When it comes to seeing a kid-friendly movie in the theaters, the options have really begun to open up to include films that adults can enjoy along with their children. While the previous film choices included cartoons involving stale animation and boring content featuring characters like the Care Bears, the new advancements in computer animation have allowed for more realistic characters. The dialogue also evolved to allow for humor that adults can enjoy just as much as their children. In fact, many animated films like Finding Nemo and The Lion King have become box office hits that have audiences that aren’t just limited to children and their parents.
 
The next evolution of kid-friendly films has arrived in Walking with Dinosaurs. Mixing computer-generated characters with real environments, audiences won’t have to look at full-on animation. This makes for realistic scenes, which were filmed in places like Alaska and New Zealand.
 
To the laymen’s eye, the lead character might seem like a Triceratops, but in actuality he is a Pachyrhinosaurus. The film makes a point to try and inform audiences of the scientific terms of the different species highlighted in the film, by way of narration and even using freeze-framed title cards. This definitely helps to educate audiences while still keeping the storyline exciting. While many children are intrigued by dinosaurs, adults are often fascinated by them as well.
 
However, families should not be fooled by the cute baby Pachyrhinosaurus in the trailer and the humorous parrot leading the way. While this is a kid-friendly film, it definitely has some content that can be a little too much for super young viewers. The PG rating helps to guide parents into knowing what age range the film is best suited for. The depictions of fire, violence and even death can be a little too scary for younger viewers.
 
Death seems to be included in a number of kid-friendly movies and is often used as a pivotal moment in the lead character’s life. This can be seen in Frozen, The Lion King and of course Bambi. While the loss of the parents in Walking with Dinosaurs isn’t shown in detail in the film, it still can be troubling for younger viewers. Other difficult moments include a forest fire that engulfs members of the pack, a near drowning and vicious attacks by the Gorgosauraus.
 
The film shows the journey of the main character, Patchi, through his life from his first hatching from an egg all the way to his battle to lead the herd. Patchi is guided and befriended by his trusty sidekick, Alex. Alex is voiced by John Leguizamo, who has an obvious talent voicing an animated character, since his success as Sid the sloth from Ice Age
 
Humor is used periodically through the film to get audiences from one dramatic moment to the next. This comes in the form of dinosaur poop jokes, sudden vomiting and of course dialogue. 
 
For parents with small children obsessed with dinosaurs, it can be tempting to take them to see this film. However, it’s important to note that the film is a blend between child and adult in many ways. The mix between full-on computer animation and realistic setting is geared towards an older child and the eluding of danger and death without the actual graphic content is straying away from a strictly child-based audience.
 
This film is perfect for parents with children in that transitional stage, where they may be too old to be excited about the next cartoon-style film and yet not old enough for the graphic content in films like Jurassic Park.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *