Desperate for G-Rated Movies for Preschoolers? Try Videos

Lindsay may be only 4, but her taste in film is definite. “I don’t like Mommy and Daddy movies,” she asserts. “I only like kids’ movies.”

OK. But now that “Pinocchio” is gone, where can parents find G-rated movies, let alone good ones?

They go to video stores. They rent them over and over or buy them to use as pacifiers, baby sitters or boredom-busters when there’s nothing safe to watch on TV.

Lindsay’s mother has snapped up a few for a home collection. There’s “The Brave Little Toaster,” “Bambi” and Lindsay’s all-time favorite, “Milo and Otis.”

Her mother estimates they’ve played it 100 times. I believe it. When my daughter was that age, she could have seen Walt Disney’s animated “Robin Hood” that many times in our home. Now, she’s 11 and would much rather watch Mommy and Daddy movies.

But preschoolers love G-rated fare, notably “Peter Pan,” “101 Dalmatians” and “The Little Mermaid,” according to a recent and very informal survey at UC Irvine’s Early Childhood Education Center.

In “Dalmatians,” they liked Cruella De Vil. In “Peter Pan,” they liked Tinker Bell. In “The Little Mermaid,” the boys enjoyed it when the Sea King becomes a giant. The girls liked the wedding. There it is.

“I thought the thunderstorm was pretty scary,” I tell them.

“It wasn’t scary for me, “ said one, followed by a chorus of voices expressing the same courage.

“What about ‘Bambi’?” I ask, remembering that my brother cried during that film 50 years ago when he was 2. Flavia, 4, admitted she was frightened when Bambi lost his mother.

“No, he didn’t lose his mother,” corrected Elizabeth, a 4-year-old realist. “She was just killed.” Silence. “Somebody shot her.” Pause. “That part was almost sad enough to make me cry.”

If sometimes little kids seem confused about plots, maybe it’s because they’re young. But it could be because some parents who object to violence, racism or inebriation in such old Disney movies as “Bambi” or “Dumbo” have actually edited their own versions for the home video.

Last Friday night, our friend Lindsay put on her “101 Dalmatians” dress and played host to yet another showing of “Milo and Otis.” We were joined by our cat as we all settled down on the rug with ice cream and cookies. From the beginning, it was unanimous: four thumbs and one paw up.

We were concerned when Milo got lost in the woods. “Don’t worry,” Lindsay told us. “He’ll find his friend Joyce.”

Even though it was her favorite flick, it was hard to keep her undivided concentration, and she had to leave periodically to go jump on the bed. Parents, too, are vulnerable to attention deficit, and Lindsay’s mom reports that the soothing narration and classical score provide a perfect background for parental snoozing. Especially after you’ve seen it 101 times.