I was a kid in the '60s and '70s and my mother was a firm believer in dropping us off at the movie theater on a Saturday and leaving us all day. We would usually see three films in a row. A cartoon, a Disney film - something with Kurt Russell probably, or one that doesn't rank that high - and maybe some wild kingdom type of movie with animals. It became a lifelong habit to go to the movies. As an older child being all of nine or 10 years old, I was responsible for my younger siblings. Believe it or not, I think it taught us to be able to sit still and be quiet for longer periods of time which was also a good habit for becoming an adult. We saw a range of film genres. Right now I can't imagine a parent dropping children off that young at a movie theater and leaving them for 4- 5 hours unaccompanied but it was far from unique back then. And the thing was, there were always different movies to see. Maybe some theaters still do it, but in the summertime it was typical to have a lineup of kids movies new and old like that in one day. I know I sound old and nostalgic; I just want to say I agree with what you're saying. There needs to be more children's movies. And I don't think they need to be special effects, or top-notch cartoons. I think anything aimed at a younger audience can succeed. I actually think it would be better if they weren't all special effects films. In fact, talking about all this makes me want to go watch The Ugly Dachshund again.
I don't see most movies in the theater, but for this one, I want the big screen experience. This one cries out for a group audience and surround sound!
Grandchild age 6 would agree, "audiences love family films and animated films; The Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2 took the top three spots. " Yes,Had forgotten this, but it's missing from home viewing "In the old days, a trailer would ‘occur’ to you when you sat down in your seat. You didn’t know what you were going to see. You didn’t click, ‘Oh, Mario,’ right? It would occur. It would reveal itself. And there’s something magical about that. (Re: Sonny Bunch at theBulwark.com)
I don't know if it's still happening, but The Roxie Theater in San Francisco used to do a thing called "Popcorn for Breakfast" that showed old cartoons like I grew up with (mostly old WB/Merrie Melodies Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/etc -- no, not the stupid Disney stuff) every Saturday morning for a few hours. I can't stand kids, so I never went, but thought it was a fantastic idea.
Yes. And, that is why "Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism" by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchinson really exposes the ties of neoliberalism to fascism as an outcome. The policies in the US are creating a society of tech addicted humans, who do not know how to connect well with other human beings. For parents the whole job is fighting against these horrid influences, if you have the financial luxury to be able to do so. Something has got to change.
Along with more movies for my grandson, 6, it would be great if not almost every movie out now is a horror movie, or a violence-filled "drama", catering to teen boys and the adult men who are eternally in the 7th grade? Can't we have good stories for adults? I know I am not the demographic the studios are pandering to, but I am the one with disposable income to spend on movies. I won't hold my breath!
If you haven't already, check out most of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli's work (Disney owns the American distribution rights, unfortunately). Start with My Neighbor Totoro.
Ponyo (Japanese Little Mermaid), Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away (a little scary), Howl's Moving Castle, Arrietty (The Borrowers is the American ripoff version) are all good for kids. But yea, start with Totoro.
Princess Mononoke is amazing, but probably not good for less-than-teenagers. And if you're up for it, watch it in Japanese w/ subtitles. The English dub is sub-par.
Depending on where you live, you might even find theatrical showings. In Portland the science museum usually has a Ghibli fest at least once a year.
Then there's the "dark comedies". I've seen a few good ones, but there are a few I just found disturbing. I can't remember what I saw last week, but The Lobster will be burned into my brain forever.
Honestly, this is why my movie theater attendance has declined.
The easiest way for me to go to the movies is to take my son with me. We saw Hoppers and Project Hail Mary over spring break. If the weather is terrible this weekend, be might catch a repeat matinee of one of these. We say Zootopia 2 in theaters twice, once on Christmas and again on a day with terrible weather. Also we saw the extended edition Lord of the Rings movies together in theaters in January because he's old enough now to not be afraid of orcs. We will see the Mandalorian together (which he wants to see, because now he has seen trailers for it 4 times in the theater.)
If there are movies I want to see that I cannot take my son too, I must plan for childcare. If these movies have a 3 week theatrical window, that's really hard. Since the pandemic, the only movie I've seen without my son is Oppenheimer (which had a longer than normal theatrical window)
Whoa, Sonny! ! Did you not see Tim Blake Nelson in “Old Henry”? I can’t tell you how impressed I was, actually thinking, wow, I’ve never Tim Blake Nelson in a lead role before. He has really come into his own with a phenomenal performance in a well-scripted western action movie. How do you think he got the role in Bang Bang?
