MovieChat Forums > Bambi (1942) Discussion > Once and for all this is NOT a "kids' mo...

Once and for all this is NOT a "kids' movie"!


At the 11:25 mark of this video we clearly hear Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng state: "The cartoons that we designed were never designed in our minds for children. All our audiences were adults really. We never had children in mind when we made our...We made them for ourselves really."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YjvSo12xDU

Many other animators have said the same thing.

In this cartoon starring the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney sells War Bonds to adults:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7gGvh2Sc34

This cartoon starring Donald Duck encourages American citizens to pay their income tax in support of the war effort. How many children do you know who pay income taxes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMU-KGKK6q8

The Flinststones was a prime time sitcom. It was sponsored by Winston cigarettes. In those days television commercials were done by the characters of the show. Here is the Flintstones advertising Winston:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LpQnIGMIDQ

Here The Flintstones sell Busch beer. Does anyone really believe this was targeted at children?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEZGaLlLfcY

Snoopy sells Met life insurance.

In this cartoon Olive Oyl is a prostitute at a brothel. Popeye and Bluto both want her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pro9oJOEM3U
As cartoon historian Greg Ford says on the DVD commentary: "It's all up there on the screen -- it's not the subtext, it's the text!”

Animation is not "childrens' entertainment". It is for people of all ages. There is a small amount of animation that is targeted at children. Examples are the animated shows on PBS. It is a very small amount though. Most animation is for people of all ages. I get very frustrated whenever I am browsing the internet and see comments claiming that Disney classics among other great movies are "kids' movies". People should use common sense! Again and again and again I have seen people comment that the content of a Disney movie is deep and surprising for a "kids' movie". I can't think of a single Disney classic that this has NOT been said about! There is a reason for that. The reason is they are NOT "kids' movies". I also see the same comments about live-action Disney movies. For example Dick Van Dyke's "Never a Dull Moment." People say things like: "Did those who are criticizing this movie not notice the name Disney on it? In case you didn't take my hint it is for kids. Hello!"

They couldn't be more wrong! Hello!

The same goes for The Muppet Show. Jim Henson clearly stated that his show was for adults. That should be obvious to anyone who has actually watched it.

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[deleted]

Once and for all, no one cares. You posted this on every non-compilation Disney theatrical release thread from Snow White to Peter Pan. Like every needy kid today, you feel compelled to have your insignificance heard and your point of view justified by complete strangers, but you're flooding the boards with copy/paste gibberish.

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I watched for the first time at age 6 or 7. I found it to be cute I loved the animals. But yes, Bambi's mom getting shot was pretty scary.

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Well then this is a plot hole because Disney films are made for kids

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Films around that time were usually designed with a general audience in mind, so you are correct in saying they were not designed as kids' films anymore than something like THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD was, though even back then, the Disney movies were noted to have special appeal for kids. But it's hard to watch something like, say, FANTASIA and even imagining it was created specifically for children.

While the other comments here have been dismissive, I share your frustration with what is often called the "animation age ghetto." Even now, American animation is considered either kids' stuff or raunchy nonsense for "adults." I'm hoping that will one day change.

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There are definitely several adult animated movies out there, but I prefer more family-friendly stuff like Disney.
I will never refer to most Disney movies as "kids movies" because I also dislike the animation age ghetto.

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