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Frankenweenie as a Gateway to Literature and Life Lessons

We watched Frankenweenie last night (I explained to the kids that some parts would be sad or scary and they voted to try it) and both during the movie and this morning it was interesting to see what they had picked up. I don’t think Tim Burton was trying to teach my kids about the literature and movies of the horror genre, or offer them life lessons, but Frankenweenie opened up opportunities to talk about these things.

Most people probably don’t have kids who immerse themselves in everything they can find out about monster movies and stop motion animation. But I do have one of those kids. To be clear, he hasn’t seen the Universal monster movies, but he is fascinated by them and reads everything he can find. He’s watched a lot of the Japanese monster movies and cheesy science fiction movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and has managed to see many of the movies Ray Harryhausen worked on. He also has started to notice plays on words, and he saw a lot of things in Frankenweenie that he picked up on right away, like, say, a main character named Victor Frankenstein who digs up a body in a graveyard and brings a creature back to life during an electrical storm. “This movie is like Frankenstein! The name is the same!” He noticed that Victor’s dog is named Sparky, “like electricity has sparks, and Sparky has electricity.”  The turtle that comes back to life is gigantic “like Gamera”! It’s also named Shelley “because turtles have shells”. I told him that Shelley was also the last name of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. “Oh yeah! That’s cool! The name is both of those things!” We also talked about how Elsa’s last name, Van Helsing, is the name of the vampire slayer in Dracula, and that she gets kidnapped by a bat; that the mayor is called the Burgermeister, like in Rankin-Bass’ stop motion Christmas special “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”; that the movie, which is a stop-motion animation movie, starts with Victor showing a stop-animation film; that the movie is black and white, like the original Frankenstein movie; and that the science teacher looked a lot like Vincent Price. That’s a lot to unpack from an animated children’s movie.

The movie had a much different effect on my daughter. The attack of the reanimated pets on the town really scared her and I had to leave the room with her for awhile. She asked “did anybody get hurt”? Well, the attack is scary, but nobody is really hurt, and parts are even a little funny. Then she wanted to know why the animals turned out differently from Sparky. So we talked about how Victor decided to bring Sparky back because he loved him, but the other kids brought their pets back because they wanted to win the science fair. That was something the science teacher had talked about, the importance of doing science with love, and doing the right thing. Then she asked if bringing Sparky back, even out of love, was the right thing. At that point in the movie, Sparky had escaped from Victor’s house and returned to the cemetery. It seemed like that was where he wanted to be, at rest in the cemetery. “Sparky wasn’t ready to die. But he did, and he wants to be at rest, so maybe he should be at rest. Victor should let him.”  Smart little girl.

Later, both kids asked why the parents made the science teacher leave, because “it’s important to learn science”. It’s hard to explain to kids that adults don’t always want to understand the world, or want their kids to understand. “But science is good”! I reminded them that the science teacher had said that science is neither bad nor good– and that’s why you should be careful with how you use it.

That message gets somewhat lost at the movie’s ending, because after Sparky saves the day at the expense of his own life, and Victor is able to finally let go of his grief, his parents convince the rest of the adults in town to bring back Sparky once again. The same unthinking adults who got rid of the science teacher out of fear reanimate a dead dog without any further thought as to whether it’s right or wrong (I didn’t discuss this part with my kids). In spite of the pasted-on happy ending, though, Frankenweenie, quite unexpectedly, offered a lot of food for thought as well as entertainment value.

Although most people aren’t watching scary movies to improve their cultural literacy or provide them with opportunities for deep philosophical discussions, we can watch out for those teachable moments. It doesn’t take forever to point out a literary or cultural reference when you see it, and if your kids are interested, the Internet makes it easy to explore further. If your kids come up with a question that they really want to talk about, take it seriously and do your best to help them figure things out.  In Frankenweenie, Tim Burton provided a gateway, but I held my kids’ hands as we walked through to a larger world.

Here are a few other scary movies for kids that might lend themselves to more than just entertainment. As always, not every movie is appropriate for every child.