"we go incredibly long stretches without a darn thing for kids to watch, and we’re about to hit another such stretch" - Sonny, how can you be unaware of the impending May 8 debut of Sheep Detectives? Hugh Jackman, talking sheep, a mystery to solve, hijinks bound to abound. When the trailer played before our screening of the latest Mario mayhem with our grandchild (age 10) he agreed it looked good. Kids films don't have to be animated - you quoted the Guy who included Lilo & Stitch. Give it a chance, don't sleep on the Sheep
I'm super curious/dubious about this movie. I found out about it while looking up the book, "Three Bags Full", which it's based on. Having seen the ads, I'm assuming they've really toned down the occasional darkness (It is German, set in Ireland) and more... adult themes; neutered the plot (see above); and cranked up the slapstick. That, or the trailer is lying its ass off. OTOH, it has sheep, and I'm a knitter with a kindergartener great-nephew, so unless it absolutely sucks, I might take him.
Didn't know this backstory (based on novel). Perhaps your comment goes with Sonny's - a story originally more for adults (not to say only seniors), silly-ed up (or should I say down) to make it more entertaining for younger audiences too, all to capture the treasured elders-take-kids-out-for-the-afternoon demographic? 😊 In my family's case, mission accomplished!
The central element that the evidently quirky sheep caretaker is murdered does seem a bit jarring for the kiddos, but when they made me see the scene in a Harry Potter movie that indicated a giant snake consuming a human - well, they're probably able to handle the demise of Hugh Jackman ...doubt it'll involve consumption by reptile even if that was in the original German (cuz the snakes all left Ireland so long ago) 🤣
For what it's worth, my 7 year old son saw the preview for this before Project Hail Mary and wants to go? (Which feeds into the point that movies for kids makes kids want to see more movies, which is obvious to me but apparently not to people who make movies). It's PG so we'll be there!
Ageism toward Hugh Jackman? He’s only fifty-sev… oh wait - you’re referring to ME? Ok then that’s fair. I admit a small concern that the film could have a Barnaby Jones/Angela Lansbury vibe but TBF they’re not seniors being deceased and all…
I’ll reserve judgment if you will too. As is said in high places, we’ll see in a couple of weeks 😉
Definitely need more kids films. When I take my 10 year old twin granddaughters to the movies after school, it is a hunt to find more than 1 choice and we live in the Phoenix Metro area. You can certainly have great stories, and fantastic audio and video without scaring the wits out of kids, and without a crash course in human anatomy. So my granddaughters have put most of their video time into streaming where there are legitimate choices. Sad.
Whoever decided to schedule the release of Mario Galaxy in early April should get a raise. It came at the exact time families were either on spring break or just done with spring break and had absolutely zero idea what to do with their kids (this would include my family - all 5 of us saw it and we took 3 other kids).
Mandalorian on memorial day weekend is also a good call. Kids activities are few and far between then (you're so close to summer break but still so far).
One thing I love about my local art house theater duo (Film Streams), is that one of the two theaters runs a "Forever Young" series, with inexpensive tickets to a family-friendly movie at 10 AM every Saturday and Sunday. Some of the movies are newer, some are older, but they are generally good - and when you're 6 most movies are new (to you, at least!).
If we want a new generation of cinephiles, we need to set the hook in them when they are young.
I was a kid in the '60s and '70s and my mother was a firm believer in dropping us off at the movie theater on a Saturday and leaving us all day. We would usually see three films in a row. A cartoon, a Disney film - something with Kurt Russell probably, or one that doesn't rank that high - and maybe some wild kingdom type of movie with animals. It became a lifelong habit to go to the movies. As an older child being all of nine or 10 years old, I was responsible for my younger siblings. Believe it or not, I think it taught us to be able to sit still and be quiet for longer periods of time which was also a good habit for becoming an adult. We saw a range of film genres. Right now I can't imagine a parent dropping children off that young at a movie theater and leaving them for 4- 5 hours unaccompanied but it was far from unique back then. And the thing was, there were always different movies to see. Maybe some theaters still do it, but in the summertime it was typical to have a lineup of kids movies new and old like that in one day. I know I sound old and nostalgic; I just want to say I agree with what you're saying. There needs to be more children's movies. And I don't think they need to be special effects, or top-notch cartoons. I think anything aimed at a younger audience can succeed. I actually think it would be better if they weren't all special effects films. In fact, talking about all this makes me want to go watch The Ugly Dachshund again.
