My dh and I call it ‘default parenting’.  It is the mode too many parents go into when forced by the days of the week to spend time with their kids.
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We have a plaza near our house where we regularly see parents either dropping off herds of kids, though they sometimes join them.  Too often, we shake our heads and wonder what could these teens (and younger) could possibly be watching as there isn’t an appropriate movie or decent movie listed.
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Sadly, for some parents, when faced with either spending time with their kids at the house or not, they’ll default into ‘let’s go see a movie’ (with or without the ‘Annie’ tune running in their heads).  Going to a movie or letting their kids see a movie seems so generous, so parental when it often is neither.
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I have taught elementary CCD at our parish for years and I am done being shocked by discovering what the kids have seen at the theater or in their homes.  I remember having a 3rd grader talk about seeing “Sixth Sense” (what!!?), and last year they were glowing about “Hop”.  Most recently, I’ve seen kids with their parents at the local Redbox and being told “pick out your movie” and watched as the little kid picks an R-rated, straight to video trashy horror film as Mom and Dad look on and pay for it!
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The virtue of prudence, and the gifts of wisdom and knowledge don’t seem to come into play on a weekend.  Thoughtful parenting requires checking out the movies and reviews and sometimes saying “No”, despite what ‘everyone else is doing’.  But that does require real effort.
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For many parents going to see a movie (or watching one at home) is just too easy to do and the action of paying for and/or accompanying a child to a movie gives the wonderful impression that actual parenting (that is forming and educating your children) has taken place.

Rachel W:
 
Your comment about parents renting trashy R-rated movies for their kids reminds me of my friend and fellow critic Lawrence Toppman’s Open Letter to a Mother at an R-rated Movie. That was a case of negligent parents going to see inappropriate movies with kids in tow. What you describe is a way almost worse: proactively providing inappropriate fare specifically for the kids.
 
P.S. Ugh, Hop.

Our 20 year old daughter LOVES Japanese Anime. She is a student at the Art Institute and draws that stuff as well as they do in Japan, sometimes better. She will go see this movie, probably taking us along for the ride.

The same parents who care to expose their kids to good paintings in a museum don’t seem to realize there is art on the big screen too.  Don’t raise your kids to want to see stupid movies - teach them to appreciate characters and story and plot—oh, and the beautiful art work of a movie like Arriety. 

Sitting through the unbearable “Madagascar 3” trailer with its rap tunes, ugly art and nasty innuendo right before the delight of seeing this was an embarrassment to me as an American!  Do yourself a favor, show up 15 minutes AFTER the movie is scheduled to start and skip the trailers!

Unlike ewe, most parents don’t mind being fleeced by studios ramming a mediocre kids movie at them and will flock to it as long as they’ve herd it’s not baaaad. (Okay, I am feeling a bit sheepish for making that metaphor, but it’s not too far off).

On the other hand, maybe it’s not so much default or following-the-herd parenting as it is “Happy Meal” parenting: a combination of guilt and lack of energy to do their own homework results in parents going for the cheap, unfulfilling fare because it seems to be what the kids want (or all they know).

Why so skeptical of The Lorax? It’s the same studio that did Horton Hears a Who, isn’t it? Anyway, I am happy to report that after I had found my seat in the theater, which was already more full than I would have expected, a large line of children came pouring into the theater and plopped themselves down near the front. They seemed to enjoy it, though I think Arriety got the best reaction from the row I was in, which seemed to be mostly populated with fellow late teen/20 something anime fans.

I don’t love everything about Disney, but stepping in to create excellent translations with Studio Ghibli does reflect a true commitment to the art of the animated film.  Especially, since, as you pointed out, they are not great financial assets. 

Remember that in our Democratic, Capitalist society, we can complain about weakening values and choices, but we vote with our dollars whether or not to support the problem or move the industry into a new direction.

My kids oohed and aaahed over the Journey 2 poster last week when we saw HUGO with our Optimum Rewards.  Next week it will be Arrietty.

Michael Sragow also hated both Christopher Nolan Batman movies and loved both Fantastic Four movies (because comic book movies are supposed to be gonzo popcorn extravaganzas and anything else is being pretentious, or something). If he liked Madagascar 2, that’s more damning than a thousand negative reviews.

loved this article! my husband and I have always agreed we need to teach our children to have good taste in movies. You won’t catch my husband and I taking our girls to see any Chipmunks equivalents when they reach the age, and hopefully they won’t even want to see those!

elise: Of course, showing up 15 minutes late wouldn’t have worked with 17 people. There would have been nowhere to sit.
 
victor: Brilliant comments. (You threw me with the “ramming” thing.) Love “Happy Meal parenting”!
 
