It’s the end of the school year, and on Monday E had a pajama and movie party to celebrate. We signed up to bring in a movie, but it had to be rated G.
Earlier this spring we learned that some parents freak out over PG ratings. E had begged me for weeks to bring in her Happy Feet DVD, and I had finally relented. One of the teachers Mrs. L was excited, too, because she had never seen it and all the kids were talking about it.
While watching it during the evening pick up time, a parent came in, saw the movie and said, “That’s PG!” and huffed and puffed her way with her child out of the school and complained to the director.
What’s wrong with PG I thought? They are kid’s movies for crying out loud! Then I happened to watch This Film Is Not Yet Rated, a documentary on the film rating system and the MPAA. A great film! Go watch it!
So anyway, I was curious when I came home and looked at all my children’s movies. All of the Disney animated and CGI animated films were rated G. And all the Dreamworks, Fox, WB films? Rated PG for Parental Guidance suggested.
Example, Ice Age: rated PG “For Mild Peril.” None of that in Monsters, Inc, though. Flushed Away is PG “For Crude Humor and Some Language.” Other PG rated movies describe rude humor, crude humor and suggestive humor. So all the good stuff for us adults, that kids don’t get anyway, and the movie is rated PG.
What about Toy Story and the Little Bo Peep and Mrs. Potato Head lines? Oh no, apparently not suggestive at all.
And isn’t there “mild peril” in Finding Nemo, Aladdin and Little Mermaid among others? I know E freaks out at the shark scenes in both Nemo and Mermaid.
It just goes to show you that one person’s humor and peril can be rated inappropriate without parental guidance. Maybe E will become a juvenile delinquent someday since I allow her to watch PG-rated movies. Oh well, I’ll take my chances.
We brought in Curious George and Cinderella to appease the masses. I think being forced to clean, scrub the floor, make breakfast, laundry and general chore work is the scariest thing of all, but hey it’s Disney.