More kids' movies! Coyote vs. Acme looks good but it's not coming out until August.
I'm really amped for Coyote vs. Acme :) I'm really hoping it's a hit too, after all the work the animators put it only to see it shelved like that.
I don't see most movies in the theater, but for this one, I want the big screen experience. This one cries out for a group audience and surround sound!
Grandchild age 6 would agree, "audiences love family films and animated films; The Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2 took the top three spots. " Yes,Had forgotten this, but it's missing from home viewing "In the old days, a trailer would ‘occur’ to you when you sat down in your seat. You didn’t know what you were going to see. You didn’t click, ‘Oh, Mario,’ right? It would occur. It would reveal itself. And there’s something magical about that. (Re: Sonny Bunch at theBulwark.com)
When was the last kids movie nominated for an Oscar? Babe? Why can’t independent studios produce them? No $$$$?
I don't know if it's still happening, but The Roxie Theater in San Francisco used to do a thing called "Popcorn for Breakfast" that showed old cartoons like I grew up with (mostly old WB/Merrie Melodies Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/etc -- no, not the stupid Disney stuff) every Saturday morning for a few hours. I can't stand kids, so I never went, but thought it was a fantastic idea.
I agree that there need to be more movies for children. What is Disney Studios doing? What a disappointment.
Monetizing. End of list.
Yes. And, that is why "Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism" by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchinson really exposes the ties of neoliberalism to fascism as an outcome. The policies in the US are creating a society of tech addicted humans, who do not know how to connect well with other human beings. For parents the whole job is fighting against these horrid influences, if you have the financial luxury to be able to do so. Something has got to change.
Along with more movies for my grandson, 6, it would be great if not almost every movie out now is a horror movie, or a violence-filled "drama", catering to teen boys and the adult men who are eternally in the 7th grade? Can't we have good stories for adults? I know I am not the demographic the studios are pandering to, but I am the one with disposable income to spend on movies. I won't hold my breath!
If you haven't already, check out most of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli's work (Disney owns the American distribution rights, unfortunately). Start with My Neighbor Totoro.
Thanks. I'll give it a shot.
Ponyo (Japanese Little Mermaid), Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away (a little scary), Howl's Moving Castle, Arrietty (The Borrowers is the American ripoff version) are all good for kids. But yea, start with Totoro.
Princess Mononoke is amazing, but probably not good for less-than-teenagers. And if you're up for it, watch it in Japanese w/ subtitles. The English dub is sub-par.
Depending on where you live, you might even find theatrical showings. In Portland the science museum usually has a Ghibli fest at least once a year.
Thanks for the recs. My grandson is 6, so I'll leave the Princess Mononoke for others. I'll check them out. Thanks again.
Romcoms are dead. Highbrow comedies are dead. Even bro comedies are mostly dead. At least we've gotten a Knives Out or Poirot movie every 18 months.
Then there's the "dark comedies". I've seen a few good ones, but there are a few I just found disturbing. I can't remember what I saw last week, but The Lobster will be burned into my brain forever.
Highbrow comedy is dead? Spaceballs 2 is coming out in the next year or so! /s
Honestly, this is why my movie theater attendance has declined.
The easiest way for me to go to the movies is to take my son with me. We saw Hoppers and Project Hail Mary over spring break. If the weather is terrible this weekend, be might catch a repeat matinee of one of these. We say Zootopia 2 in theaters twice, once on Christmas and again on a day with terrible weather. Also we saw the extended edition Lord of the Rings movies together in theaters in January because he's old enough now to not be afraid of orcs. We will see the Mandalorian together (which he wants to see, because now he has seen trailers for it 4 times in the theater.)
