I cannot determine if Secret Life of Pets is a ripoff of every pixar movie, half the newspaper comic strips or one specific cat litter advertisement. And determining the answer is not worth, to me, $18 and the private knowledge that I paid it. What seems to be important is that the only thing which changes through the decades is what song Vivaldi’s Spring concerto gets record-scratch interrupted by to let me know what a hip young rankler the interrupt-instigator is.
This does not strike me as a film that is designed to be “enjoyed.” It seems to intend to appeal to parents who think they are edgier than their own parents, and they will impose it on their own children, who will probably find it boring, but with all the extra admissions the studio will still have a huge profit. Meanwhile, the actual stuff aimed at kids is utterly sappy or phony, so that it will not be accused of promoting violence or hostility. I am not surprised they just fiddle with their telephones all the time.
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Purplespace sez:
From the trailer I ended up seeing, it seemed like another story where two characters that don’t like each other must team up.
The only thing that seemed interesting was that it presumably has a side character being a prissy poodle that likes doing uncharacteristic things (besides talking and understanding things) for a prissy poodle. However, the movie seemed like it would not focus on this character.
Frimpinheap sez:
It does not strike me as a movie that is designed to be “enjoyed.” Just to trick parents into forcing their kids to see it with them. It seems like it wants nothing better than to surprise me by showing characters doing things I would not expect them to do, but I am so used to lazy writing trying to do what I don’t expect but in the exact same way that it is now exactly what I expect.
Indighost sez:
Frimpson, what, in your view, is a “Good” kid’s story? Something with more violence and betrayal like “treasure island” ? (That’s what I will give to my children, should they manifest.) Or, in your view, would there be no difference between a good children’s story and a good story full stop?
Frimpinheap sez:
Treasure Island has a lot of death. But I think kids can handle death. We shouldn’t pretend that death doesn’t exist. We shouldn’t preach that killing your enemies is the only way to secure your livelihood either, I do not think. But in the context of fiction, I think it is fine, provided the child understands that it is fiction.
But what can we do when our own history is full of kill your enemies to get your way? I think, face it for what it is, and not try to hide from it.
I think Lord of the Rings kind of nonsense is good. There is much killing, but it is of non-human, non-allegorical figures that are described to be truly evil. It is fantasy. I must be wary not to drift back into my “video games are an escape from responsibility” remarks from weeks ago.
Too much of “children’s” entertainment is made in response to adults using television as surrogate parenting. Every possible person will tell them not to do it, but tv producers cannot enforce that, so they give in to and appease it, instead, which I think creates its own problems.
Of course we have another problem that much of enduring fiction has been produced exclusively by and for white people. Even those that are not necessarily racist may be wholly anglo-centric. I always liked the Tintin stories, but I am very white. I do not think the series is as hopelessly racist, on the whole, as some reactionaries claim based on a single book, Tintin in the Congo, that is never sold alongside the others in this country. But I lack the means to exist outside my skin temporarily to try and guess how a non-white person would perceive the other ones.
As a white person watching anime, I don’t care that there aren’t Americans in it. But anime people often barely look human and are, typically, just as white as I am.
I may be overcomplicating this topic.