Carol:
I rarely turn on the TV or encourage my son to watch a video. But there are times when I need a break as a parent or when my son needs some complete down time or when I have to make a phone call that is so important that I need silence and no interruptions. So I strategically turn to videos (we don't have a DVD player) to occupy my child when these times come.
There are three movies that we have recently watched that seem to be animal friendly. They are "Finding Nemo," "Chicken Run," and "Charlotte's Web." Although none of these are new, they are still available to rent at local video stores.
"Finding Nemo" opened to record audiences and had children grabbing their fish and flushing them down their toilets, convinced that they would somehow swim back out to their original homes in the ocean. The movie opens with a traumatic event, the killing of Nemo's mother. I can never figure out why so many "kid's" movies kill off a parent, but that subject will have to wait for a future column on videos and violence. Anyway, Nemo gets caught by fishermen who bring him to an aquarium in a dentist's office. His goal is to get home to his father in the ocean, and his fellow aquarium dwellers plot to return to their roots in the sea as well. Overall, the message is about letting living things remain in their natural habitat.
"Chicken Run" is about two chicken farmer who turn the birds they raise into chicken pot pies. The birds cry foul and plan ways to escape so that they are not made into next week's dinner. The entire movie left us cheering for the birds who, of course, despite several close calls, are victorious in the end.
"Charlotte's Web" is the movie version of the famous children's book by E.B. White. The main character, Charlotte helps her friend Wilbur the pig to become famous so that he is not sitting tableside with an apple in his mouth. It is a story about friendship and understanding and is the most heartwarming movie of the three.
If you need to plug in a video now and again and hope to show flicks that support your vegetarian lifestyle, these three may do the trick!
Melanie:
As a veg mom, I, too, pay close attention to the videos my kids watch and how they portray such holiday meals as Thanksgiving or Christmas and what messages kids learn about animal care and welfare. I was delighted to discover that three of my children's favorite videos actually have veg-friendly themes: "Rugrats Thanksgiving ," "Christopher the Christmas Tree," and "Babe."
I was so surprised when we sat down to watch "Rugrats Thanksgiving" and I found out the whole theme was centered around the children not wanting to eat the turkey and how they plot to make sure the adults don't eat it either. The family wins a Thanksgiving turkey, which they plan to eat on the big day, but when it's delivered, it turns out to be a live turkey! When the kids realize the adults still mean to eat it, they get up to their usual playful antics and save the day.
"Christopher the Christmas Tree" was a secondhand gift given to us from another family, and when I first watched it, I thought, "I know why they got rid of it!" The characters are kind of silly and the songs truly goofy. But from that very first viewing, my kids have LOVED it, and now it's a family favorite. After watching every Christmas season since then, I've grown to enjoy it, too. The story features a little owl who can't fly named Hooty, who makes his home in (and becomes friends with) a friendly tree named Christopher. Christopher's fondest wish is to become a Christmas tree, but because he starts out so scrawny, he's never chosen. In one scene, Hooty is found by a family, and they take Hooty in for the night but release him the next day, because wild animals belong outdoors. The only part I don't like is that they portray trees as wanting to be cut down. Other than that, it's a delightful story about caring for animals and each other.
Finally, no list of veg-friendly kid videos would be complete without "Babe." Filmed on a quaint farm from the animals' point of view, this timeless movie teaches children that animals have feelings, and no, they don't want to become dinner on your plate. The entire movie features Babe the pig and Ferdinand the duck endeavoring to make themselves useful to humans so they won't be eaten. Babe will win your heart. This movie has a reputation for making vegetarians out of the kids who watch it. In fact, James Cromwell, the actor who played Farmer Hoggett went vegan after starring in this movie.
