Parents to Filmmakers: Make Quality Fare and Families Will Show Up

Iwould like to echo the sentiments expressed by Mary McNamara regarding the dearth of children’s movies (“For the Kids [In All of Us],” June 20). As the mother of my own 3-year-old, I must daily endure the entreaties of my son to “Go to movies, Mommy?” I am then forced to try to explain to him that, unfortunately, there are no movies out right now for little kids.

Like McNamara, my friends and I have been forced to endure the empty span since the release of Disney’s “The Emperor’s New Groove” last winter. With some reservations over its PG rating, I was finally worn down enough to take my son to see “Shrek,” correctly assuming that most of the crude humor would be over his head. I am still trying to decide if the subject matter of “Atlantis” will hold his interest or if “Cats & Dogs” will be appropriate for him. As far as I can tell, the only G-rated movie this summer, “The Princess Diaries” is hardly going to appeal to a male toddler.

Heads up, Hollywood. The success of movies like “Shrek” and “Rugrats in Paris” should tell you something. There is definitely a market out there for quality children’s films, and you don’t have to wait until the winter holidays or summer vacation to release them. Make them and we will come!

CHRISTINE MANGRICH

Chino

The jump headline of this article, “Please, Sirs, More Movies--We’re Not Picky,” is actually quite telling and troubling. I also have a 3-year-old son and am apparently a little pickier than McNamara.

There is no way I would even entertain the thought of taking my son to a film, animated or not, that was rated PG for “violent action.” No disparagement on her parenting intended, but is McNamara that desperate for family fare that she would knowingly expose a preschooler to violent content? Yipes! We become the images we consume, and numbing a child barely out of toddlerhood to violence is a little scary in my book. At this age, we can control what our kids see.

I can only hope that her article inspires Hollywood to make more family films so that we can all have some better choices.

PAM UTTERBACK

Santa Monica

Many child/family-oriented films come out and die at the box office. McNamara’s claim that many families will attend any appropriate movies is ridiculous. “Shiloh,” “Pokemon 3,” “The Little Princess,” “Babe: Pig in the City,” “Monkeybone” and “Titan A.E.” are just some of the flops that, obviously, few children or families went to see.

It’s all about the box office, and McNamara doesn’t appear to put her money where her mouth is, since three of these films came out during the time she said there were no child-friendly films in theaters.

TODD ENGLE

Los Angeles