What a Wreck...

I've been watching a decent amount of children's movies lately as my daughter is trapped home with me. Recently we watched both Wreck-It Ralph movies and they were quite awesome.

 Disney has learned from Pixar that making kids movies that appeal to parents is pretty essential, and these do that. Including references to 80s and 90s video games to hilarious affects was what really hooked me on this.

On top of that, the overall premise of the first movie, the loneliness of a game villain, is wonderfully done. The mismatched friendship of two misfits is perfect. Ralph and Vanellope are team you really root for, and what could have been a sappy lesson on friendship is handled gently and engagingly.

The second movie is glitzier, as squeals tend to be. But it still keeps the spirit of the first. This one's about how friends can grow apart and developing diverging interests...and how that's just fine. It's a lesson that Ralph needs to learn, and hopefully not destroy the entire internet in the process. 

Disney does a great job incorporating their most popular franchises like Disney Princesses and Star Wars. They also do a wonderful job imagining the internet as an actual place. 

Two great movies that are fun, sweet, and entertaining for a wide audience.

Princess World

My soon to be four year old daughter is obsessed with Disney Princesses. Despite our best efforts to shield her from the world of princesses, the Disney marketing machine found it's way in via other children and she fell under the spell of pretty dresses...but as this obsession moves into it's ninth month (or thereabouts), I realize the true pull for her is the concept of magic, and that's something I can respect.

Her first trio of princess movies was Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Best. The first two are disappointingly old fashioned as it pertains to gender stereotypes, featuring very passive female characters. Thankfully Disney has acknowledged this issue to some extent, and Belle is more suitable role model. My daughter's new obsessions are Frozen and Tangled, both are movies that came out after my childhood and were films I had not seen. That, in itself, was a bonus for me, but beyond that, they are both very enjoyable films, and both films that feature strong female characters. 

Both Anna and Rapunzel are characters of action and determination. Yes, they have male companions who help them, but the male characters don't act as saviors, but rather partners aiding the female characters in their journey. I really enchanted by Tangled and think it may be the best of all the Princess movies I've seen (which is now most). Perhaps this obsession doesn't have to be the negative influence we always feared.