Ever watch a kid movie, catch a joke, and look over at the kids to see if they get it? I have, and the more I watch kid entertainment or read kidlit, the more I catch winks that were obviously meant for me, the adult. For example, I read a Edgar nom that was a really heavy detective pastiche, playing on all the cliches--and a middle-grader hasn't been exposed long enough to appreciate this. A nod to librarians and parents? I don't know.
Anyway, what had me thinking was this article on what's called kidult entertainment (like the new Rango movie). Interesting stuff.
Anyway, what had me thinking was this article on what's called kidult entertainment (like the new Rango movie). Interesting stuff.
It keeps me wondering: how much entertainment (and I'll include books here) is really for kids, and how much is through the adult lens? Are we directing kids' entertainment too much?
Food for thought.
Tricky. I recently watched Gnomeo and Juliet and was happily entertained...but I know who Shakespeare is. I know how the real story ends. The three year old was entertained by the bright colors and music. The eight year old was mostly: What? So it is a very tricky thing to balance. A nod to the adults is appreciated, but a kids movie should really be more about the kids. IMHO =)
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteIt's tricky, though, for us writers: you want a book kids love, but at the end of the line, you also have to sell it to the parents.
I was really surprised at the level of tension on TS3. Truly there was never a moment when the toys were not threatened with either abandonment, injury or extinction. What does that tell me, never mind a four year old.
ReplyDeleteKids movies of today move so fast. When I sit down with my kids to watch one of the kid movies I grew up with, they get bored.
ReplyDeleteMan, I sound old :-)