Disney Movies are getting seriously outdated / irrelevant?

[JeremyGNJ]

I few weeks ago I realized that even though I have a WDW trip setup for April, that DD5 still hasnt seen many of the Disney movies. I figured it would be good to start watching them with her so she knows who many of the characters are.

I'm beginning to think that Disney movies are on the verge of being irrelevant to young kids. For example.....the first movie that we watched was Lady & The Tramp.

This movie features an old-style phone with the removable ear piece....but you never actually see the phone. At one point the mother is talking on it and drops the ear piece. I dont think DD 5 would have understood ANY of that if I didnt explain it to her.

When I saw this as a kid, I understood "that's one of those old phones", but I don't think a kid today would have ANY clue what it is.

I'm imagining LOTS of explaining when we watch Mary Poppins....and I'm not convinced she'll even like it.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

But one of the things I like about those movies is that I can explain to my kids about the things that used to exist that don't anymore. Like the old style telephone. They can imagine how it used to be -- you couldn't walk away from the phone bcause you needed to be by the mouthpiece.

 

[LadyShea]

Why not start with some more recent ones, or those that don't require explanation because it's about animals or fantasy worlds?

The Disney/Pixar ones are all faves of my DS, who just turned 2; Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Monster's Inc. and to my surprise Ratatouille. All quite current and relevant, and all featured heavily in the parks as far as merchandising, and characters.

As for the older classics Robin Hood, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Snow White,Winnie the Pooh are all fantasy/timeless in my opinion.

Watching Playhouse Disney, in addition to these movies prepared him really well for the characters he met with.

 

[TaraZ]

I am trying to introduce my DD to WDW Characters & Movies as well... I am actually using books first... I love the old movies, but I'm not sure that she will "get" them either. And she is a child raised in the era of Nemo-esque animation... I wonder if the old films will look flat?

 

[Juliet25]

My DD watched "Lady and the Tramp" four times yesterday (give me a break - I'm pregnant, nauseous, and extremely tired...TV is my best friend). I don't think the telephone thing took away from her experience at all. In fact, watching the movie I really got a sense of how timeless it is. And so sad to see all those puppies in the pound. Some things never change.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

But one of the things I like about those movies is that I can explain to my kids about the things that used to exist that don't anymore. Like the old style telephone. They can imagine how it used to be -- you couldn't walk away from the phone bcause you needed to be by the mouthpiece.

*You* might like it....I'm just not sure that kids would. In my case we're talking about a 5 year old who has a computer with a 20" LCD in her bedroom.

I remember as a kid my mother would get me to watch old movies/musicals she saw as a kid. She would talk about "old stuff" that was in the movie. I *didnt* like most of them, but a couple of them I did (such as "The Music Man", which I remember singing the songs to)

However, any movie or "stories of old" that my GRANDMOTHER would get into, I had ZERO interest in. I'm afraid that might be where Disney movies are headed.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Why not start with some more recent ones, or those that don't require explanation because it's about animals or fantasy worlds?

The Disney/Pixar ones are all faves of my DS, who just turned 2; Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Monster's Inc. and to my surprise Ratatouille. All quite current and relevant, and all featured heavily in the parks as far as merchandising, and characters.

As for the older classics Robin Hood, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Snow White,Winnie the Pooh are all fantasy/timeless in my opinion.

Watching Playhouse Disney, in addition to these movies prepared him really well for the characters he met with.

Yea she's already familiar with most of the Pixar movies ...just have to rent ToyStory.

That's true that some of them are "fantasy" enough to be timeless. Cinderella and Snow White have just about zero basis in reality, so they cant really get outdated.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

My 5 year old loves the classics. The only thing she ever asked me to explain to her is why the bad people are bad and why they do mean things. Or how did they get their magic, or why would God make such bad people....

Even the more recent movies (within the last 20 years) aren't set in these days, some are but most are not. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback, Pocahontas, Hercules..... I can't think of them all right now. I know there are newer ones but I can't remember them. We don't see a lot of the newer ones because I just don't approve of them.

I don't know what I am trying to say. I just know that my daughter watches all kinds of movies from all different periods and has never questioned anything about the technology, just manors of the rude people. LOL So I don't feel that they are or ever will be irrelevant. If they were documentaries maybe.

