Suicide disturbing...


I usually avoid ballet because I find it boring (uncultured of me, I know), so while I knew the music and the basic premise, I was unfamiliar with the whole story. My kid was little and somehow I bought him this vhs along with a bundle of old Popeye and Bugs Bunny videos. I thought I could sit him in front of those without worry of what the content held while I was busy. On a day that I decided to sit down with him and watch this Swan Lake video - I wanted to see why he liked it so much because I used to dislike the jerkiness of Japanese anime myself -

Anyway, we laughed at the squirrels and could see they were the reason he liked the movie so much that he watched it over and over, but then I was disturbed that he had been watching this movie without me when there is a suicide representing true love. Well, he was around 4-5 years old and I thought I would have to explain that suicide is not the answer to anything but once I saw that he paid no attention whatsoever to that part of the movie, I felt relieved. But I thought it was a bad message for a kid's movie and I got rid of it. He had enough other movies and games that he never asked me about where did it go.

I just don't think suicide should be portrayed in animation for very young viewers and this is one time
i would've approved of a censored story/alternate ending (even if it is an uncultured way of butchering a classic story). Maybe I read too much into it since they survived in the end, but I just didn't like that suicide was portrayed as a solution that caused everything to come out okay in the end.

At the time (mid 80's), the top news stories were of teens (especially girls) thinking suicide is their only option when they're not popular or a boy doesn't like them or whatever is the problem... I just felt irresponsible as a parent that my kid had been watching this video alone.

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You do know that this is based on a ballet, right? She does die in the end.

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Yes. As I mentioned in my post. That doesn't mean ot's appropriate for very small children.

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If watching this upsets you then just watch The Swan Princess or Barbie's Swan Lake. It's totally watered down.

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Based on both your responses, you obviously just skimmed my original post. I can't make my kid unsee what has been seen.

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A kid would assume that their love overcome the sorcerer just because of their love for one another. You didn't have to explain the suicide part. Only the adults can pick up that they are both dead.

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