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A very quick post tonight but an important one.

Today we took our 5 year olds to see the movie, “March of the Penguins.” I’d heard wonderful things about this “G” rated documentary from friends and family alike. They all told me that it might be a bit slow for our kids but assured me that it was a wonderful story. The film is about the peculiar creatures called, “Emperor Penguins” who live in the coldest place on the planet–Antarctica. And every year they take an interesting journey of survival and love to mate and create offspring.

Let me tell you I’ve never seen footage like this in my life and it was spectacular. As a filmmaker I found myself wondering every so often how the camera man was even holding on to his camera in some of the storm scenes. The first 80% of the movie had our children wrapped. They loved the way the penguins walked and slid and scurried about on their journey. But that’s when the movie turned very scary and dark. My husband who grew up watching many nature documentaries was somehow prepared for what was next but it took me completely by surprise. As the “ladies” head back to the sea to fatten up so that they can bring food back to their babies, there is a “circle of life scene” I like to call it when a penguin is grabbed and eaten by a hungry sea lion. It’s a graphic scene that seems like it’s been further enhanced by computer graphics. It was jarring and lengthy.

I know what you’re thinking. Is she crazy, overly sensitive? I assure you I’m not. My kids actually like the “child catcher” in “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” and think the flying monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz” are “cute.” But I can tell you this one fierce scene in a penguin movie set in place nightmares that I’m sure are just beginning. I am not advocating for the footage to not have been in the movie but to me it didn’t belong in a “G” rated movie.

I know that we’ll have to dive into the concept of the hierarchical “food chain” sometime soon. Tonight the way we had to explain and of course, to get them to stop crying, was to tell them that an Orca probably ate the Sea Lion. Not sure if that’s sending the right message but Logan was happy.

I’m happy we took the kids to see the movie because it was a beautiful, heartwarming story but I wish that I had been prepared to avoid this pretty vicious scene (don’t worry, my folks have already gotten an earful for neglecting to tell us!) If you decide to bring your kids just be prepared–it happens right when the “mommy” penguins go back to the sea for the first time…

Posted on September 4th, 2005 by Sam
Filed under: Uncategorized, Am I Crazy?, Families