“If you drink too much from a bottle marked ‘poison,’ it’s almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”
That’s the first movie line I committed to memory. It originates from Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” which I first saw when I was four. That line has resided deep within the folds of my brain for a long time. Perhaps if I deleted it from memory I could replace it with my Meijer mPerks pin. I can never remember that pin. But Alice’s statement continues to deliver good advice. And, who doesn’t love a well placed understatement?
The point here is that all forms of art can make lasting impressions. Good art, even animation, challenges perspective. It educates, entertains and/or enlightens. The delivery can be subliminal. Quiet. It can be existential. It can be a yell in your face ‘your nose is going to grow if you lie’ kind of delivery.
At my age, I am again watching art in animated form. Over the last four years I have watched 23 full length animated movies with two of my grandsons. The first was “Cars.” To my surprise, I loved it. How could a movie go wrong with Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman and Cheech Marin in the cast?
A few weeks ago we decided to watch Dreamworks’ “The Bad Guys.” The movie opened with a well dressed wolf and a hat wearing python sitting in a NYC diner a la Seinfeld. Their banter was quick and filled with double entendre. After a few minutes, they left the diner and robbed a bank. They then picked up their other friends involved in the heist and a high speed police chase ensued. The bad guys successfully escaped leaving crashed police cars in their wake. (Think “Pulp Fiction” mixed with “Fast and Furious” and a smidgen of “Oceans 11.”)
I paused the movie. Both of my grands looked at me, mouths gaping.
“I don’t think I like this movie. Let’s watch something else.” I suggested.
“What? Bruh, why?” said my 8 year old grandson.
“I’m not your ‘bruh,’ I’m Mimi. And I think this movie tells kids that it’s ok to rob a bank and fun to be part of a high speed police chase. It. Is. Not.”
“Mimi, its fine. It’s a cartooooon! At the end of the movie there will be a lesson and the bad guys will become good.”
His logic – plausible. I pressed play and the boys closed their gaping mouths. While I don’t think “The Bad Guys” will ever become a classic it was entertaining. And in the end, just as my grandson predicted, the bad guys learned their lesson and changed their ways.
But my take away from that movie was that my grandsons still believe in a happily ever after. That lessons can be learned. Good can overcome evil. That everything will be fine not only in movies but likely in real life as well. They still reside in that sacred state of innocence and faith. Or perhaps they possess a positive mindset. Either way, I would never want to challenge those beliefs.
I think the movie industry has evolved exponentially both technically and sociologically. Producers of G rated movies in particular have become cognizant and purposeful in the kind of messages they deliver to their youngest viewers. They realize you don’t have to kill off the mother to have a good story line and that girls need to be encouraged to rescue themselves. They promote the notion that heroes come in all shapes, sizes, genders and colors with all kinds of different talents.
I feel good that of the 23 animated movies I have watched with my grands, nearly every single one has attempted to push the same messages. The narrative being delivered to our Generation A grandchildren is that challenges are best resolved through trusting, communicating and cooperating with others. The narrative is that life is best lived with an ensemble cast. That’s a way better message than someday your prince will come, dontchathink?
What’s a boomer to do? Eat buttered popcorn, try one of the new animated movies and never drink from a bottle marked poison because sooner or later it will disagree with you.
