairly recently, I had the unenviable task of delicately explaining exactly what the insidious Cruella DeVil wanted to do with those cute little puppies. Thanks a lot, Walt.

    Recently, parenting website Babble.com rounded up its own list of the 26 Most Disturbing Kids Movies Ever, pulling together titles both infamous and surprising (“The Care Bears Movie”? Really?) Many of the selections are predictable (if you’ve never found anything a bit creepy about certain scenes in “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” or “The Wizard of Oz,” you just haven’t been paying attention), but show any of them to your kids and you’re bound to field a few awkward questions (“Why did Bambi’s mother have to die, Mommy?”) and dry some tears.

    Parents have to decide what is and isn’t appropriate for their kids to watch. They also have to provide context and put entertainment in its proper perspective – but that isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

    Have your children been exposed to content you’d have shielded them from if you could? Have you ever had a hair-raising experience watching a movie with your kids? Let us know in the comment section below.

    For further reading:

    The 10 kids movies that are inappropriate for kids
    When parents bring underaged children to inappropriate movies

    And for the flip side of the coin,…

    Creepy kids on film

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  • Would let your child wear an ultra-violent costume?

    Halloween has morphed into a gore fest that has kids as young as 6 unleashing their inner monsters in ultra-violent costumes — blood-smeared chain saws and spiked killing gloves sold separately. But some parents think that marketing characters from such movies as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Friday the 13th" to small fry is going too far.

    Results with 3 short comments
    Total of 212 votes - click on the "Display Comments" bar below to sort comments

    18.9%
    Yes. It’s only for one night and Halloween is all about dressing up scary.
    40 votes
    60.4%
    No. These costumes are too violent and send the wrong message.
    128 votes
    20.8%
    Maybe. It depends on the maturity of my child.
    44 votes
    Display Comments:
    No. These costumes are too violent and send the wrong message.

    No. This is originally a Christian holiday and should be in fun, not something that promotes an idealistic world of horror.

    • 2 votes
    #1
     - The Wilson Family-1427398
     - 2:49 pm EDT on Thu Oct 22, 2009
    Yes. It’s only for one night and Halloween is all about dressing up scary.

    ok 1) this is originally a pagan holiday, referred to as Sahaman, priests twisted it into halloween to mock the pagans.

    • 1 vote
    #2
     - Dagda
     - 8:52 pm EDT on Fri Oct 23, 2009
    Yes. It’s only for one night and Halloween is all about dressing up scary.

    studies show that it is important for children to have a healthy outlet, and wearing greusome costumes is a fun way to do that.

      #3
       - SHANE ENGEL
       - 11:45 am EDT on Sun Oct 25, 2009

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    • Is 'Where the Wild Things Are' too scary for young children?

      Image: Where the Wild Things Are

      Credit: Warner Bros

       

      From Rainy Farrell, TODAY producer

      I love to go to the movies and so do my twin girls.  But with the price of movies today, I'm pretty selective about what we go see.  It has to be a super-adorable animation, and it has to appeal to me as well.  Otherwise, we just don't go. 

      When I first saw the commercials for  "Where The Wild Things Are,” I was excited to go see it.  I have always been a fan of Maurice Sendak's books, this one too.    When I was a little girl I had The Nutshell Library, a small collection of his stories all in this little tiny case.  I loved it, and carried it everywhere.    We are still big readers in my house, and the girls have read “Wild Things” many times.   

      When we went to watch "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs"  (which we all loved, and not just because Al was a voice in the movie), we happened to see a trailer for “Wild Things.”  One of my girls immediately said, "I want to see that!" and the other, "I don't -- it looks to scary". Days later the commercial was on TV and again the same conversation: "I want to see that" and the other "I don't -- it looks to scary".    Well, now I'm confused.  The girls, both 8, usually have the same likes and dislikes, especially when it comes to entertainment.  But not this time. I wanted to see the movie, but now don't think it'll be on our "to-do" list. 

      I asked a co-worker who had seen the film and his response sort of sealed the deal. "The movie doesn't know what it wants to be or who it should appeal to,” he said.  “Not the young and not the older kids".  To me, movies are a way to escape, to let your imagination go for an hour or two and to have fun.  But is it fun when your daughter is afraid of the dark or scared to turn out the lights?  Is it worth risking her getting nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night?  What do you think?  Is 8 too young to see “Where the Wild Things Are?” How can you tell when a movie is too scary to see, and when should kids be allowed to watch scary movies? 

       

       

       

       
       

       

       

       

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