Blogger Dad » cars

Cars 2: Guns, Missiles, And Pre-Schoolers?

David — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:59:33 +0000

(Note: I was interviewed by the Associated Press a couple of weeks ago for a story on Cars merchandise. The story was carried in many places, but you can check out an ABC News post here.)

Cars 2 was released last week and I still haven’t decided if I’ll let my four year old son E see it yet.

This is tough, because he LOVES the first Cars movie. We’ve seen it a billion times, he has tons of Cars toys, Cars shirts, Cars bedding.

My biggest concerns, as I said in a post in November, is the use of guns, missiles, and explosions in a cartoon aimed at young children. According to the website Kids In Mind, Cars 2 features ranks 4 out of 10 in the violence category.

Four out of 10 in a G-rated movie?

Clearly Cars 2 is too violent for young children.

Here’s just one of the several entries describing the violence:

A car hanging onto zip-lines above the deck of an oil rig fires two guns at several other cars that fire back and cut the zip-line: the car on the zip-line falls, still attached to one cable, landing safely, several cars chase the car and we see a spray of bullets; the car fires a gun at a stack of oil cans that tumble toward the other cars, and the oil cans explode and flames wrap around a ramp where the other cars are (the cars appear later, unharmed). A truck is cornered by cars with guns, and the truck fires two large Gatling guns at the cars; the cars drive for cover and the truck escapes unharmed.

And there’s plenty of more scenes just like it.

I’m sure there’s plenty of kids out there who see this stuff all the time and maybe it has no effect on them. Saturday morning cartoons in the 70s and 80s (when I was a kid) were full of violent content and I didn’t wind up in a clock tower with a rifle.

If my son were a few years older, this wouldn’t even be an issue. In fact, I’m looking forward to the day we can watch Spider-Man cartoons.

The Cars franchise however, is not aimed at older children.

Need proof? Check out the Cars-related merchandise aimed at toddlers – sippy cups, toddler clothing, toys, and even diapers! Why would they target toddlers if they aren’t the target demographic?

I love Pixar and think they should be able to make any movie they want. But I’m disappointed in this change of direction in the franchise. It’s tantamount to bait and switch. Start off with a simple, family-friendly movie. Follow up with a spy movie where the characters you know and love are suddenly thrust into danger and being shot at.

It’s as if I turned on Sesame Street to see Bert and Ernie in a gang war, popping caps in Big Bird while an explosion just took out Oscar’s newsstand.

Are guns and missiles and mortal peril things that a four, or even five year old should be exposed to? Are they old enough to even understand such things? Or are scenes like this too intense and scary for them? When my son saw the advertisements, he asked me if the Cars got hurt? If the movie was scary. If so, he didn’t think he wanted to see it. He still doesn’t care for the last Toy Story movie because of all the intense scenes of danger.

It’s a shame that Pixar, a company so good at recapturing the magic of childhood is also so intent on destroying the magic for its smallest fans.

As a parent, you know you can’t protect your children from the world forever. But you try, for a little while, anyway, to let them live in a world of innocence, optimism, and safety.

A world where people (and Cars) aren’t trying to kill one another for unknown reasons.

Where people still play together despite their differences.

A world where love and family can change even the most hardened of hearts.

You know, a world like Radiator Springs.

Did you see Cars 2? What did YOU think?

Want BloggerDad delivered to your email every time I post? Well, you’re not alone. Join the literally tens of others who have already subscribed for free! Email not your thing? That’s okay, you can also subscribe via RSS – It’s also free.

Content is copyright 2011 BloggerDad.com. If you are reading this on any site other than www.Bloggerdad.com or your personal RSS reader, then you may be reading it on a site which steals content. And would you trust a site like that?

Here Comes Santa Claus

David — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:02:32 +0000

As a child, I used to anticipate Christmas for months. Once the first cool autumn breeze blew in, I began looking forward to Christmas and all the presents I’d get from Santa. Even though my family didn’t have much money, somehow, Santa always came through and got me at least one toy I really wanted whether it be Star Wars toys or a Big Wheel or a stuffed dog I still have to this day.

