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Posted by Temsonic on 03/09/06 17:41
"Andy" <andrew.macphail@mobisphere.com> wrote in message
news:dupe7f$aqd$1@daniel-new.mch.sbs.de...
>
>> 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?
>
> 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.
Thanks for some genuinely sensible advice. My daughter is pretty mature for
a 6 year old, she will quite happily watch PG rated films like The
Incredibles and Corpse Bride (with a bit of discussion about some of the
ideas in them), but as Miyazaki's style is in a way so alien from Western
animation and what she's used to, I don't want to immediately go showing her
something that will completely freak her out and cause nightmares.
I'm interested to see Spirited Away myself, so I'll probably build up to it
through getting her more used to the style first. My Neighbour Totoro looks
great (also PG rated, though I've been unable to ascertain exactly why) and
I'd like to see Howl's Moving Castle as I actually had the Diana Wynne Jones
book when I was young. Also, as it's U rated it should further introduce her
to the world of Studio Ghibli in a safe manner before we move on to turning
people into pigs and the like :)
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