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Thoughts on Disney movies?
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Hi Ladies, I would really love to hear your own personal thoughts on Disney movies and whether you allow your little ones to watch them?I have twin 2 yr old girls and 6 DS. I was told by mother today that I’m being ridiculous for not wanting DD to watch Little Mermaid. I personally am not fond of the Disney princesses but I did grow up with them. My one DD is very attracted to anything Arielle related since my mom gave her a doll for Chistmas. I don’t care for the way she’s dressed and would much rather prefer she play with more wholesome babydolls. I have strong convictions about wanting my children to be exposed to all things true, noble, right and pure. Am I being too idealistic? Also, for those of you who have sons, is it possible to raise them up without all of the superheroes, transformers and such?
We like some and we dislike some, so we haven’t ruled them out as a category, but are selective. My oldest girls at 14 and 16 just watched Little Mermaid for the first time this summer; they found it wanting compared to the original version. My littler girls, 7 & 5, won’t be watching it until they are much older, if at all. I don’t like movies that glorify disobedience, and the Disney version of Little Mermaid does just that, IMO.
We own and watch Robin Hood, Peter Pan, Snow White…mainly the older ones. My older girls have watched through all of the “Princess” ones as their own sociological experiment 🙂 They have the wisdom now not to want to “be” those princesses.
I also have 3 boys, 12, 10 and 2 and we haven’t done superheroes or transformers. Their main toys are things like Lego, Duplo, trains and marble tracks. When they were younger and watched t.v. it was something like Thomas (the older version), Zooboomafoo or Mighty Machines (a Canadian show). We do allow video games now that they are older, but we’ve been fairly choosy in those, too, and our rule is that if they imitate any poor behaviour shown, then they are not ready for it, and it is taken away.
Hi Amanda,
We have two dds, ages 6 and 9, and for a few years when the older one was small, we thought we could slide sometimes and allow a book or a movie, or some jammies, but the Disney marketing is so slick and pervasive that we finally have implemented an outright ban on all things Disney at our house. We found in the long run it is much easier for us, and for grandparents especially, if we just say “no Disney” for all gifts, birthdays, treats, etc. In fact, we take it a step further and ask for no TV or movie character at all. Then again we also have a moratorium on new toys, so we are just flat-out weird. There is in our minds no way to justify having little kids act as billboards for a multi-billion dollar company. They can peddle their wares elsewhere and we won’t have to be subjected to it.
Regarding Ariel, one of the things we gleaned from this movie is how Disney lies to kids. The overriding theme of the movie is “Disobey your dad, do sneaky and dangerous things, make a deal with the devil, treat your friends badly, avoid your responsibilities, it doesn’t matter what you say as long as you look pretty, and you can marry the handsome prince at the end, who doesn’t seem to have a job or purpose in life, but that also doesn’t matter too much if you are both really good looking.” My girls both actually enjoyed looking for all the lies they could. We had to pause the movie so often that I’m not sure they even really ‘got’ the story, but they had fun picking it apart. Maybe your mom could come over and watch with you as your family enjoys finding the falsehoods? Maybe it would click better with her, seeing that it really isn’t completely harmless and all for fun?
So, no you’re not over the top on this. Stand your ground as nicely but firmly as you can if you really are convicted on this. We don’t have boys, but I don’t think you are off base at all with your girls.
It’ll be interesting to read other replies. Also, I think we’ve had a discussion about this before. I’ll see if I can find it.
Blessings,
Jenni
Good thoughts Carla, I agree it depends on which one, and also what your family’s standards are. We haven’t done Little Mermaid, because of the immodesty issue. I also don’t care for the romantic ideas they pick up in the princess movies. I also have learned that if mine have seen a movie, they are very reluctant to read the book later, since they “already know that story”. There are many movies I wish they hadn’t seen for that reason. Also, it’s fine to be considered ridiculous by your mother, I’m sure there is a respectful way to explain to her what your preferences are once you and your husband figure out what is okay for your family.
Here are two other threads with interesting comments:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/fairytales#post-92008
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/movies/page/2
Well we have 2 boys so no princess stuff LOL..and I do agree w/ them not being good role models,(immodesty, disobedience and such) however, we love the other Disney movies such as Toy Story, Cars, and Monsters. These animated films are about friendship and being trustworthy. They are excellent IMHO. Lessons are learned and tears are shed, LOL! Including tears in my boys!
We also love the older Disney movies as well! 😉
Hi Amanda,
It sounds like you have your own convictions and you know what/how you want to raise your children! Certainly not too idealistic.
Seems to me your mother disrepected your known desires, enticeing your children to things it seems you would not want a part of your home enviroment. She sounds manipulative, controlling and not considerate of your feelings as a mother. If you don’t like the way Arielle is dressed, teach your daughter what you believe and why. Any gift that does not measure up to your convictions should not be kept in your home. Do not be bullied, they are your children and YOU are accountable before God for how you raise them, you need to be completely comfortable with what you allow in your home. That is a wide range even among Christians, don’t let peer/family pressure to change what is in the best interest of your children. God gave your children to you!
I’d like to hear from others on how to uphold personal standards without upseting extended family. You are not alone, yes it is completely possible if that is your conviction.