I haven’t looked forward to Christmas in a long time. Over the years, the magic faded as the responsibilities and obligations of the season outweigh any joy the actual day brings. This year is a little different, though.

E, in church, praying.

While this is E’s third Christmas, it is in many ways his first. He was just an infant for his first Christmas and didn’t understand enough last year to either look forward to it or enjoy it. This year, though, he understands a bit more. He decorated stuff, sang Christmas songs, watched Christmas cartoons on TV and sat on Santa’s lap without crying.

And he understands that presents are really, really cool.

I’m not sure he gets the whole Santa thing just yet, though. My wife and I were undecided how we would approach Santa. Do we or don’t we?

A few weeks ago, E was sitting on my lap looking at Disney (Pixar’s) Cars on the computer, as is our nightly custom. He likes to look at pictures of the toy cars that people post on collector sites and stuff. Side note: There are a ton of Cars toys! So we saw the green Chick Hicks truck and he started asking for it over and over and over again in the way that kids do so well. Rather than say “no” or “maybe someday” or any of the usual delaying tactics I use, I told him that maybe Santa would bring it to him.

I then explained to him that Santa Claus brings toys to boys and girls on Christmas and maybe we’d go see Santa (at the mall) and ask him for the “green Chick Hicks truck.”

It calmed him down. For a few seconds. During the next several days, I simply repeated the mantra, “we’ll ask Santa.”

Eventually, he began to realize that on Christmas, Santa might bring him the truck. And he began talking about it. A lot. And it was adorable.

Of course, finding a specific Cars toy is next to impossible, as stores stock tons of one Cars character and maybe five of another and when they’re gone, they’re gone. You can try your luck on ebay or at various online merchants which price the cars not like toys, but rather collector’s items, with insanely high prices. And while I’d seen the green truck he wants a hundred times back when he was interested in the other cars and trucks, it wasn’t there the last few times I’d been to the store.

Well, for various reasons, we didn’t get to the mall. However, earlier this week, we went to a lights display in the city and they had Santa there. E got excited at the prospect of telling Santa what he wants for Christmas. I asked him to recite his list.

“A green Chick Hicks and a Blue Dynoco Lightning McQueen.”

Yeah, the list grew. Though, I’m impressed that it’s stayed at two cars.

So, we waited in line forever while he whined impatiently for his turn on Santa’s lap to come. When it was his turn, he got all quiet and serious and approached Santa very slowly. I put him on Santa’s lap and Santa greeted him and asked what he wanted. E didn’t respond; he was being all shy and serious.

“Tell Santa what you want,” I coached.

“A green Chick Hicks truck and a blue Dynoco McQueen,” he said, though his voice was so timid and tiny, you could barely hear him.

As I carried him back to mommy, he was upset. “What is it?” I asked.

“I want the green Chick Hicks truck.”

Apparently he thought that once he asked Santa for the gift, he’d get it right then and there. I explained to him that Santa would come on Friday. He nodded his head okay, sniffling back the tears.

And so we wait for Christmas morning. I can’t wait to see his face when he spots the presents under the tree. We couldn’t get much this year, but that’s okay. I have a feeling that Santa will deliver what E wants.

And for the first time in forever, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas morning. The magic of the season is back.

Like this post? Please consider tweeting it and telling others about it.

Content is copyright 2009 BloggerDad.com. If you are reading this on any site other than www.Bloggerdad.com or your personal RSS reader, then you may be reading it on a site which steals content. And a site like that is probably up to all kinds of no good.

“I Want”

David — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:12:48 +0000

Prior to having a child, I proudly announced that I would not be one of those parents who buys My Child toys. That’s right, no toys at all. And yes, I even said it just like that, My Child in capital letters, to convey just the strength of my convictions.

Hell, if Calvin and Hobbes can go off on Martian adventures in cardboard boxes, surely my son can be creative. Toys, in my opinion, were a waste of money before a child is old enough to really appreciate them.

Like many notions I held prior to having a child, this one was quickly challenged by reality.

Flash forward to tonight, two years later.

Scene: Me pushing the shopping cart through Target, my son pointing at every toy and saying some variation of I want.

