Does the child’s request “Lets go to the cinema” make you want to escape to the other side of the city, and does the sight of another cartoon hero cause you to scratch nervously? Diagnosis? Cartoon allergy. Luckily I do not have this problem. Quite the contrary: if I miss a really interesting movie for kids at the cinema I try to catch up in another (legal) way. Thanks to this approach, I am up to date with all the heroes my kids talk about, and I am able to clarify all particularly difficult situations which little brains do not understand. We laugh together, relive adventures and recall dialogues.
This ground for mutual understanding is priceless. Nevertheless, like any adult I draw out of the movies more than just colorful characters and a fast-flowing plot. Since I started going to the cinema with my children, more and more often I come to the conclusion that the cartoon industry is only outwardly aimed at children. Luckily, the movie makers understand that kids do not go to the cinema on their own. Movies should address children’s and adults’ interests equally. Nowadays, every self-respecting production should offer something for adults. It may be unique effects, a deep message, an in-joke or a hint on current life.
“How to train your dragon” is my favorite production, and I have seen it a few times with equal interest. It has perfect content, ideas for heroes, perfect realization, emotions, jokes ¬– so everything I need to have good fun. There are movies which have a hidden agenda as well. The story and colorful pictures are for the kids and there is something more for adults. In “The Croodes” I found some ideas to overcome my own weaknesses, fight my fears, attempt to find an understanding between generations and learnt the consequences of wanting to protect children from their own choices. “Brave” has a similar hidden agenda. Somebody who has a maturing teenage girl at home knows what I am talking about. “Brave” is about a mother-daughter relationship, about the skill of putting oneself in somebody else’s shoes, about ruthlessly forcing someone to take action and about the courage to stand up for your beliefs. For adults it is obvious that every action has consequences. “Up” shows that it is not worth delaying your dreams forever. It may turn out that our heroes do not stand the test of time and that people who seem to have merit, and who are held up as role models, are in fact not worth even a small thought, and we learn that the end does not always justify the means. I admire the producers of “Frozen” as well, which is beautiful, has fantastic music, great singers and faith in the power of love, not only between a man and a women. These are only a few of my favorite cartoons.
Out of the many which I have seen, I have found a few which I would not like to see again or would not recommend that my children watch once more. One of the worst I have seen was “Marco Macaco”. Both the screenplay and the quality were below my expectations. Another movie I do not intend to watch again is “The Boxtrolls”. Maybe the idea is timeless and valuable, but the art style is awful and disgusting. I have seldom seen a movie which is so repulsive that it overshadows its merits. Luckily, there are not so many dreadful movies like this.
So maybe it is sometimes worth replacing a foreign or Polish adult production full of special effects with a good film for kids, but not something so boring that looking at your watch you realize with horror that only 20 minutes have passed.