File it under the wussification of America, but in the 80's kids movies were frequently dark, dangerous, and sometimes scary.
Never Ending Story, Gremlins, Return to Oz, Monster Squad
Nowadays ever single kid's movie is just warm, fuzzy, and happy.
I sound like a grumpy old man I'm sure, but I'm in my 30's and I definitely think we are doing kids a major disservice in how much we over "protect" them these days.
Agreed. I was a wimpy kid, but even so, they are making movies too purified and fluffy. They rarely even have a solid plot anymore.
shareCompletely agree, great post.
shareNot even movies for teens are that way anymore. Everything has to be PG, Even action movies are turning to be PG 13. Everything is turning so soft... I hate it
shareDon't forget the Dark Crystal, Legend, and Labyrinth.
Gremlins? In the UK that movie was rated 15 on release and now re-rated 12. It has never been a kids film as far as i know. Great movie though.
share[deleted]
Agree. These great kids films from the '80s were dark and genuinely creepy most of the time.
Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!
There have been dark and dangerous stories for children in recent years - City of Ember, The Golden Compass and Bridge to Terabithia come immediately to mind. There's also been films like Corpse Bride, the Harry Potter series and Pan's Labyrinth. The thing is, aside from Harry Potter, none of these darker films aimed at a younger audience have had much success. I think that is more to do with the parents, who are maybe afraid to expose their children to the dark and the mysterious like that.
You can call it the "wussification" of America but put that more on the parents than the studios. The market speaks and the studios listen. When it's shown that darker material aimed at a younger audience doesn't do well at the box office, what studio is going to want to attempt to produce more of the like if it's not going to have good returns?
I don't know if you're aware of this but I've already changed things. I killed Ben Linus.
--Sayid