If there are movies I want to see that I cannot take my son too, I must plan for childcare. If these movies have a 3 week theatrical window, that's really hard. Since the pandemic, the only movie I've seen without my son is Oppenheimer (which had a longer than normal theatrical window)
Whoa, Sonny! ! Did you not see Tim Blake Nelson in “Old Henry”? I can’t tell you how impressed I was, actually thinking, wow, I’ve never Tim Blake Nelson in a lead role before. He has really come into his own with a phenomenal performance in a well-scripted western action movie. How do you think he got the role in Bang Bang?
"we go incredibly long stretches without a darn thing for kids to watch, and we’re about to hit another such stretch" - Sonny, how can you be unaware of the impending May 8 debut of Sheep Detectives? Hugh Jackman, talking sheep, a mystery to solve, hijinks bound to abound. When the trailer played before our screening of the latest Mario mayhem with our grandchild (age 10) he agreed it looked good. Kids films don't have to be animated - you quoted the Guy who included Lilo & Stitch. Give it a chance, don't sleep on the Sheep
I'm super curious/dubious about this movie. I found out about it while looking up the book, "Three Bags Full", which it's based on. Having seen the ads, I'm assuming they've really toned down the occasional darkness (It is German, set in Ireland) and more... adult themes; neutered the plot (see above); and cranked up the slapstick. That, or the trailer is lying its ass off. OTOH, it has sheep, and I'm a knitter with a kindergartener great-nephew, so unless it absolutely sucks, I might take him.
Didn't know this backstory (based on novel). Perhaps your comment goes with Sonny's - a story originally more for adults (not to say only seniors), silly-ed up (or should I say down) to make it more entertaining for younger audiences too, all to capture the treasured elders-take-kids-out-for-the-afternoon demographic? 😊 In my family's case, mission accomplished!
The central element that the evidently quirky sheep caretaker is murdered does seem a bit jarring for the kiddos, but when they made me see the scene in a Harry Potter movie that indicated a giant snake consuming a human - well, they're probably able to handle the demise of Hugh Jackman ...doubt it'll involve consumption by reptile even if that was in the original German (cuz the snakes all left Ireland so long ago) 🤣
Haha see I’m intrigued by this movie but I also … am not sure it’s a kids movie so much as a seniors movie? It’s a weird one, marketing wise.
I said this up thread, but Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli needs some love, here.
For what it's worth, my 7 year old son saw the preview for this before Project Hail Mary and wants to go? (Which feeds into the point that movies for kids makes kids want to see more movies, which is obvious to me but apparently not to people who make movies). It's PG so we'll be there!
Ageism toward Hugh Jackman? He’s only fifty-sev… oh wait - you’re referring to ME? Ok then that’s fair. I admit a small concern that the film could have a Barnaby Jones/Angela Lansbury vibe but TBF they’re not seniors being deceased and all…
I’ll reserve judgment if you will too. As is said in high places, we’ll see in a couple of weeks 😉
I’ve always loved animated movies and my husband and I went to see GOAT a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was great fun.
Definitely need more kids films. When I take my 10 year old twin granddaughters to the movies after school, it is a hunt to find more than 1 choice and we live in the Phoenix Metro area. You can certainly have great stories, and fantastic audio and video without scaring the wits out of kids, and without a crash course in human anatomy. So my granddaughters have put most of their video time into streaming where there are legitimate choices. Sad.
Whoever decided to schedule the release of Mario Galaxy in early April should get a raise. It came at the exact time families were either on spring break or just done with spring break and had absolutely zero idea what to do with their kids (this would include my family - all 5 of us saw it and we took 3 other kids).
Mandalorian on memorial day weekend is also a good call. Kids activities are few and far between then (you're so close to summer break but still so far).
SERIOUSLY??? Wanted to go to a movie with my fella last week and NOTHING BUT KIDS' FLICKS was playing in Detroit suburbs...
Great article Sonny! Side note…..is that Sam Stein in the photo at top of article?! 🤣🤣🤣
One thing I love about my local art house theater duo (Film Streams), is that one of the two theaters runs a "Forever Young" series, with inexpensive tickets to a family-friendly movie at 10 AM every Saturday and Sunday. Some of the movies are newer, some are older, but they are generally good - and when you're 6 most movies are new (to you, at least!).
If we want a new generation of cinephiles, we need to set the hook in them when they are young.