Don’t know if this was helpful at all but needed to write quickly. I do want you to be encouraged. Those who desire to life a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But HE is always with us, and guides us, and comforts us. Lean on Him for all wisdom in how to approach your situation. Blessings.
Wow! I wish I could just reach through the screen and hug all of you ladies! I’m fairly new to this community but I have to say that I feel so much support and encouragement from all the responses I’ve had on my questions. Thank you so very much! It’s refreshing to read your responses and feel as though I am not alone in my convictions and beliefs. I hope to come back later and read even more thoughts =) Blessings to you all <3
I’m sure I’ll be in the minority on this, but I’ve never had any issues with my daughters by allowing them to watch Disney Princess movies-for example, after watching The Little Mermaid, they never asked or showed any desire to wear a bikini or similar, or disobey their dad. I think if I saw negative or disrespectful behaviors or if they became obsessed with all things princess, I may not allow them anymore. That being said, I think they’re just like any other twaddle-no “nutritional value”, so for sure, they’re not missing out on anything and will be absolutely fine if they never see a Disney movie, but on the other side of the coin, I don’t believe they’ll be ruined if they do see one. Maybe your little one is extra interested in the Ariel doll just because she’s never had one, and she may even be picking up on the tension between you and your mother over the issue, so it’s more on the forefront of her mind? No matter what though, your mom does need to respect your parenting desires.
If you want to chicken out of your reasoning for avoiding Disney Movies (or at least certain ones) I go for “scary”. All the ones we avoid are the scariest ones where the bad guys turn into super scary monsters – including The Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty among others. Just say you don’t want to contribute to nightmares (or cause them). It’s really hard to argue with that – especially if the adult rewatches the scary part – they’re really, really scary!
We don’t do most of them. We allowed our firstborn to watch Nemo at a young age and he had nightmares for weeks. So, we avoid anything super scary, dressed inappropriately or that I think doesn’t fit with our family values. We do own Cinderella. That being said, my daughter (who is 4) has been given some princess dress up dresses like Belle’s, Cinderella and maybe Tinkerbell. I allow her to have them and she just plays as normal dress up. I think she also has a princess coloring book, but the princesses are all in their dresses there.
I have 4 boys – ages 10, 9, 6 and 1 – we have never done superheros or transformers. They play legos, building, cars and yes reinacting wars they have read about throughout our history studies. They love wars, but we don’t watch anything war related such as GI Joe ect.., and I am selective about the books they get from the library relating to that. We preview them for images that they don’t need to have in their brain at this time. So, yes it is possible for them to have fun without all of the modern pop culture icons. Maybe we are over doing it, but we prefer for them not to play with any figures that have mean faces. We don’t have them play the bad guy although they can use their army men to fight against the bad guys. Don’t know if I am explaining that well, but we try to have them play as they would be in life.
our personal mantra to try to keep the peace with extended family members is – we don’t play with that in our family. We try not to condemn others who choose to have toys we wouldn’t have, but we also explain to our children when they ask why we choose not to have certain toys. If we were given a doll we didn’t approve of I would probably not say anything at the time. DD would thank the giver and probably be thrilled with the gift. She may play with it for a time, but then as soon as she tired of it I would most likely put out of sight until such a time as I could get rid of it. Everyone’s situation is different though so that may not work for you if family member comes over and asks to see it or asks about it.
Yes, I’ve been known to burn toys as soon as they’ve been forgotten (for one day !!!) I try to explain to my girls why – they don’t always understand. But I tell them that I really feel like Jesus wouldn’t approve of this toy, and I have to answer to God if I let them do something that I feel God would disapprove of. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I let them “donate” the toy to Goodwill. Sometimes I just pray they never notice and never ask!
We do try to keep the peace and calmly mention to family members that we would prefer to not have those sorts of toys….sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
my kids have watched them and they are mostly twaddle. I just discussed commercialism etc. neither of my kids have been into any of that stuff. the main difference between fantasy and real life is the ending. real life & disobedience = trouble NOT happily ever after….
I like the Lorax movie a lot.
I remember all I did one summer was watch Disney’s Little Mermaid, over.and over.and over.and over.and over again.and again.and again. No, it did not ruin me…but do you think my time might have been better spent with a booklist or toys or something else?! I loved her animal friends and the fun songs. Do I let my daughter watch it? Absolutely not. She would certainly be scared of Ursula. She is 6 yo. She likes Disney princess books and dress-up but it is in moderation since she does not watch the movies over and over again and again. We talk about immodest dress when we see it. And under strong conviction, we do not allow mythical creatures like mermaids. We have not yet seen Tangled because I am unsure of scary parts and modesty. I do not trust the newer ones. And there is too much marketing of movie related items.
Avoid Disney’s Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey for young ones…scary!
We have watched and enjoyed older movies like Rascal, Old Yeller, Cinderella, Bambi… We do like Finding Nemo. However, we are not planning any trips to Disneyworld. As much as I enjoyed it as a child, I’m sure it’s not the same.
And I also have problems with my mother disrespecting me and undermining my authority with my children. But I think that is a whole other topic. Hugs. 🙂
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