What Makes a Good Kids’ Movie?

The Emmy Award-winning Lights Camera Jackson, AKA ‘The Kid Critic’, is the greatest 11-year-old film critic in the world. His website is a wonderful repository of charming and precocious reviews, both in writing and on video, and features one of the best film grading systems I’ve ever seen. LCJ is also a prominent presence on Twitter, where I thoroughly recommend you follow him. (Roger Ebert does.)

Movie studios spend millions of dollars, and hundreds of hours, trying work out what kids really want from a film. The trouble is that very few children could really tell them – but here’s one who can. There is, quite literally, no one in the world better able to answer the question ‘What do kids want from a film?’ than Lights Camera Jackson. – Scott Jordan Harris

Over to LCJ:

What makes a good kids’ movie? Well, for me, a good kids’ movie has to appeal to people of all ages, and not just kids. Yes, you need an interesting story and characters, but you can say that about every film project. The special kids’ / family films have heart and most of them also have an important message to teach.

Need examples? How about the early animated Disney films. Were Snow White (Click here for the video) and Pinocchio and Bambi kids’ films? I would say yes. But, of course, they were much more than that. Everything about these movies is memorable – scenes, characters, dialogue. And while they were thought to be only for kids, as they were cartoons, parents and other adults loved them just as much as the youngsters back when they were first released, and still do today.

Currently, Pixar is the leading studio when it comes to great kids’ movies that are also great for adults. ‘Toy Story’, ‘Ratatouille’ and ‘Up’ are among the Pixar films that work for both adults and kids. And, once again, it’s because of their interesting stories and characters. DreamWorks and Blue Sky are two other studios who have figured this out, while others continue to try and fail.
 
Hollywood produces so many bad kids’ comedies each year, and most of them have the same things in common: too much slapstick and bathroom humour; silly plots; and unlikeable and unbelievable characters. All of these elements are clearly present in the latest bad kids film – ‘Furry Vengeance’ – but you can also find them in ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’, ‘Shorts’ and other recent live-action family comedies.

It amazes me that movie studios still think that kids’ movies have to be gross or dumb to be successful. Kids want to be entertained like everyone else. A little silliness is okay, but most of these films go way too far. Humour shouldn't come from a guy getting kicked in the groin or being pooped on. It should come from good writing. ‘Tooth Fairy’ is a recent example of a family comedy that worked without being gross.

A good kids / family film has to be appropriate for all ages. Too many ‘family films’ I've reviewed, that are rated PG, include material that isn’t good for younger kids. Script writers and directors feel they need to put older elements into kids’ films to try to appeal to everyone, when all they are doing is ruining the movie for the younger crowd and upsetting parents. ‘Marley and Me’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ are great examples.

Bottom line: kids want to be entertained when they go to the movies, just like everybody else. They want to see comedies that are funny and action films that are exciting. They want to get to know characters who are fun and interesting and be thrilled by great animation and special effects. Every time I go to see a movie this is what I want. And most kids and parents I know think the same way.

Hollywood – are you listening?
 

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