"Shall we watch Monster House" I said to my 5 year old.

[wonderer99]

Never seen it before. She loves Halloween and witches and all that like any 5 year old. Poster looked like typical cg kids stuff. Holy shit, big mistake. This is harrowing, adult stuff.

Might as well show her Beowulf after this! :

[CompleteCount]

Coraline next!

My wife is a childminder, and the consistent movie which gave them nightmares across a broad age-range was Coraline! They all saw it with their parents him their homes, but this a movie where such an environment makes things worse!

One of them was given a deep-rooted fear of buttons "Koumpounophobia" for years afterwards.

So, if you kid is playing up, don't shout at them - just pop on Coraline.

CORAPIC.jpg

[dgoswald]

It's a brilliant film. It capitalised on 80's nostalgia before it became a trend, and it did it seemingly for a genuine love for that era instead of anything steeped in cynicism.

[mrpants]

Just make sure you watch it with them, and explain things if necessary. Every child is different, but generally kids can handle a lot more than their parents realise.

[phobicsquirrel]

maybe you should have watched it first? Seems that you should know what would be good for your child.... not saying this is you but I have found parenting has been lacking a lot over the years. I use to work at a job where I would do service calls and I remember seeing parents letting their kids (probably 7 or so) playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5 or call of duty.

[Monterey Jack]

Too many parents see "animated movie" and think, "I can throw this one for my three-year-old and leave the room". RESEARCH, people!

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Too many parents see "animated movie" and think, "I can throw this one for my three-year-old and leave the room". RESEARCH, people!

Yup. Especially when seemingly kid-friendly animated movies carry PG ratings (like Monster House and Coraline).

[Monterey Jack]

I mean, I loved ParaNorman, but quiver when think about showing it to an unprepared five-year-old. There's some DARK shit in there, man.

Parents should research a movie's content and make sure to sit with them through the entire thing and be prepared to answer any questions or to just shut the movie off if the kid gets too scared or upset (and that goes double if you're dragging some poor kid to a theater...I remember some poor three-year-old just WAILING for almost forty minutes straight when I saw Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 in theaters, and that's a comparatively benign experience).

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by MJD64

Yup. Especially when seemingly kid-friendly animated movies carry PG ratings (like Monster House and Coraline).

Mid-90's, Disney fare like Lion King (regicide followed by protagonist nuzzling up to his father's corpse) and Hunchback Of Notre Dame (villain incited by physical lust for the heroine) receive G ratings.

Mid-10's, incredibly toothless fare like Tangled and Frozen receive PG ratings for...?

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Mid-90's, Disney fare like Lion King (regicide followed by protagonist nuzzling up to his father's corpse) and Hunchback Of Notre Dame (villain incited by physical lust for the heroine) receive G ratings.

Mid-10's, incredibly toothless fare like Tangled and Frozen receive PG ratings for...?

True enough, and even older G-rated Disney fare such as Bambi has enough in it to seriously upset young kids...I had to laugh when I acquired the Hammer Horror Classics set a few years back and the frequently bloody, violent, sexually suggestive Dracula Has Risen From The Grave carried a G rating!

[ThatOneGuy]

It is definitely one of the better kids films. Treats its audience like grown ups who can handle a more mature story.

[wonderer99]

Jeez, a lot of people here are either the world's most perfect parents or don't have kids. Its a PG film, parental guidance. I sat with her while watching it (hence the reason I knew the content and could make a thread of it?!?) The simple concept of the movie ensured she would not watch it alone but the film surprised me, especially the first 20 minutes or so, at just how adult it is. Please don't think I am dumb enough to think a CG film is automatically kid friendly but those who think parents can automatically watch everything their kids will beforehand is either deluded, doesn't work full time or doesn't have kids.

