Disney is traumatizing my 4 year old (1 Viewer)

[MarkHastings]

I think it's healthy to not hide the reality of death from young people. The more you hide it from them, the more terrified they'll be with it when they grow up.

I wouldn't say that a kid being scared with a death scene to be traumatizing, sure it's creepy and unnerving, but as long as it is explained to the child afterwards the child will grow up with a better understanding of death and not have such an emotional fear about it.

Too many people have an unhealthy fear of death. My parents made sure I went to wakes and funerals as a kid. Death is a natural part of life and shouldn't be a taboo subject.

Once you make it a taboo subject, then you will understand where the following response came from:

Oh, and Disney/ Pixar isn't traumatizing your 4 year old. You are.

Jonathan is only saying that not dealing with the death issue can have more severe ramifications when the child grows up (which are harder to deal with when you're older). That would seem even more traumatizing than discussing it at an early age and accepting it as a part of life.

 

[Jacinto]

I don't have a problem with the way Disney portrays death in their films, and my kids have never voiced any worries or concerns over it either. What gets me is that for a company with such a reputation for being "pro-family", examples of a two-parent family raising children in Disney films are almost nonexistant. Mulan is the only one I can think of off-hand.

Cinderella-Stepmother, no Father; Bambi-Orphan; Dumbo-loses Mother; Little Mermaid-no Mother; Beauty and the Beast-no Mother for Belle; Aladdin-no Mother for Jasmine, no parents for Al; Lion King-Father dies; Toy Stories-no Father; Finding Nemo-Mother dies; Treasure Planet-no Father; Lilo and Stitch- you get the idea, ad infinitum...

 

[Dick]

Richard: The real crumby trick Disney (and now other animation studios) plays on the audience is when a character is thought to be dead.... the other characters weep and the music comes on strong and all these emotions are wrung and expended....then the "dead" character revives and is fine. This happened most famously with Baloo the Bear in the original JUNGLE BOOK and has recurred many times since. I feel this is a cheap and offensive way to wring an emotional reaction from audiences, only then to turn around and essentially say, "Just kidding." How can a kid learn about the finality of death and grow to accept mortality if these characters keep "rising from the dead"? Leave that to the horror movies. Personally, I feel the deaths of Bambi's mother and the King Gorilla in Tarzan (among many of the more honest Disney films) are instructive and valuable, no matter how traumatic they may seem at the time.

 

[Jerry Almeida]

Oh man! The King Gorilla
dies in Tarzan?! You've ruined the movie for me!

 

[Ricardo C]

I don't know about your kids, guys, but when I was a tyke, the one Disney scene that positively freaked the crap out of me, was the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence in Dumbo. I still find it disturbing :b

 

[Seth--L]

I think in general the films cary poor ideas for children - my favorite being Ariel giving up her voice to be with a man. Beauty and the Beast is almost as bad.

Then there is a reoccurring theme that it's good to be rich and/or someone important, that if you’re just average, you will live an unfulfilled life.

 

[DonRoeber]

Yeah, the pink elephants really freak me out too. My fiancee can't watch Dumbo without bawling her eyes out though. She even cries when I sing "Baby Mine" in the car.

 

[MarkHastings]

Since when did Disney become a kid-only industry? I think people put WAY too much pressure on "Family Oriented" material.

Disney movies are aimed at "Families" which means part of their market is adults. In order to cater to these adults, the movies are going to naturally deal with themes that might be difficult to very small children. Disney does it's best to balence what might be "too much" for kids and what might be "too childish" for adults. That's a very tough task.

Also, the "Family oriented" material is meant to be viewed by the WHOLE FAMILY and not just the kids alone. Everyones kid is different and it would be IMPOSSIBLE for Disney to make a movie that is friendly to every single child out there, that's why they do their best to come up with something that seems as appropriate for the entire family as possible and then ask you to talk about the movie afterwards and explain any situation that may have bothered the youngster.

If you want movies that are 100% perfect for kids, then stick to shows that are marketed to kids alone (i.e. Stuff like Bob the Builder).

But before you knock Disney, remember what the term "Family oriented" is really marketed toward. The entire family doesn't just consist of kids 5 and under.

 

[John Watson]

I always remember the "TV violence affects children whose parents act like TV personalities" observation on the liner notes of Talking Heads' STOP MAKING SENSE, when I see conversations like this.

I've always wanted to write the "You will die someday" spoiler on HTF, but it looks like I was beaten to the punch by Lyle, in a manner of speaking.

 

[Jeff Swearingen]

This discussion has gone from ridiculous to inane!

Bottom line: you choose what your kids should watch. Don't blame the company for what they do or don't include in the movies.

It's not Disney's responsibility to teach your kids moral values, whether or not it is a family company. Family also includes single parent groups, whether or not some people like it!

Cinderella-Stepmother, no Father; Bambi-Orphan; Dumbo-loses Mother; Little Mermaid-no Mother; Beauty and the Beast-no Mother for Belle; Aladdin-no Mother for Jasmine, no parents for Al; Lion King-Father dies; Toy Stories-no Father; Finding Nemo-Mother dies; Treasure Planet-no Father; Lilo and Stitch- you get the idea, ad infinitum...

 

[Alex Prosak]

Marc, your daughter is fine. All kids go through a stage of separation anxiety. Our son was the same way around that age and I've know many other kids who were too.

For the most part, I don't have a problem with Disney movies, death is a part of life that children, heck everyone, have to deal with at some time within their lives.

The one Disney movie that really bothers me is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was certainly advertised as being a kid friendly movie but the content is far from it. A high ranking priest, destroying homes and killing people because of his carnal lust for a gypsy. I think this is one animated movie they should have never made. I find it quite disturbing as an adult and there isn't a whole lot that bothers me.