 

[GoinToDisney]

My dd is 3.5 and is afraid of the villians, so we watch many of the movies with the remote in hand. I do like the sing along ones and playhouse Disney best because we can just let them play. My dd loved Alice in Wonderland, but I had forgotten about the pipe smoking caterpillar. I was thinking, "Oh wow! I forgot that was OK for a kid's movie back then." My dd also loved, loved, loved Mary Poppins. I think whether or not your dd likes to talk about the way things used to be depends more on whether or not you force it on her. I loved when my parents and grandparents would tell me about life when they were growing up, but it was never forced on me. If you are watching a movie and she seems uninterested, turn it off. If she has questions, hit pause and answer them. If she loses interest in the conversation, well, move on. The point is that even in different times, people shared the same type of feelings dreams, etc.. It doesn't matter what kind of phone they used. The fact remains that many, many kids love Disney movies. Gosh, I know kids who still love Shirley Temple movies and the Wizard of Oz. When she stops to ask you questions in the middle of the movie, that is great. It's a time to enjoy conversation together and help her comprehend. It's a good thing that she is thinking about the story and asking questions. It is much better then going into zombie mode and just staring blankly at the TV.

 

[JB2K]

Watching Playhouse Disney, in addition to these movies prepared him really well for the characters he met with.

Ditto - Disney, themselves even know the value of their Playhouse Disney characters, as they recently added Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, etc. to their cast of park characters.

Then, there's the timeless "classic" casts of the Playhouse Disney series' "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "My Friends Tigger and Pooh".

Expose your little one to these shows every now and then, and Disney will continue to be quite relevant for the next generation...

 

[kim_o]

I am trying to introduce my DD to WDW Characters & Movies as well... I am actually using books first... I love the old movies, but I'm not sure that she will "get" them either. And she is a child raised in the era of Nemo-esque animation... I wonder if the old films will look flat?

Ds loves the new and the old. He still gets the movies despite the "flat" animation. ;-)

 

[MiniGirl]

*You* might like it....I'm just not sure that kids would. In my case we're talking about a 5 year old who has a computer with a 20" LCD in her bedroom.

I remember as a kid my mother would get me to watch old movies/musicals she saw as a kid. She would talk about "old stuff" that was in the movie. I *didnt* like most of them, but a couple of them I did (such as "The Music Man", which I remember singing the songs to)

However, any movie or "stories of old" that my GRANDMOTHER would get into, I had ZERO interest in. I'm afraid that might be where Disney movies are headed.

I guess that's why Disney has so many different things to appeal to a wide range of people. As a child, I loved watching the old MGM musicals and other older movies as well. I still love those. My girls are like me in that they, too, love the Disney "classics." Mary Poppins is one of their favorites. Other favorites include Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Pinnochio, Willie Wonka, etc. Not all Disney movies, but still older movies. They like the more contemporary movies, too. However, they also love to hear about when I was a little girl and we love to sit and look at old pictures and stuff. They initiate it, so I know it is something they enjoy.

 

[Tinkermommy]

My DD is 6 now but has been watching the "classics" since about 3. The one's she loves (and still does):

- Mary Poppins
- Peter Pan
- Jungle Book

She watched the first two alot and used to say Peetah just like Wendy!

She also likes to watch the old Addams family shows now that are in black and white.

Just because kids have a lot of high-tech toys doesn't mean they can't still enjoy the classics. My DD loves to jump rope and hula hoop (and she has an Imac computer at her disposal). My DD1 has lots of leap frog stuff, but he still loves to bang on my pots and pans most days!

 

[irene_dsc]

*You* might like it....I'm just not sure that kids would. In my case we're talking about a 5 year old who has a computer with a 20" LCD in her bedroom.

I remember as a kid my mother would get me to watch old movies/musicals she saw as a kid. She would talk about "old stuff" that was in the movie. I *didnt* like most of them, but a couple of them I did (such as "The Music Man", which I remember singing the songs to)

However, any movie or "stories of old" that my GRANDMOTHER would get into, I had ZERO interest in. I'm afraid that might be where Disney movies are headed.

Sounds like you and your grandmother had different tastes. I think some movies/stories hold up better over time than others - it is amusing to watch certain movies from the 60's & 70's that look very, very dated to me now. But, just one element in a movie that needs explaining shouldn't make the entire movie irrelevant.

Otoh, we recently recorded the new Mickey version of The 3 Musketeers, and I keep getting annoyed about all of the historical inaccuracies in it! They have an old-fashioned telephone in it, for instance, but the original story was set way before telephones of any sort were invented!

 

[Jalva22]

My DD is 6 now but has been watching the "classics" since about 3. The one's she loves (and still does):

- Mary Poppins
- Peter Pan
- Jungle Book

She watched the first two alot and used to say Peetah just like Wendy!

My DD loved Beauty and the Beast! She would mimick Belle very well on the line: "By the way.....thanks for saving my life." She's now getting ready to turn 12 and I love bringing that up to her! I just say "By the way...." and she starts covering her ears and jabbering so she can't hear the rest!

I can also still picture her walking around saying "I've got fwuff (meaning, fluff) in my ear!"

 

[brergnat]

I wouldn't be so concerned about getting her "familiar" with the characters. She will love Disney no matter what. You can just tell her the names of the characters while you're there, and a brief story about them. When you get HOME, she may be more interested in finding out the "whole story" about the characters from the rides, and at that point, you can show her some of the films.