“I want the truck, I want the car, ooh, I want that (not even knowing what the toy he was pointing at was).”

I intended to just pick up a cheap car from the movie, Cars or a motorcycle, as he seems utterly fascinated by them.

While I was originally opposed to buying toys, I have come around. I enjoy giving him things he enjoys. E is a good kid and is not even close to being spoiled. He is active and we spend lots of time together, so I’m not concerned with the whole “making up for other parental deficits by buying toys” argument. And until tonight, he had never really pestered us for things he wanted.

Another vow I made prior to having a child — I will never bring My Child to the store with me. I am not going to be one of those parents teetering on the edge of sanity shouting or smacking the crap out of their kids in the middle of the store.

Yet, here I am, bringing my son to the store. A store with toys no less!

I want, I want, I want, I want.

Once in the toy aisle, E HAD TO HAVE one of the more expensive Cars vehicles on the shelves — a Dinoco Racing Team which includes a truck (that he thinks is Mac) and trailer, a car and a mini-forklift. Though it’s not a whole lot bigger than a standard Matchbox car, it cost nearly $20.

The look in his eye as he examined the box was priceless, though. So, I bought it. (sucker!)

Though I am sure my wife will be upset once she reads how much the truck cost, my will melted immediately when I saw how much E wanted it.

As we drove home, he held the box in his car seat, turning it over, tilting his head just so, and examining it. It seemed as if he were imagining the truck out of the box and on his living room floor. It’s the first time I saw him respond like that to a toy. Though, he did do sing “Sally, Sally, Sally, Sally” and dance around the house when I brought home a Sally car last month (also from the movie, Cars, in case you are among those not yet forced to see every Pixar movie).

So, there we sat on the floor playing cars together and I watched him. One of my favorite things to do is watch E when he tunes everybody else out and is playing by himself. I love watching his imagination develop as he recreates things from his experiences.

So, I didn’t feel too bad about spending $20 since we don’t do it often and he is not a demanding child.

Then, about 20 minutes later, the rug came flying out from under me.

“Another Mac?” he asked.

Huh?

“Another Mac? Go to Wal-Mart, get another Mac?”

Oh no.

Apparently, he wanted to go back and get one of the other trucks that were there, including the actual red Mac truck.

I told him we didn’t go to Wal-Mart, we went to Target and no, we can’t just go get another truck.

“Daddy, go to store?” he asked. When I said no, he then shouted “Daddy go to store!”

Thank God my wife wasn’t home. I’m sure she’d give me one of those, “see what you started?” glares.

So, I pulled E aside and sat him on my lap and tried my best to explain that we just can’t go to the store and get things we want. They cost money. And that particular truck cost daddy a lot of money and daddy doesn’t have enough money to go get more trucks.

I know it’s difficult, if not impossible, to explain a concept like money to a two year old. Yet, I tried my best.

“Do you understand?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, in his soft, hoarse voice, eyes big, wide and sweet.

And it was a sweet moment.

We sat back down and played with his cars. Well, for 10 minutes, anyway. Then he was back at the door asking, “go to store?”

Edit: That was the original ending to this post. However, an even better one. Guess who woke up at 5:40 a.m. wanting to play “Cars.” Yup, you got it.

Like this post? Please consider tweeting it.

Everyone’s a critic

David — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:35:24 +0000

I’ve been drawing comics since 2000. My comic strips have loyal readers and have been published in a book, my editorial comics have generated buzz and been mentioned by elected officials and I’ve had my work published in a number of publications. However, the highlight of my drawing career has only happened recently, when I started drawing for my son, E.

We’ve spent a lot of time recently bonding over the Doodle Pro, a magnetic drawing board. Think Etch a Sketch but with an easier-to-use pen tool.

One of my favorite routines is when E climbs into my lap or lays on the floor next to me as I draw things and ask him to tell me what they are.

“Moww” he says for cat, “ba ba” for bottle, and so on.

All of these things bring a giant smile to his face, which is the coolest feeling in the world.

Soon, I started drawing his favorite TV and movie characters.

