Content Focus

The burgeoning Hollywood industry takes special care of children when it comes to movies. Every year there is a plethora of movies that can be watched by kids if  not exclusively for kids. Okay, so we have movies for children but do we have the right movies for children? Animated or otherwise does not make a difference but the story-line and its presentation is what leaves an impact on the young mind. Granted that movies for children usually have content that is less covert and more overt, so that they do not have many difficulties in understanding the concept of a movie. However, sometimes, movie-makers take a lot of liberty with this and expose kids to torturing violence, indirect sexuality and sometimes perverse references. Even the best of animated movies that have done well in the past have been stained by their explicit violent or sexual details or innuendos.

These movies that appear innocent on the surface, actually insinuate and glorify violence, beauty over talent or intellect, revenge, power of body over mind, universality of superheroes, etc. They create unrealistic stereotypes in the minds of children and have them in turn measure themselves according to these stereotypes. This is how movies corrupts the young and innocent.

The situation isn’t that bad at all and we should not prevent our children from watching movies. As parents we can educate them better against any sort of hegemonic ideals or promote in them a sense of respect for others and for themselves. So that they can distinguish between good and bad influence and respond accordingly. If one knows better, one does better. Hence, make your children aware of the harmful effects of violence and let them make choices of what is right or wrong.

Following is a list of movies that might prove good for children’s viewing:

• Adventures of Robin Hood
• The Bear
• The Black Stallion
• The Buddy Holly Story
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Chicken Run
• The Day the earth stood still
• Duck Soup
• Edward’s Scissorshands
• Emma
• E.T the Extra Terrestrial
• Fly Away Home
• Gandhi
• Ghostbusters
• Great Expectations
• A Hard Day’s Night
• Jurassic Park
• The King and I
• Lawrence of Arabia
• Lilo & Stitch
• Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings
• Mrs. Doubtfire
• The Music Man
• My Fair Lady
• Mary Poppins
• Peter Pan
• Pinocchio
• Rocky
• The Secret Garden
• Shane
• Shrek
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Singin’ in the Rain
• Steamboat Bill, Jr.
• Westside Story
• The Winslow Boy
• The Wizard of Oz
• Yellow Submarine

The list is not framed in order of preference and might differ from your evaluation. Please feel free to comment on the list and also give in your suggestions to improve the same.

Tags: Children, Hollywood, Movies