 

Toy Story

Monsters, Inc

Spirited Away

The Neverending Story

Coraline

 

 

 

 

 

Monster Movie Month: Not So Scary Movies (and TV) for Kids

So you’re looking to share your love of monsters with your four year old? You really have to choose carefully. A lot of the movies that you and I remember as great movies that we watched as kids… well, we might have been a little older than the preschool set. Movies that terrified my kids have included The Neverending Story (I just thought he’d like the dragon), Arsenic and Old Lace (a great comedy that’s a little blacker than I remembered), and The Frog Princess (those scary voodoo shadows were too much for my princess-loving preschooler). When we asked horror lovers, their suggestions included Monster Squad and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, both movies my six year old Monster Kid watched and liked, at least with Dad… but his younger sister refused to stay in the room (Coraline was also highly recommended,  and it’s a fantastic movie, but I think the kids can wait a few more years before trying that out).  I thought I’d offer a few here, though, that didn’t make my daughter (or son) run out of the room.

 

The Addams Family (1993)

Based on the delightful television series, this movie was a winner with my four year old. I’m not sure the kids actually understood the plot, but it was really beside the point, anyway. It’s the members of the Addams family who make it both creepy and funny. Anjelica Huston makes a great Morticia, but it’s Christina Ricci as Wednesday who really steals the show.

 

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Who knew the monster in the closet was more afraid of you than you are of it? Monsters, Inc., is another gem from Pixar. This one did cause the kids to flee the room a few times and my daughter does not like the part where “the monster kidnaps the little girl” but it’s a good one to watch as a family.

 

Mad Monster Party (1967)

Mad Monster Party may look familiar to you- that’s because it’s brought to you by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, the team behind such classic Christmas specials as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town (which, by the way, terrified my kids- the Abominable Snowman and the Winter Wizard are scary)!  I’m so glad they decided to take on Halloween. Mad Monster Party is one of MY favorites. Once I found it on DVD, I watched it every year on Halloween, and now my kids love it too. It’s more funny than scary,  has some fun musical numbers, and is a nice nonthreatening introduction to the Universal movie monsters. Note, the Universal monster movies themselves are NOT appropriate for this age group.

 

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The Complete Third Season (1978)

This television series is a favorite here. The kids request the episodes, particularly of this season, over and over. I think the animated Scooby-Doo movies (like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island) get pretty scary for little ones, but the series is fun. And, of course, as with all Scooby-Doo shows, the monsters always turn out to be funny- and real people.  I do not recommend the live action Scooby-Doo movies for this age- well, I’m not sure I recommend them at all- but the television show has actually inspired a lot of creative storytelling in our house!

 

Spirited Away (2003)

This Japanese animated feature from Hayao Miyazaki tells the story of Chihiro, a spoiled girl who is trapped, with her parents, in a surreal world of ghosts and demons. In order to save her parents and herself, Chihiro perseveres through many challenges, learning compassion and showing bravery. It’s both beautiful and terrifying, with a strange narrative and unreal atmosphere, and is unlike any other children’s movie I have seen. It won’t be appropriate for all preschoolers, and I suggest watching this as a family, and being ready for some interesting discussions afterwards, but it’s a fantastic and very memorable movie. Howl’s Moving Castle, also by Miyazaki, is one of my favorite movies, and my kids liked that as well.

 

Ruby Gloom (2006)

It’s unfortunate that Ruby Gloom is so difficult to find on DVD, because it’s a great show(luckily, it is available on Netflix).  Yes, it’s a television show, but it’s definitely worth mentioning here. Ruby is a perky little goth girl who lives in a haunted castle with an assortment of so-called monsters, including Scaredy Bat, who’s afraid to fly; Boo-Boo, a ghost who can’t scare anyone; Misery, plagued with supernaturally bad luck;  and Iris, a cheerful Cyclops. With a catchy theme song, fun animation, and silly plots, Ruby Gloom is an enjoyable little show that, while it does have some dark moments (particularly involving Misery) does its best to live up to its theme song’s words- “look on the bright side of the dark side”.

 

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2006)

Wallace, a clueless scientist, and Gromit, his dog,  are the Claymation creations of Nick Park.  Already popular from shorts like “A Close Shave”, here Wallace and Gromit, who are running a humane pest-control service, take on a giant were-rabbit who threatens their village’s annual vegetable-growing contest. Like Mad Monster Party, it’s not really a “scary” movie, but it includes references to many of the classics, and is enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

 

Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular (2008)

This one we haven’t seen, but it’s gotten great recommendations. It’s an animated Halloween special from the Cartoon Network. I’ve been told it’s perfect for four year olds- a little scary, and very funny. Now that I know about it I’m sure we’ll be checking it out!

Next time you’re in the mood to share a monster movie with your little one, try one of these out! And if you have suggestions or opinions, I’d love to have you comment below!