“Cars?” E says and I draw either Lightning McQueen or Tow Mater, which elicits a huge smile or laugh.

One time, I drew Elmo driving Lightning McQueen with Tow Mater besdie them. E LOVED it! All his favorite things together! Soon, he began requesting that Elmo always be in every picture with the Cars characters.

As much as he loves the drawings, he loves the Doodle Pro’s sliding eraser even more!

What took me five minutes to draw, he erases in one second with a quick swipe.

Then, he hands me the Doodle Pro and asks me to draw Elmo and Cars again! We repeat this process about a dozen more times.

Usually, he’ll take the pen from me before I can finish. He scribbles and dashes (something he picked up after watching me make cross hatches) over my drawings, adding finishing touches, if you will.

Then he’ll point to the drawing and proudly exclaim, “Cars!” as if he drew it.

Time for some old school drawing

On Wednesday, I decided take some pen to paper and draw another of his favorite characters, Curious George. I figured he would probably appreciate a more permanent drawing.

It was a pretty good George, if I do say so myself.

I handed him the drawing, he looked at it and said, “George!”

Big smile on both our faces.

I told him to go show mommy and he shuffled into her office and held up the paper.

“George,” he said, “daddy (indicating that I gave it to him)!”

It was one of the happier father-son moments I’ve had. I was able to use my drawing skill to make my son happy. E walked out of the room, holding his drawing, while my wife and I talked about something. I imagined him holding tightly to his new drawing, like a prized possession, perhaps putting it with his book collection.

As I was talking to my wife, I heard the unmistakable sound of a trash can lid slam shut.

Hmm, what did he throw away?

I went into the kitchen and saw that he was empty handed. I walked over to the trash can, stepped on the button to flip the lid open and there, on top of the trash, a crumpled up Curious George.

And while I know he didn’t know any better and it wasn’t a personal rejection of my drawing, it stung worse than any critique I’ve ever received.

Mank-mank

David — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:28:56 +0000

The search is still on.

For those who are new to the blog, my son LOVES the movie Cars. He eats it, breathes it, hell, he wears the shirt and pajamas! The first words out of his raspy little throat each morning is, “Cars?” It’s also the last thing he says before he drifts off to sleep. He even says it in his dreams.

I have seen Cars so many times, I AM starting to dream about it!

So began my search for a movie to distract my son from Cars.

I thought I’d found something in the Elmo in Grouchland movie. My son enjoys the first 10 minutes or so, especially where Elmo sings with his blanket. After that, the movie spirals into an acid trip featuring a freaky Mandy Pantinkin and a cast of characters out of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

It makes the Teletubbies look normal.

To say the Elmo movie is painful to watch it putting it mildly. I wouldn’t doubt if it’s being used in secret torture camps.

So last week, I borrowed the animated movie, Madagascar from the library. The movie has animals, which E likes. It’s got pin-pins (penguins) which daddy and E like. And while it might not be perfect for endless viewing, it can’t be worse than Elmo in Grouchland.

At least that’s what I thought until today when the end credits rolled.

Anyone who has kids under the age of 10 is surely familiar with the end credits of this movie, which features cartoon animals dancing to the song, “You’ve got to move it, move it” – this decade’s answer to “Who let the dogs out?”

“I like to move it, move it”

E bolted off the couch and started a routine which I’m pretty certain he spent hours rehearsing. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he ripped off breakaway pants to reveal he was wearing a dance outfit underneath.

“I like to move it, move it”

He picked up his feet, bouncing side to side, while pumping one hand above his head.

“I like to move it, move it”

To my knowledge, this is the first time he’s ever heard the song. Yet, it drew him instantly to the dance floor which is our toy-littered living room.

“I like to move it, move it.”

Well, I need to back up a bit. He has heard the song before. Occasionally, when he is too cranky for a diaper change, I distract him by singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” which almost always works. However, sometimes he is too cranky to sit still for nursery rhymes.

One day, out of sheer desperation to calm him down, I altered my voice and sang the “move it move it” lyrics in the voice of Sacha Baron Cohen (who sings it in the movie).

