Disney's 'Earth': Life's Rough and Then You Revel In It

[RUNMYHORSE]

Be that as it may, what said is said and I can't take it back. I apologize.

I know you probably didnt mean it. I took it to fence cause my daughter also came out of there in tears.I wasnt trying to be mean or ugly about it. I just felt like he didnt mean to let his daughter cry cause of the movie and itjust seemed very harsh.I hope you didnt think me as being rude.

[RUNMYHORSE]

((I posted this on another board and seems relevant to this one as well.))

I don't disagree, but I don't agree either. I think that the way parents are reacting to this movie would be the same as the way people reacted to Snow White and to The Lion King...they both had fear factors and they both made children cry, but they are BOTH classics...animated though they may be....it's still a factor.

Now here is where the new stuff comes in:

I think that, yes, a warning is needed, but also that a PG rating would've been a smarter idea. You can't exactly make a nature flick without it having death in it and it the death of actual animals not animated...although if we're going to get uppity about it than movies like The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty...and a many other disney animated classics should up their ratings from G to PG...just based on death alone.

That's my buck-fifty on the matter.

You kknow what that brought up a good point. I started thinking about what you said so I set my 9 year old daughter and 8 year old son down and we discussed the movie. I found out why it was harder for my daughter and why she felt this movie was harsh compared to the cartoons;She said w/ the animated moveis like bambie she knew it wasnt real cause it was animated. As for earth she said she felt like she was actually right there w/the animals through the whole trip.Now my son just said that it was bad to hurt each other ,bt thats how they survive. Anyways, i just thought it was interesting and thought others might find it also from their point of view on the movie.

[astrologic]

You kknow what that brought up a good point. I started thinking about what you said so I set my 9 year old daughter and 8 year old son down and we discussed the movie. I found out why it was harder for my daughter and why she felt this movie was harsh compared to the cartoons;She said w/ the animated moveis like bambie she knew it wasnt real cause it was animated. As for earth she said she felt like she was actually right there w/the animals through the whole trip.Now my son just said that it was bad to hurt each other ,bt thats how they survive. Anyways, i just thought it was interesting and thought others might find it also from their point of view on the movie.

I think it is great you talked to your kids about it, and to hear their perspectives. I can see how children raised on animated Disney movies could take this live action movie as a complete shock, but it's great to see that they understand this is what happens, even though we wish it didn't.

[RUNMYHORSE]

I think it is great you talked to your kids about it, and to hear their perspectives. I can see how children raised on animated Disney movies could take this live action movie as a complete shock, but it's great to see that they understand this is what happens, even though we wish it didn't.

I know what you mean.I was really surprised at the answers. I mean I thought it was really interesting to see how the movies in general made them feel. My daughter is just really sensitive to certain things. She sees the world good and bad and thinks she can change it. She does get dissappointed when she cant change it all, bt she says Ill try something different next time.lol...

[sir clinksalot]

Disney did well. You and your kids should know nature is harsh, and should have been prepared for some depressing scenes. And none of the death scenes were ever gory and detailed. That is REAL LIFE you are watching. I'm glad Disney didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it. That would have been pathetic. I mean, in Bambi the mother gets shot by a hunter, and your kids have probably seen it. And, because your kids know "somewhat" of the food chain, it is your fault for taking them to this movie without them being properly educated.

Thank you.

Question, to those of you complaining about the "G" rating, would you have still gone if it had been PG??? It says "Disney" on it, it must be okay for everybody, right???

I dont think his fault. I agree w/draybook on the fact that disney put a G rating on a movie and the previews lead you to believe it was an educational family film.

You realize that "Disney" didn't put the G rating on it. It was the Motion Picture Association of America.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but would really like to.

[draybook]

Actually, had there been a PG rating AND a slight warning in the previews, we probably wouldn't have taken my daughter.

[sassy*tink]

I thought the movie was great! I loved the footage and the narration was great! I thought the death scenes were done really well. There was no blood, no gore, just the animal being caught and switch to something else. What I liked best about the Cheetah scene was that they slowed it down and you could really see the cheetah's muscles working to keep it running. Just that alone was amazing to me!
I do not have kids at the moment, but I feel that while it was intense at time, I think it would be something I would take them to see. I don't think it would need a PG rating, because IMO there wasn't anything that was extremely disturbing. I would also make sure to explain to my kids about what they would be seeing and talk to them after. I agree that nature isn't always pretty and for Disney to edit those scenes from the movie would be wrong. That is why their lives are so hard. They have to fight for food, and it doesn't always go right. IMO to leave that out would be like talking about history, but leaving out war because it's too gory and bloody. It's what happened *and is what's happening*. I think Disney did a great job with the movie, there were more happy times than sad, and I can't wait to see Ocean's when it comes out.

[Imousineer]

I didn't expect the movie to do very well just because of the subject matter. Outside of the major cities there just isn't much call for this genre, especially when Disney has built a bit of a "preachy" reputation lately. So far the totals are only about $14M. I have to admit I was shocked to see the crowd gathered around the poor theater manager complaining. I thought there was going to be a lynching. LOL Looks like the average Joe is saying "NO" to Disney's latest venture.

[sir clinksalot]

^ $14 Million for this type of movie is actually exceeding expectations.

[Imousineer]

I'm not saying that the total is bad for this genre, but when you consider production costs, distribution, marketing, and the whole plant a tree thing, I wonder if the bean counters would agree. As a stock holder I have to question the decision to go with the disneynature project, especially if they already had low expectations as you suggest. The slight gain the company MIGHT receive from people supporting the "green" aspect just doesn't click the green-light button for me.
I just don't see Disney (as a corporate entity) making a move purely for moralistic value if the expected profit margin isn't there.
Maybe they are getting past previous monetary based decision making. I could be wrong.

[Anders]

I'm not saying that the total is bad for this genre, but when you consider production costs, distribution, marketing, and the whole plant a tree thing, I wonder if the bean counters would agree. As a stock holder I have to question the decision to go with the disneynature project, especially if they already had low expectations as you suggest. The slight gain the company MIGHT receive from people supporting the "green" aspect just doesn't click the green-light button for me.
I just don't see Disney (as a corporate entity) making a move purely for moralistic value if the expected profit margin isn't there.
Maybe they are getting past previous monetary based decision making. I could be wrong.

Keep in mind the production costs were shared with the BBC. The international version of the film that was released previously has made over $85 million.

I'd say this project has paid for itself long ago.

[SILVERMOUSE21]

I thought Earth was great. Like I said before though, one can only imagine a nature movie would have violence. It isn't paradise for these animals. The movie shows their journey's that they have to go on to stay alive in the seasonal change and you could only imagine the obstacles they would have to go through. I thought Disney did a great job and the cinematography was amazing. And on top of it all it wasn't all that violent, they do add a bit of a Disney touch to make things look not as bad. The "Planet Earth" series lets it all out lol.