There’s an unfortunate implication inherent in our current, pop-culture-flooded mindset that children’s films have to be vulgar and dumbed-down in order to successfully appeal to their target audience. While there are a few notable exceptions (Wes Anderson’s capricious and witty “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” this year’s magical “Paddington”) the sad truth is that a disproportionate majority of films aimed at children are charmless and disposable, crammed full of fart jokes and product placement, but light on things like character, subtext and real feeling. The truth is, a lot of kids are smarter than we give them credit for. The best children’s entertainment uses the accessible framework of its medium to examine timeless themes – themes that will, ideally, resonate with both children and their parents – in a way that speaks to its core audience on their level. Over the years, Pixar has given us some of the most challenging and emotionally affecting films for children in the history of the...