Pierce Oka: Alas, no. Horton was produced by Blue Sky Studios/Fox, creators of Ice Age; The Lorax is from newbie Illumination/Universal, creators of Despicable Me. Which I liked, but not nearly enough to ignore my instincts on the Lorax trailer. I’ll know for sure in a few days.
 
Rachel K: Ouch. I don’t usually play the “Critic X ALSO liked/disliked movie Y, etc.”, but I must say you chose your examples well.
 
molly: How old are your girls now? I’ve heard glowing reports from parents whose 3 and 4-year-olds loved Arrietty.

The state of movies reminds me of something I read from I think On Fairy Stories, that children don’t need to read things that are FOR children, they need to read things that are good in their own right.  Same holds for movies as fairy stories, I think.  GeekBaby’s favorites are movies from Studio Ghibli, even the ones that scared him the first time like Spirited Away did.  I can’t wait to take him to see Arrietty.

We love most of the Studio Ghibli films and will probably love this one. Some of them are just too dark and wierd for me. I am, however, one of those people who would shove Madagascar 2 into your hand. It is certainly not brainy or beautiful, but I think it is a completely hysterical movie. Not really for the younger ones, but the characters and situations all are hilarious! I don’t see what is so great about Horton, personally.

I know the film buffs at John Paul Catholic University in San Diego were looking forward eagerly to see this film over the weekend.  Thanks for your always informed reviews,Steve.

Out of all the movie trailers that I have seen recently ‘The Lorix’ looks to be one of the most entertaining and delighful pictures that may come out this year. I’m looking forward to seeing it right alongside Ariarty. I’m also interested if ‘The Three Stooges’ will be a great homage to the classic series or an outright insult. Also interested if the ‘The Hunger Games’ will be another successful book to film event. I look forward to the reviews.

I too went to see Arrietty this past weekend with my 27 year old daughter, Usagi Maru, a Japanese translator who lives in Japan part time - very near the Ghibli Museum as it turns out.  Arrietty was derived from the British book series “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton. It is innocent, sweet and delightful in book form.  Even more so in Miyazaki’s vision for Ghibli Studios.  We delighted in the sheer physical beauty of the animation (delicate and painterly).  Even more, we were enriched by the generous, simple and authentic emotion conveyed by the story.  Have we as a culture forgotten such innocence and transparency in our human interactions?
As to the Lorax - that is one of my daughter’s favorite books we read to her as a child.  In the book, colors were purposefully muted, the realities stark - to convey a thankless world filled with “Barbaloots in their barbaloot-suits” who had no food, but “crummies in their tummies” due to the consequences of mindless industrialization of the environment.  We saw nothing of this in the trailer for the film which presented visually with a day-glo color palette and distorted-looking characters (Not whimsical nor quirky, but bloated and bizarre).  I am dismayed.

Don’t settle for a mysterious island when there’s a whole secret world to be discovered.

It’s not even a particularly mysterious island, actually; it’s quite familiar. It’s like going on vacation to the same place, over and over, or watching the same sitcom, over and over, or visiting the same restaurants, over and over. You don’t have to risk disappointment, because you already know what you’re going to get.

Someone mentioned anime in general being great. The anime industry is actually a lot like Hollywood, only more, uhm, “edgy”. The first Gundam was great, even the original series, if you will grant me that. But after 40 years, don’t you guys think it might be time to bury the corpse?

I agree that Studio Ghibli films are great, but I suspect that has more to do with Miyazaki than with either the studio or the art form. Remember that these are the guys who also turned out… well, no, I’d better not recite my litany of disgust with anime.

Oh, and yeah, I hate the Madagascar sequel, but we have it on DVD (didn’t pay for it, at least) and my kids, believe it or not, watch it over and over. Ugh. I recently started showing my 5 year-old The Lord of the Rings, and she is enthralled. I was worried it might be too early, but we just finished the first film, and she wants to see more.

Honestly I’ve lost all hope when it comes to movies…. What good, quality show can people put on for older teenagers? Something with a lesson, or AT LEAST some wholesome pointless fun, not the hollywood has been putting out lately for that age group, certainly.

Bill: I don’t fault you a bit for finding some Ghibli too dark and weird. Even I found Princess Mononoke too dark, though I love Spirited Away, and while none of it is too weird for me, I can easily see why other people feel differently.
 
On Madagascar 2, well, I’d be interested in your reaction to my review. :-)
 
Leslie Anne Rabbitt: Thanks for your thoughtful response. “Even more, we were enriched by the generous, simple and authentic emotion conveyed by the story.  Have we as a culture forgotten such innocence and transparency in our human interactions?” I don’t know about forgotten, but we seem to have a very hard time expressing it in films for children.
 
Jack Perry: Spot on: “It’s not even a particularly mysterious island, actually; it’s quite familiar. It’s like going on vacation to the same place, over and over, or watching the same sitcom, over and over, or visiting the same restaurants, over and over. You don’t have to risk disappointment, because you already know what you’re going to get.”
 
