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Why I Love All Those Sad Kids’ Pics

There’s something special about animated movies made for kids. Hey, I’d go so far as to say they’re very often the best things at the movie house when it comes to elements like imagination, storyline and even character development. Take a look at this trailer for the upcoming version of The Little Prince as an example. Just based on a short two minute clip this looks like it could be another one of those kids’ movies full of fun, color, emotion and texture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hfnttt1BRA

Many, however, have said that the reason kids’ pics really get under our skin isn’t because of the color and fun at all, but because they tend to be, in places, quite sad affairs. (I’d wager that the above Little Prince flick will likely contain a bit of that tearful stuff, as well.) In fact, some people have marveled at the amount of sad and violent imagery that you generally find in G- and PG-rated animated films.

A 2014 British Medical Journal study even went so far as to look back over the last several decades of children’s movies and point to all the many, many instances where animated characters (especially parental figures) were offed in the midst of the story.

Think about it: Bambi’s mother killed by human hunters, Mufasa being trampled in The Lion King, Nemo’s mom gobbled up by barracuda in Little Nemo, and even Elsa and Anna of Frozen fame losing both their parents early on due to a seagoing storm. And the list of animated funerals stretches on. I mean, how many kids’ movies even have two living parents still standing by the story’s end?

As true as all that is, though, I personally think that sadness and loss are but a small part of what really draws us to this fare. I’d say it’s more like courage and bravery in the face of loss, or as a part of that loss, that reach out from the screen to grab us. I mean, after Marlin the clownfish loses his wife and then loses his son Nemo, too, he stands up to all his greatest fears, risking life and fin to bring his son home once more. Or what about The Iron Giant who flies straight toward a destructive missile—thinking of his human friend’s words “You are who you choose to be”—and then whispering “Superman” seconds before he hits home and saves those watching from below?

That’s the kind of stuff that does it for us. Try to stay dry-eyed over your popcorn after that. Even at our youngest, we all have at least a slim understanding of loss. We all know pain. But it’s the daring, the dauntless, the brave who limp into their own personal cinematic torment with a heart full of love, those are the characters who pull us in and inspire us. We want to be like them. They make us cheer. And, quite frankly, no matter how young or old we are, they make us fall in love with kids’ pics.