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The film adaptation of classic kids book, 'Where the Wild Things Are' has blasted straight to the top of the US box office – despite accusations that it's too scary for children.
Cult director Spike Jonze's take on the classic 1963 story of a young boy who runs away into his fantasy world has been a hit with critics, but some parents are calling for families to steer clear of the film because its dark morality tale is deemed unsuitable for young children.
Chicago Tribune film critic, Michael Phillips, defended the film saying, "I suspect kids will go for it more than their parents; in my experience, it's parents who tend to get fussed up about material they perceive, often wrongly, as 'too dark' or difficult. There's a certain amount of pain in 'Where the Wild Things Are', but it's completely earned. The movie fills you with all sorts of feelings, and I suspect children will recognise those feelings as their own."
Indeed, it seems that Spike Jonze and the film's writer, Dave Eggers, fought hard to keep the more adult content from the story in the film, leading to speculation that was the reason why the film took so long to make it into cinemas.
"There is a whitewashed, idealised version of childhood that is popular in movies. It has the kids sitting neatly in their chairs, talking with some adult, in a sarcastic, overly sophisticated but polite way – a concoction that bears no resemblance to an actual kid," Jonze told The Guardian.
Complaints about 'Where the Wild Things Are' follows similar fears about Pixar's latest blockbuster smash 'Up'. The plot of a pensioner sailing away in a house filled with balloons, with a stowaway boy scout in tow might be pure fantasy, but an opening montage scene where we witness his and his wife's life story is a moving and incredibly tear jerking one – and one which some parents feel is too much for young children.
Wes Anderson's forthcoming adaptation of Roald Dahl's 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' has also come under criticism for its flippant and humorous take on nature, which sees a rather selfish Mr. Fox stealing chickens and killing animals to outsmart three farmers who tried to destroy all the animal's homes, and shot Mr. Fox's tail off. Anderson claims that the film should lead to children asking important questions - something he feels is a good thing.
In one screening we attended for 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', very young children were heard gasping with horror at some scenes, with one family walking out. When we first went to watch it we were concerned it would be dull for anyone over the age of nine, but in actually fact the very opposite was true.
Are parents being over sensitive? Is it their responsibility to do more research before taking young children to see these films, or should the films stop being marketed as ideal for all ages? With half term and Christmas holidays fast approaching, will you be taking your kids to watch these films?
'Up' is in cinemas now
'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is in cinemas from Friday 23rd October
'Where the Wild Things Are' is in cinemas from 11th December
Robert Pattinson has become Britain's biggest star of late with 'Twilight' a huge hit, and 'New Moon' set to be even bigger.
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I got a fright when i loaded this page and saw the creepy monster!!! :D
Posted by: shaymaa_08 on Mon Oct 19 04:07PM | Report abuseChildren are being sheltered more and more every year, it will get to the point that they are so sheltered they are totally removed from reality. Children need to develop their own opinions, thoughts, feelings and even healthy fears through experience but if we keep pulling the wool over their eyes and wrapping them in cotton wool they will never grow up to be sensible, intelligent and thoughtfull adults their parents hope them to be. I saw many "scary" or "sad" films when I was young and it did me no harm.
Posted by: katehodgson99 on Mon Oct 19 04:16PM | Report abuseI saw 'UP' with my dad and 9 year old sister and thought it was a brilliant film. The montage showing Mr Frederickson's life with his wife Ellie was tearjerking, but it holds an important lesson for children about living after someone important to you dies.
Posted by: emmagraceyates on Mon Oct 19 04:22PM | Report abuseDoes anyone remember watching Disney's The Rescuers when they were little? That has a very dark storyline and is really very sad but it has a strong message. Post 2 is right, children should be able to make their own minds up.
Posted by: steph_govier22 on Mon Oct 19 04:58PM | Report abusesome people need to get life wrapping children up in cotton wool .children are brought uo like big @#$% blouse some of the soaps are more scary .like Kate said our children need to grow strong and intelligent adults and sheltering them is not the way to go .they need to experience the highs and the lows of life some children get this through films .and that cute thing at the top of the page is not scary at all he reminds me of a book that was about when i was growing up and hey never done me no harm i dont even remember having nightmares
Posted by: superchelseababe on Mon Oct 19 04:59PM | Report abuseI completely agree with Katehodgson. As a mother of 4 I always try my best to protect and nurture my children, but not to my advantage and their detriment. I have never glossed over death with any of them, nor made them think that it's all fluffy clouds and play time with lutes. Any hardships our family endure, our children are always kept in the loop. I know we all want the best for our kids, but leaving them til their late @#$% to truly discover how life really is is not helping them either. I will be taking my children to see the film, and I hope they enjoy it as much as they and I enjoy the book.
Posted by: yurieurie on Mon Oct 19 05:01PM | Report abuseIn my opinion UP was one of the best animated films i've seen in a long time, yes it was a little sad at the beginning but it was also inspiring and beautiful There is absolutely no reason to block more adventurous and emotional movies from children's lives because it might make them feel sad for 5 minutes. That and most of the time young children don't have any idea what is happening in films, I saw a lot of scary and quite sad movies when I was very young and only after rewatching them years later did I actually see the more dark themes in them.
Posted by: astareal on Mon Oct 19 05:17PM | Report abuseThis is stupid. I'm 25 and growing up, some kids TV shows/films that are deemed as classics are very dark e.g. The Rescuers, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Watership Down, Dungeons and Dragons (the TV series). If we keep kids sheltered up, what are they going to be like when they become @#$%agers and adults?
Posted by: ecco1983 on Mon Oct 19 05:29PM | Report abusechildren are being protected more and more from the natural world, which some parents think is best for their children. i believe parents go too far to protect them from a cartoon version of what happens in the natural world which i believe is parents thinking that their children are too fragile and vulnerable to know the truth of nature. this creates a general ignorance about how we get our meat and what happens in the world.
Posted by: jacksteel47 on Mon Oct 19 05:35PM | Report abuseHow young are these children? of course some will be upset by things they don't understand but i believe most learn from it or will at least ask questions. The answer is really know your own child, what they can take and what they can't. My son loves sport and has seen worse things on a football pitch than he has in the cinema
Posted by: marcilla3470 on Mon Oct 19 06:04PM | Report abuse