Anyway the movie. It's a great little film. I'm not sure of its reception but I would hazard a guess that it is a pretty underrated movie. Adult themes permeate the movie and a lot of what initially made me hesitate with the movie for my daughter was actually lost on her. There are a few things that I thought were a little dark for no reason (cop telling the kids he will shoot them) but otherwise it was fun. She actually sat through the whole film (which is rare for her) so she must have enjoyed it too. It did not surprise me to see the Amblin logo. It has the sort of 80s Goonies vibe to it.

8/10

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

Anyway the movie. It's a great little film. I'm not sure of its reception but I would hazard a guess that it is a pretty underrated movie. Adult themes permeate the movie and a lot of what initially made me hesitate with the movie for my daughter was actually lost on her. There are a few things that I thought were a little dark for no reason (cop telling the kids he will shoot them) but otherwise it was fun. She actually sat through the whole film (which is rare for her) so she must have enjoyed it too. It did not surprise me to see the Amblin logo. It has the sort of 80s Goonies vibe to it.

See, that's the thing right there. A lot of the adult and mature themes people talk about in animated and family films, I was totally oblivious to when I was a kid--I was in it for all the fun bits. I think the majority of kids are that way. They're more resilient than we give them credit for, or else their attention skips over the heavier things they may not understand. It's only been as an adult that I notice some of the darker or nuttier aspects to these films--it's like we start to over-analyze when we grow up.

[wonderer99]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

See, that's the thing right there. A lot of the adult and mature themes people talk about in animated and family films, I was totally oblivious to when I was a kid--I was in it for all the fun bits. I think the majority of kids are that way. They're more resilient than we give them credit for, or else their attention skips over the heavier things they may not understand. It's only been as an adult that I notice some of the darker or nuttier aspects to these films--it's like we start to over-analyze when we grow up.

Agreed. I grew up with parents who genuinely did not give a shit what I watched as a child. I had Hellraiser and Alien VHS on my shelf at 12. Was that irresponsible of them? Of course. However had I not seen so much in my childhood (I was obsessed with movies) I am not sure I would have the love for cinema I have now. Movies affect us in a way when we are kids that can't be replicated in adulthood. The sense of wonder. The belief that it is real without knowing the nuts and bolts of movie making.

Now having said that I am pretty aware of what my daughter watches and what my baby son will watch. I am willing to show them stuff that may seem a bit mature for them as long as I am there to explain to them what is going on and allow them to enjoy the experience of movies without believing what they are seeing is nessarily real.

I am glad I got to see films such as Stand By Me at a young age. They will stay with me forever because of the time of life I first saw them.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by MJD64

True enough, and even older G-rated Disney fare such as Bambi has enough in it to seriously upset young kids...

Nowadays, all it takes is "rude humor" to get a PG slapped on a movie. Oh yes, that's MUCH worse than the song "Hellfire" in the G-rated Hunchback Of Notre Dame...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NoDEu7kpg

[Visionist]

I watched Robocop 2 when I was seven, and started watching films like Under Seige by age eight.

I only occasionally exhibit homicidal tendancies today.

[BeastCreatureTrapper]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Mid-90's, Disney fare like Lion King (regicide followed by protagonist nuzzling up to his father's corpse) and Hunchback Of Notre Dame (villain incited by physical lust for the heroine) receive G ratings.

Mid-10's, incredibly toothless fare like Tangled and Frozen receive PG ratings for...?

Well, Frozen did have some intense moments, and also the parents suddenly (and conveniently) dying at sea.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by BeastCreatureTrapper

Well, Frozen did have some intense moments, and also the parents suddenly (and conveniently) dying at sea.

Yes, them "dying" when their boat sinks off-camera (all of two minutes after being introduced) is much more traumatizing than Simba nuzzling up to his Dad's CORPSE for minutes on end in The Lion King...

[headphones]

Well if you judge what's appropriate for your five year old daughter based on poster art alone, then I got a great film for for your daughter to watch next.

[Show spoiler]

[Visionist]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NoDEu7kpg

Wow I need to watch more Disney!