Ratatouille: Not for My Kid
According to the MPAA:
A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a “certificate of approval,” nor does it signify a “children’s” motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.
I took Drake to see Ratatouille yesterday. Within ten minutes he was terrified, and I didn’t blame him. I was offended then, and further later when I confirmed the G rating and what it is supposed to cover. To me, minimal violence DOES NOT encompass a little old lady pulling out a shotgun, shooting at main characters until her gun is empty, searching for bullets, reloading, releasing rat poison, putting on a gas mask, and continuing to shoot. This scene, about ten minutes into the movie, is loud, violent and it scared my four year old child.
I’ve long been aware that the MPAA ratings are screwed up, giving more leeway to violence than to sexuality, but I thought these errors were on the R and PG13 end of the spectrum. But as Drake found out, to both his and my dismay, the leeway on violence seems to be a pitfall of all the ratings.
Ratatouille might be a good movie for older kids and adults. It’s not for small kids. Shame on you MPAA, Disney, and Pixar. Why couldn’t the old lady simply have chased the rats with a broom–why the shotgun AND the gas? Next time I’ll consult a site like Common Sense Media to be better informed.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
i think most G movies have more violence than adults realize unless they actually have a child along with them - so presumably that is the problem of the people determining the ratings as well. i.e., they’re not watching it with a child tugging on their arm!
i tried to take my nephew to something last year - i can’t remember what, something else with mice maybe? where at the very beginning of the movie there’s a huge ball rolling down the streets of their town, hitting people and buildings, etc. my nephew could NOT handle it, way too scary, and we left after another minute and a half and got our money back.
but if i had gone by myself, i wouldn’t have even noticed it as being scary at all.
September 24th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Thanks for that review. I *hate* it when even respected film reviewers don’t point out these facts when gushing over how great a kids’ movie is. I wouldn’t want my 7 yo daughter witnessing that either (mind you, I did take her to see “The Sound of Music” on the big screen, and there were the guns and Nazis but it somehow didn’t seem that bad).
September 25th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I had been planning to take the 2-year-old to the Riverview for it, but now I’ll have to rethink that. Thanks for the heads-up.