Curly Headed Boy has discovered Bambi. After an initial avoidance due to him knowing that the Mummy dies, he sat down and watched it, and has done so again several times since, interspersed with Scooby Doo of course! It was such a blast from the past, I’d forgotten how different the old Disney films are.
On the second watch I realised that there is hardly any narration. It’s much simpler, with lots of music and lots of beautiful images to explain what’s going on. Curly headed boy hardly had to ask what was going on at all, whereas he often does in normal films.
So it made me wonder; do modern films with their constant narration about what is going on take away the opportunity for our children’s imagination to fill in the gaps?
Does this make us expect to be constantly spoon fed when watching films or TV? Does it spread over into other areas of life where we always want the answer straight away in front of us, with no time for working things out and the natural cause of events?
What do you think? Have you watched Bambi and any of the other old films recently with your kids?
I watched 101 Dalmations today with my kids and they loved it. Older films are gentler and slower without feeling the need to fill the frame with colour and characters. I just find the constant booming soundtrack of modern films quite stressful. Maybe I’m getting old!
LoL, I think we are getting old definitely! Did you see my video wednesday from last week? The guy there talks about how overwhelming it is for kids now because they are constantly being inundated with noise/stuff/technology.