FWIW, I think Raymond Moon meant that his daughter loves anime technique, not that she thinks anime films are generally especially worthwhile. And yes, there’s certainly junk, and offensive junk, in the annals of anime.
 
Loud: Don’t give up all hope! There is still worthwhile stuff being made that is appropriate for teenagers! Here’s a custom search of my reviews that finds recent recommended movies for teens & up or kids & up.

This has nothing to do with movies, but just last night on Ash Wednesday, the priest mentioned how ridiculously immoral “the seven capital sins” that television shows during prime time (I guess 8-9 pm) than it has been since a few years ago. I am saying this is the same with so-called children movies as well. It still perplexes me that many “PG-13” movies should be rated “R” just by watching the trailers.

This is why I have cable. Even though INSP is non-Catholic there is nothing morally wrong with The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. If you have MeTV you get Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Odd Couple, That Girl, etc. that most of us grew up with in the 60s and 70s.

Interesting piece. I agree with your point, overall, but confess that I’m one of those parents who caved and took my kids to both “The Smurfs” (which may be, literally, the worst movie I’ve ever seen) and the latest Chipmunks film. Why? Well, we live going to the movies together. I’m a cinema buff, and I love nothing more than sharing the theater experience with my kids—even if it means sitting through something that makes me want to put forks in my eyes. But here’s the good news: these movies don’t necessarily spoil the kids’ taste, as long as its not the only thing you feed them. A little junk food is okay as long as its part of a healthy, balanced diet. My kids were raised with a love of the Muppets, and classic Disney (*not* the direct-to-DVD drivel that’s been churned out over the last decade), as well as classics like “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Singing’ in the Rain.” You just have to be a proactive parent. (Heck, I lived a lot of terrible movies as a kid, and I grew up to be a pretty finnicky critic.) All that said, I simply cannot hear the poor quality of Japanese animation. The art is often beautiful, and the stories well-told, but I’ve given up trying to appreciate the “style” that simply looks like cheap Saturday morning garbage.

Apologies for the live/love typos in the above post. My phone has an overzealous autocorrectIng instinct.

Paul Christian Glenn:
 
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I absolutely agree that a healthy cinematic diet, like a healthy meal diet, is in the balance of what you usually eat, and that occasional junk food doesn’t necessarily harm anyone (though some is worse than others, and there is outright poison that should always be avoided). Active parental involvement is also a critical factor.
 
I am more concerned about children growing up on a diet of the likes of Smurfs and Chipmunks than I am children who saw one (or both!) of those films amid a regular diet of classics and superior fare.
 
FWIW, Studio Ghibli fare is not like most anime. True, the animation isn’t quite as smooth as Disney, but not only is the artwork gorgeous, painterly and breathtakingly persuasive, the figure work and sense of gesture is excellent. Glenn Kelly sums it up well:

Japan’s Studio Ghibli makes animated films the way Faberge made ornamental eggs: with incredible painstaking handcraft and extravagant imagination.

 
If you’re unfamiliar with Ghibli in particular, take your kids to see Arrietty. Or if you want to try something more challenging, try Spirited Away (without the kids, at least the first time). If you’re still unimpressed, then there’s no hope. :-)
 
P.S. If The Smurfs might be the worst movie you’ve ever seen, then clearly (to confine myself to family films in theaters last year) you didn’t see Zookeeper.

Thanks for this review. I do not often go to movies, but will plan to see Arietty based on your comments.

Mr. Greydanus—My children love your reviews. I’ve told you before that they know to check your website before asking me to see a particular movie, but you might not know that I have been occasionally assigning your reviews to my teenage son to read and then write a response to.

All six of my children (well, maybe not the 3 yo) are champing at the bit for their dad and me to take them to Arrietty.

Thanks again for your good work, on movies and on other work.

Am I correct in believing you are an artist, or at least an art major? Do you have any advice for aspiring artists today? Thanks in advance.

I completely agree. I think a similar point could be made for adult audiences as well. Many people are settling for formulaic films such as “The Hangover, Part 2,” “Bridesmaids,” etc. Actually, I shouldn’t say “settling,” because in fact they are embracing such films with wide-open arms. And yes, such films do have some funny moments to provide people with much-needed relief from their hectic lives. But if you ask them if they had seen any of this year’s inspiring, cultured films, they will probably have no idea what you’re talking about. I think that we, as a culture, need to renew our appreciation for what constitutes a good work of art; after all, art in its various forms (painting, poetry, sculpture, drama, etc.) has helped to gather people together in recognition of a shared identity and purpose in past ages. Granted, this was not always for the better. This area of life requires just as much caution as any other. But to have as cultural staples films that are generally shallow and offer no inspiration can’t bode well for us.