"Happy Feet": Liberal Propaganda?
The answer to the question stated in the subject of this post is a resounding "YES!" I told my kids I'd take them to a movie yesterday afternoon if the Bears won (and they did, in a rather ugly fashion against an even uglier Vikings team), and they chose the animated movie "Happy Feet". So off we went.
It starts out fine, and by about 20 minutes into the movie, I think it's going to be one of those "little creature is different than all the other little creatures, is shuned by the group, befriended by one, is banished, goes on an adventure, come back, saves the colony and is elevated into hero status" kind of movies. Generally predictable, a warm if squishy "everyone has value" message.
And I was right. EXCEPT along the way, they manage to:
It starts out fine, and by about 20 minutes into the movie, I think it's going to be one of those "little creature is different than all the other little creatures, is shuned by the group, befriended by one, is banished, goes on an adventure, come back, saves the colony and is elevated into hero status" kind of movies. Generally predictable, a warm if squishy "everyone has value" message.
And I was right. EXCEPT along the way, they manage to:
- Poke fun at mono-theistic religion
- Portray humans as evil
- Pump up the United Nations
- Push the agenda that all fishing (at least around the southern nether regions of our planet) should cease
- Make the "plastic six-pack ring stuck around an animal's head" a major storyline
- Screw up Stevie Wonder's "I Wish", one of his greatest (Penguins should not sign this song)
- AND heavily stereotype some Latin-American speech and culture traits (Puerto Rican, I think - it was darn funny with Robin Williams doing the voiceover, but in our PC culture today, I'm really surprised that this has not created an outcry)
I'm going to have to send my youngest son (4) back into the Family Festivus Re-education Room, as when his mother asked about the movie, he said "it said we should stop eating fish". I've clearly done a better job with my older son, as when asked by me what he thought of the message that we should stop fishing, stated "someone has to be on the top of the food chain - might as well be us. And there's plenty of fish out there".
Fellow conservatives, we are missing the boat by allowing liberals to create the majority of these animated kiddie films.
posted by festivus | 12/04/2006 08:08:00 AM
The Incredibles is one of the most conservative, and best, animated films out there. Nothing liberal (that I can think of) about Cars either. Basically, Pixar makes the best kids movies out there.
If you're not a liberal at age 4, you have no heart. (I was a raging conservative at age 4, which explains a lot about me.)
Incredibles is the most recent movie I've seen, and I agree that it was quite good. Not a television viewer, the only evidence I have of what is playing is an occasional movie poster at the Excelsior Dock. Most of them look like crap.
Agreed on Incredibles - we saw that when it came out, and I was plesantly amazed at the message. I had forgotten about that.
I'll put Cars on the list.
One more thing:
How can penguins sing "I Wish"?
It's about growing up as a poor but happy black child. The first verse is
Looking back on when I
Was a little nappy headed boy
Then my only worry
Was for Christmas what would be my toy
Even though we sometimes
Would not get a thing
We were happy with the
Joy the day would bring
I wasn't aware that a penguin could be a "little nappy headed boy."
Pencil, you sparked another thought. One thing I noticed was that they edited the song and skipped one of the stanzas. I didn't think about it at the time, but I bet it was the reference to Christmas - I'm not 100%, but I'd put your money on it.
If true, it only further makes my point.
Our kids went to Happy Feet with freinds on Thanksgiving and our second oldest--15--came home absolutely livid. This being the daughter we had some concern about her political leanings walked in and immediately started ranting about how they made humans look evil. Her biggest peeve was the pop thing around the neck. She was mortified to say it best. Hubby and I quickly wiped the sweat from our brow.
I thought the movie was great and so did all the kids from my day care that went to see it on a field trip, they didn't think about anything but dancing like 'Mumble Happy Feet' all the way out of the theater.
Now there's an endorsement for day care.
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