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Posted by Andy on 03/09/06 14:31
"Gunther Gloop" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:47ajk7FeojgsU1@individual.net...
> Temsonic wrote:
>
>> The other area I want to explore is Studio Ghibli animation. I bought
>> the new R2 release of Kiki's Delivery Service last week, and again was
>> completely spellbound by it. My 6 year old daughter enjoyed it so
>> much she watched the film in its entirety on the three consecutive
>> days from when it arrived. I've been reading all the Ghibli reviews
>> available on DVD Times and watching the trailers etc to get an idea
>> of where to go next.
>> To begin with I'd like to get some more that are 'safe' for a 6 year
>> old to watch, so the more mature stuff like Spirited Away and
>> Princess Mononoke is probably out - some of the imagery in those two
>> looks potentially nightmare-inducing for a 6 year old. At the moment,
>> my most likely prospective purchases are My Neighbour Totoro, Howl's
>> Moving Castle and The Cat Returns. Any comments on the suitability of
>> these or any other Ghibli films? Am I misjudging Princess
>> Mononoke/Spirited Away etc?
>
> My Neighbour Totoro is definitely the best of the 3 you mention (in my
> opinion). Actually I wasn't blown away by it the very first time, but my
> (at the time) 2 year old daughter made me watch it 100 more times
> (thankfully I _did_ like it a _lot_ more by the 2nd time around). She
> still watches it now -at nearly 5.
> We have the Region 3 release. The Japanese language and english subtitles
> still don't bother her. I'd _hate_ to watch it with an english dub. I
> started watching Princess Mononoke that way, but had to turn it off fast.
> Why do those dubs always have to 'localise' it? I mean, it's sooo not
> right for those characters to be yelling like American teenagers. ...If it
> was dubbed with similar type Japanese vocals to what is already there,
> then I might be able to watch it.
>
> It's bin a while since I saw other Ghibli ones, but probably Kiki's
> Delivery Service would be a good next step.
>
> I can't remember how 'suitable' Princess Mononoke is, but it is more grown
> up than the others.
> I showed my daughter Spirited Away a few months back and she _was_
> frightened, but she enjoyed it. I put it away for another time afterwards
> though -possibly a little too traumatic seeing the lead-girl's parents
> turn into fat pigs. :)
>
> A lot of other imagery in that movie is perhaps just a _little_ too
> strange for very young minds.
> You should check it out yourself though to see if it's for your 6 year
> old. Great movie either way.
> ...Again though, I couldn't recommend anything other than the Japanese
> language track.
>
> Even Totoro above has a Chinese track as well as the Japanese one... not
> the same at all. The Japanese track just has those excellent screams and
> exclamations that seem to be non-translateable to any language.
>
> -Kevin.
>
>
I think that the way you approach these films can determine if they are
scary for a child of this age.
I was a little cautious at letting my 4 and 6 year olds watch Spirited Away
(their first Miyazaki movie) but they really wanted to see it. I made the
time to watch it with them the first time (with my finger hovering over the
stop button!) and talked to them about what was happening in the scary bit
at the start. Dispite their tender ages they were perfectly capable of
making the distinction between reality and fantasy and could see the humour
in the scenes. At the time it became their favourite film. It also triggered
an amazing amount of fantasy play as a result... Who said watching TV kills
imagination?
I was very reluctant to let them watch Princess Mononoke, I thought the
start was too disturbing. However, for various reasons, the decision was
made for me and again by talking to them about the early scenes there wasn't
a problem at all. While they both liked this film, Spirited away was enjoyed
more.
Porko Rosso was also a big hit and is generally child safe. However the
fight scene at the end had me a little worried but they were so absorbed in
the fantasy that, rather than seeing it as violent, they perceived it as
unfair - they didn't want the baddies to win.
Then came Kikis Delivery Service. As it was close to Halloween at the time,
the role playing went into overdrive!
For my children, the order of popularity is
1) Kikis Delivery Service
2) Spirited Away
3) Porko Rosso
4) Princess Mononoke
While I don't want to give the impression that these movies can universally
be shown to youngsters, what I do want to say is that they are more capable
than we give them credit for (including me). Only you can decide when when
your children are able to cope with these movies. Talking about the plot in
advance will lessen the surprise/impact, talking about the risky parts as
they happen will reassure them - this can make a huge difference. Having
said that, the style of the animation and story telling really communicates
to children in a way that Western films don't. Don't force the pace and
enjoy the pleasure of exploring something different as a family.
Andy.
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