Re: 'Up' is Not a Good Children's Movie

I applaud my opponent's mercifulness. I have been very pressed lately, but I will try to give an adequate final argument. "'Up' is a good movie. Its popularity indicates this, as it grossed nearly 300 million dollars within the U.S., and nearly 400 million worldwide. http://www.boxofficemojo.com...; There are other possible reasons for the film making so much money; after all, it was a very well- advertised film. "It has been praised by hordes of movie critics. The famed Roger Ebert granted it 4 stars. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com...; Just because he personally liked it doesn't mean that it was a good movie for children. He's an old guy who has seen much of life, and thus wouldn't be overly disturbed by some of the things in Up. However, young children are likely to be very distressed by the general feeling of depression that pervades the movie. "A popular movie review site, Rotten Tomatoes, awarded 'Up' an incredible 97% rating. http://www.rottentomatoes.com...... These figures indicate that 'Up' is indeed a movie of quality, and therefore, quite satisfactory." Movie reviews do not determine whether or not a movie is good. There have been many reviews which give a high rating to poor films. "Children's movies are characterized by appropriateness, as well as humor. 'Up' displays both." You forget that children's movies are also characterized by a light-hearted nature. That is a fundamental aspect of what we expect when going to a kid's film. We don't go there to be depressed about some aspect of life; we want to come out of the film feeling GOOD. "It is appropriate. Its recommended demographic, by Common Sense Media, is 6 years old and over. http://www.commonsensemedia.org...... It is also humorous. Hollywood Reporter describes it as a "joyously buoyant lift". http://www.hollywoodreporter.com...... Clearly, 'Up' seems to be a fairly typical children's movie, and an excellent one at that." Typical children's movies don't deal with things like infertility, death, depression, bloody cane-bashing, court summons, eviction, and negligent parents, among other things. "1. Many popular children's movies such as Bambi contain scenes of sorrow and death. Much of the enjoyment from the film results from the change in emotional tone, from depressed to gay." To go from tragic death to a flying house, talking dogs, and ridiculous birds in a moment is not relieving; it's just ridiculous. Also, we are reminded of the death of Carl's wife THROUGHOUT the movie, unlike in Bambi, were the issue almost seems to disappear. (By the way, Bambi was a terrible movie too, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.) "2. This contention is entirely based on my opponent's sense of humor. I, along with several friends, and a number of movie critics noted in previous links, found the movie to be light-hearted and amusing." It was not just me who thought Up had poor humor. When I went to see the movie, there was virtually NO LAUGHING. There were a few chuckles, but nothing more. When people started filing out of the theater, there were NO SMILES on the faces of ANYONE. The guy who sat behind me in the theater said this as he walked out: "Wow. That has got to be the most depressing kid's movie I have ever seen." My younger brother said "I want to go home and do something to make me feel better." My mother and father ranted about wasted money. And I tried to find my happy place. Our lives were not made better by this movie. Others found the depressing themes of this movie less-than-enjoyable as well. (1) "3. My opponent, once again, uses his own personal views to formulate a contention. The degree of stress is subjective, and again, relief from said stress produces enjoyment. My opponent concedes that these climatic moments are common." Again, it is not only I who found Up to be disturbing. My entire family felt similarly. Up is a very realistic movie. The computer animation is shockingly natural-looking. The bloody wounds, the constant pain on Carl's face, the incredible detail of the terrifying storm, and the nerve-racking heights are all beautifully portrayed. The so-called ‘relief' from these moments are really not that relieving, not to me or anyone else in the theater. Up is not satisfactory, nor does it meet the set standard for good children's movies, as it is both depressing and not very humorous. Save yourself the money and happiness. Don't buy the DVD. I have avenged myself at last. Sources: (1) http://www.bostonherald.com...? http://www.alternet.org...