I'm not a fan of most Disney movies anymore. The modern films are so different from the ones of my generation, like Bambi. Some of my mom friends think Bambi is horrible and would never show it to their kids because Bambi's mom gets killed by a big mean hunter. I remember watching seeing this as a little girl and being sad for weeks. As a matter of fact, I'm still sad. Poor Bambi.
But sad is okay, even for a young child. It's an age-appropriate emotion, one I believe a child has to experience early on in some form to learn to deal with properly.
Sad is a lot better than evil, as you'll find in The Princess and the Frog. I took my 5 year old daughter to see this over the Christmas break and I must say it was a great film … for me. An adult. My sweet daughter sat through it, but had nightmares. She was terrified for days. Bambi never effected me that way.
There's a character called Dr. Facilier, or Shadow Man. He's an evil voo-doo guy, the villain of the story. His voice is done by actor David Keith, but he looks like a creepy version of Samuel L. Jackson to me.
My daughter was just not prepared for him. In my opinion, Shadow Man is much worse than Bambi's hunter.
First of all, how do you explain voo-doo to a 5 year old? That was a challenge I was not prepared for. In addition, Shadow Man leaves nothing to the imagination. He's in your face, looming. Dr. Facilier is not only sinister in an occult sort of way but he does away with one of my favorite characters in the movie out of malice, greed, and cruelty, pure and simple. He enjoys it, there's a satisfied smile on his face.
At least the woodsman who is ordered to do away with Snow White changes his mind and frees the girl, showing some redeeming qualities.
And Bambi's hunter is never seen. He's always in the background. You imagine him, decide whether what he did was truly horrible or just a fact of life. Perhaps the hunter was just trying to feed his family. Maybe he just lost his job and was trying to make ends meet the best he could. Maybe he was killing purely out of sport and thrill … you, the viewer, decides.
I think that's one major difference between Disney movies of past and present. The old ones make you think a little bit, let you reach your own conclusions, at least in the case of Bambi.
Not taking my kids to another modern Disney flick anytime soon. Even the classic Disney flicks are not perfect, but I'll pick and choose from them instead. And we will keep watching CARS — since Lightning's own worst enemy is himself. More food for my child's thought..
Are the Disney movies of today more appropriate or less appropriate for younger kids than the ones of your generation? Did you see and like Princess and the Frog?
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My Problem with Princess and the Frog