The truth is, many of the classic movies are not really child appropriate until about age 7-8. This is the age where children can follow a story of that length, and really understand it. Prior to that age, they may like seeing the animals or princesses, but they are not really absorbing much of the story at all.

I have two sons, 3.5 and 2. We frequent Disneyland as AP holders and the ONLY Disney movie my 3.5 year old has seen (and actually wanted to watch) is Cars. We have over 25 Disney DVD's, and he really is not interested in any of them. I tried Lady and the Tramp so many times, since he loves dogs, but he just didn't want to watch it. I also tried Toy Story, since I figured he has many of those toys, so he might enjoy it...nope. Bottom line is, he LOVES Disneyland, and knows many of the characters just simply because I told him who they were. He doesn't care that he doesn't know the stories. I know one day, he will be ready for that, but for now, I find it helpful to get him more interested in the movies based on the rides he likes. For example, he LOVES Casey Jr. Circus train and Dumbo ride. I think pretty soon, he will be ready to watch Dumbo, because he will want to see the "circus train movie".

KWIM?

 

[Zeebs]

Introducing my boys to Disney films isn't going very well. I got all excited when Cars arrived from my DVD rental people and told Cullen (almost 2) as a extra special treat cause he had been so good we could watch it. We sat down snuggled into each other it was on 5 mins at the most and the little voice beside me says Peppa Pig. I continued to watch cars, he continued to say Peppa Pig over and over again and then Seth started screaming and that was the end of that. Doug and I watched it later in the evening and I posted it back to the rental people the next day

Kirsten

 

[irene_dsc]

I wouldn't be so concerned about getting her "familiar" with the characters. She will love Disney no matter what. You can just tell her the names of the characters while you're there, and a brief story about them. When you get HOME, she may be more interested in finding out the "whole story" about the characters from the rides, and at that point, you can show her some of the films.

The truth is, many of the classic movies are not really child appropriate until about age 7-8. This is the age where children can follow a story of that length, and really understand it. Prior to that age, they may like seeing the animals or princesses, but they are not really absorbing much of the story at all.

I have two sons, 3.5 and 2. We frequent Disneyland as AP holders and the ONLY Disney movie my 3.5 year old has seen (and actually wanted to watch) is Cars. We have over 25 Disney DVD's, and he really is not interested in any of them. I tried Lady and the Tramp so many times, since he loves dogs, but he just didn't want to watch it. I also tried Toy Story, since I figured he has many of those toys, so he might enjoy it...nope. Bottom line is, he LOVES Disneyland, and knows many of the characters just simply because I told him who they were. He doesn't care that he doesn't know the stories. I know one day, he will be ready for that, but for now, I find it helpful to get him more interested in the movies based on the rides he likes. For example, he LOVES Casey Jr. Circus train and Dumbo ride. I think pretty soon, he will be ready to watch Dumbo, because he will want to see the "circus train movie".

KWIM?

Good point. My kids have seen some of the movies, but I never did get them interested to watch Lady and the Tramp - and since we didn't eat at Tony's, I don't think it affected their WDW experience at all! They have a random assortment of Disney toys, but really not much exposure - but somehow, they knew who Mickey, Minnie, etc were from the toys.

But - after we got home, we immediately had to borrow Peter Pan from the library, because it was dd's favorite ride! Ok, and also the day after we rode it, we had a babysitter from Kids Night Out who brought Return to Neverland. So, those 2 movies are now their new favorites! We also had never watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before our trip - now that's their new favorite tv show.

Otoh, I did feel a little bad that we ate at the Garden Grill, and ds had no idea who Chip and Dale were. And tbh, I had not had any prior exposure to them, either! Tho, dd is in the Chipmunk room at her preschool, and one of her teachers had bought Chip N Dale sweatshirt for her and the other lead teacher, so dd knew who they were!

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I think so much of this depends on the child and how interested they are in movies in general. My son, for example, is 2 1/2 years old. He will sit and watch an entire movie in one sitting.

His Disney favorites are Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and The Little Mermaid. Recently, I have been exposing him to others such as Snow White, The Fox and the Hound, etc. By the way, he can name all of the princesses.

He also enjoys the Shrek movies and the Spongebob Squarepants and Zoboomafoo television shows.

ETA: Sorry, had to leave for a second and quickly pushed submit. I also wanted to add that although DS doesn't comprehend a lot of the story line, it's still enjoyable to him.

I don't even think I have Lady and the Tramp on DVD or VHS. I need to add that to my collection.

 

[carrie6466]

DD loves the classics. Mary Poppins is a particular favorite. We watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks a few weeks ago on tv and she loved that, too. Some of her very favorites are the 1930's old Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons that I picked up at Best Buy on DVD for about 9 dollars LOL