“I like to move it, move it.”

E’s eyes lit up at the funny voice and he seemed to enjoy the song, even my weak rendition of a few lines of it. He must have remembered the song because when the credits were done rolling today, he pointed to the TV and said,

“Mank-mank (move it)?”

He wanted to watch it again.

“I like to move it, move it.”

And for the next hour today, I entered a hell worse than any which Grouchland served up – nearly an hour of “mank-mank” played on a loop as E danced his bootie off.

Somehow, we got him distracted long enough to forget the song for a while. Until bedtime, when his usual refrain of “Cars?” was replaced with “mank-mank?”

My plan to avoid watching Cars for eternity

David — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:53:34 +0000

If you’ve been following the blog for the past week, you’ll know that I’m trying to find a way to keep from watching Disney’s Cars every night for the next two years. (Note: Part one of this story is A few updates. Part two is How Cars almost ruined the Super Bowl)

To bring you up to speed: I borrowed Cars for my 21-month old son, E, who had never seen a movie. He LOVED it. So much that he asks to watch EVERY NIGHT with a repeated plea of “Cars?” which is too cute to ignore.

I don’t know what I was thinking, bringing home a movie for my son.

He hardly even likes TV, save for Jack’s Big Music Show and commercials, which he dances to. And no, I’m not talking about commercials with good music. He’ll dance to ANY commercial with anything approaching music. Case in point, Subway’s annoying “Five dollar foot longs” ad campaign which makes me want to ram a screwdriver into my ear.

I had it made. I live in a house with a wife who doesn’t care for TV and a son who more or less ignores it. The remote is pretty much mine. Or was…

Until I brought home Cars, which apparently, is only the BEST MOVIE EVER, according to toddlers.

So I had a genius idea.

I was at the store and saw the movie, Elmo in Grouchland for the bargain price of $5.50. My son loves Elmo on Sesame Street, so I figure if I buy the DVD, it will expand his palette and maybe, just maybe, I could avoid a nightly barrage of “Cars?”

Great idea, right?

I’m fairly certain that I can outsmart a toddler. Right?

Last Monday, while E was finishing dinner in his high chair, I popped the Elmo DVD into the player.

**Goodbye Cars, Elmo is here!**

E’s eyes widened, his mouth agape, as he pointed, yelling at the TV. He lost his mind!

“ELMO!!!!!”

He kept pointing as if to say, “Mommy, daddy, look, it’s ELMO!! Look! Look! Look! Look!”

Then when he saw other characters he recognized, he cried out, “Bird!” and “Ster!” (for Cookie Monster).

So, I guessed he likes the movie. I breathed a sigh of relief, pleased with my purchase. Something I did actually worked!

15 minutes later, as I was getting something in another room, when I heard my son’s soft voice ask his mommy a question.

“Cars?”

Uh-oh.

10 minutes later, we were watching Cars. Again.

Apparently, this movie will be required nightly viewing whether I want it to be or not.

20 minutes later, my son asked, “Elmo?”

Now he wants to watch both!

Every night.

Outsmarted by a toddler.

Usually, I would end the post with a funny (well, semi-funny) one-liner like the one above. However, this story has a bonus.

After watching Elmo search all over Grouchland for his beloved blanket, my son said a new word, “blank-et” as he cuddled his own blue blanket, a huge goofy grin on his face!

I love this kid!

as always, thank you for reading,

david

How Cars almost ruined The Super Bowl

David — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:42:40 +0000

Last week, I mentioned that my son saw his first movie, Disney’s Cars.

He’s asked pestered me to see it every day since.

I should preface this by saying that when my son watches a movie, he doesn’t watch the whole thing. About 15 minutes in, he starts playing with his toys, running around the living room or dancing. He LOVES dancing and even dances to commercial jingles! His favorite is “Five Dollar, Five Dollar Foot longs”. The point is, he is active, so I’m not as concerned as I would be if he were just sitting on the couch like a vegetable his father.

At any rate, he LOVES watching Cars. He MUST watch Cars! Every night.

Well, on Super Bowl Sunday it seemed that the unstoppable force was about to meet the immovable object.

