The animated film ‘Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa’ was released on November 7th, stealing the spotlight as the #1 grossing movie of the week. Additionally, the film’s $63 million gross was the highest seen since ‘The Dark Night’ back in July, not to mention it was ranked the second-highest non-summer animated release in history. A large part of the pull of this film is that it has the ability to appeal to both adults and children alike- a formula that has received mixed reviews from the general public (Box Office Report, 2008). While some find the adult humor and sexual innuendo of the film to be a harmless way to keep parents entertained, others find it appalling that a childrens’ movie would contain crude jokes and mature humor, even if it does go over the childrens’ heads. The topic has been hotly debated on the Yahoo forums, and among parents nationwide (Yahoo Answers, 2008).
The trend of including adult humor in childrens’ movies is not a new idea, although it has been on the rise over the past decade. Films like the Shrek trilogy and soon-to-be Ice Age trilogy are at the forefront, along with newer titles like Open Season and Over the Hedge, all of which revolve around cute cuddly animal characters whose actions and dialogue are often far ahead of their target audience. In ‘Madagascar 2’ for example, narcissistic king lemur Julian attempts to attract fellow lemurs by cross-dressing, gets his annoying sidekick Mort kicked off the airplane for carrying scissors and hand lotion, complains about how he misses ‘the separation of the classes’ when giraffe Melman interrupts his first-class lobster feast from the economy class, and professes that one of the things he’d like to do before he dies is “Invade a neighboring country and impose his own ideology.” While the kids may giggle along, most will not understand the implications of much of the dialogue. Adult humor and political references have become increasingly common on televised cartoons as well, ranging from South Park to Family Guy. It’s ironic that a genre that was originally created for kids now contains references they couldn’t possibly understand, however, the humor does represent modern-day America, and does an exceptional job of bringing families together again, albeit in a slightly less wholesome manner.
I personally love the new generation of cartoons and CGI animation. I’m glad to see that America is ‘lightening up’ on their censorship of animation, as my generation saw the banning of animated television shows like ‘Beavis & Butthead’ for its crude humor and sexual innuendo. While I do not have children of my own, I think it’s great that once I do, there are films that we will be able to enjoy together as a family. While some of the content may be inappropriate for young audiences, it’s unlikely that the kids will notice, and I think any parent who raised children during the unbearable Barney-era will welcome Madagascar’s universal appeal.
Box Office Report (2008). Madagascar 2: Box office number 1. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20239181,00.html
Madagascar 2: Your thoughts, parents? (2008). Yahoo Answers. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081114181129AAUQ6pW
The trend of including adult humor in childrens’ movies is not a new idea, although it has been on the rise over the past decade. Films like the Shrek trilogy and soon-to-be Ice Age trilogy are at the forefront, along with newer titles like Open Season and Over the Hedge, all of which revolve around cute cuddly animal characters whose actions and dialogue are often far ahead of their target audience. In ‘Madagascar 2’ for example, narcissistic king lemur Julian attempts to attract fellow lemurs by cross-dressing, gets his annoying sidekick Mort kicked off the airplane for carrying scissors and hand lotion, complains about how he misses ‘the separation of the classes’ when giraffe Melman interrupts his first-class lobster feast from the economy class, and professes that one of the things he’d like to do before he dies is “Invade a neighboring country and impose his own ideology.” While the kids may giggle along, most will not understand the implications of much of the dialogue. Adult humor and political references have become increasingly common on televised cartoons as well, ranging from South Park to Family Guy. It’s ironic that a genre that was originally created for kids now contains references they couldn’t possibly understand, however, the humor does represent modern-day America, and does an exceptional job of bringing families together again, albeit in a slightly less wholesome manner.
I personally love the new generation of cartoons and CGI animation. I’m glad to see that America is ‘lightening up’ on their censorship of animation, as my generation saw the banning of animated television shows like ‘Beavis & Butthead’ for its crude humor and sexual innuendo. While I do not have children of my own, I think it’s great that once I do, there are films that we will be able to enjoy together as a family. While some of the content may be inappropriate for young audiences, it’s unlikely that the kids will notice, and I think any parent who raised children during the unbearable Barney-era will welcome Madagascar’s universal appeal.
Box Office Report (2008). Madagascar 2: Box office number 1. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20239181,00.html
Madagascar 2: Your thoughts, parents? (2008). Yahoo Answers. Retrieved November 23, 2008 from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081114181129AAUQ6pW
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