Here’s the scene:
I’m getting ready to watch The Super Bowl. I’ve got my food and drinks ready and I’m looking forward to the game The Game.

I am kind of funny when it comes to watching The Game. Unlike most people, who use the game as an excuse to throw a Super Bowl Party and hang out in a place packed with people, food and liquor, I like to sit home so I can actually watch the game. Novel concept, I know, watching the game.

So I am fiercely protective of my game watching experience. While I would prefer to watch it in a cave without anyone around, I do have a family which for some reason, enjoys my company. However, if you’re going to watch the game with me, there are some ground rules.

Rules for watching The Super Bowl with Blogger Dad

Do not talk to me during the game – unless it’s about that awesome freaking catch.
No phone calls during the game
Do not walk in front of the TV during the game
Try not to injure yourself and need medical attention during the game.

Fairly simple rules, right?

So back to Sunday. Game time – 6:00 p.m. and my son was standing next to the couch, repeatedly saying in his cutest voice…

“Cars? Cars? Cars? Cars?”

He wanted to watch Cars. On Super Bowl Sunday!

He even handed me the remote which controls the DVD player, “Daddy,” he said as he handed it to me. “Cars?”

I cringed.

And here’s the worst part, I almost gave in. His cute raspy voice, those big blue eyes, My son has me so wrapped around his fingers that I nearly turned off The Game.

Evidence of E's cuteness: Eating a cookie!

I am ashamed and should probably return my testicles to whatever government agency is responsible for taking them once you lose your manhood (probably the IRS).

Fortunately, my wife managed to sidetrack E long enough that he eventually forgot Cars. So crises averted – this time.

Faced with the prospect of having to watch Cars every night for the next two years (or however long movie phases last with toddlers) I decided to do something.

Find out what on Monday…

A few updates

David — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:36:44 +0000

These are the sort of things I usually don’t blog about, because they aren’t enough for a whole post. However, I figured why not make this blog more blog-like and post shorter bits from time to time?

Dinner and a Show Part Two

No, not the kind of Dinner and a Show I wrote about yesterday, thank God! For those wondering if my wife reads this blog, the answer can be found in the comments of yesterday’s post, where she corrected me. She goes by the name Perfect Non Hormonal Wife, in reference to another post I’m too lazy to go digging up a link for.

Anyway…

Tonight, my wife, son, E, and myself went to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. This is the second time my son has been to one of these restaurants (I think – a correction shall be forthcoming if I’m wrong – just check the comments) but the first time since he was old enough to articulate as well as he is doing these days.

We sat at the hibachi grill and when the chef came out and put on his show which involved knife spinning, fire and flipping of various foods. My son’s eyes were glued to the action!

E got a bit nervous when the chef created a big fireball and looked at me with a worried look and grabbed my shirt sleeve. Very adorable.

Dinner and a movie

Later, we came home and I popped in the DVD, Cars which I rented from the library. This is the first movie my son has ever seen.

You should have seen his eyes when the movie first started. They were wide in awe as he watched the animated cars raced around the track. Not Clockwork Orange wide, but wide eyed in the same childish awe as he displayed during dinner – just taking things in, amazed.

During a few scenes, he called out, “woah” and “oh!” and then held out his hands in a confused manner and turned to me as if to ask, “what happened?” – all of it adorable. The movie was much better than I would have guessed. Not sure why I was surprised, Pixar has done nothing but good movies to date.

I should note that E didn’t officially see the whole movie as he fell asleep before it was over.

Updates from around the web…

Tara mentioned BloggerDad in her post Monday which honored… well, blogger dads. Thanks, Tara!

Ron over at Clark Kent’s Lunchbox also mentioned my blogging and cartooning work in his post here. Thanks, Ron!

For those of you not following my exploits over at BlogToFit, I lost five pounds this week and six the week before. In total, I’ve lost 16 pounds since November 19.

Over at I Draw Comics, I posted a new Todd and Penguin comic in which I explore one of my favorite new food finds, pancakes in a spray can. I also posted a new Taking Up Space comic, which is a wee bit cynical.