Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Minions Adoption Movie Review
Bright yellow, tragically clumsy, but wholeheartedly devoted
in their pursuit of the strongest master they can find, the minions have found
themselves isolated in Antarctica after accidentally killing or alienating all
of their leaders. Three brave minions, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, set out to find
a new leader after seeing a television advertisement for a supervillain
convention in Florida. There, they manage to enlist themselves into the
services of Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first female supervillain. Typical
minion mayhem quickly challenges the relationship between Scarlet and her new
help, and the minions again find themselves longing for a leader.
The Adoption
Connection
The minions are perpetually in search of a person to learn
from and follow, and they have bounced around from clan to clan – in that
sense, they share some aspects of the experiences of a large sibling set moving
through foster care. They’re even separated from each other for a season while
Bob, Kevin and Stuart leave in search of a new leader.
Strong Points
Although they align themselves with villains, the minions
are persistent and hopeful.
Challenges
Some cartoon violence and peril onscreen might be scary to
some younger viewers.
It seems possible that some young viewers who have been in –
or who are currently in – foster care might draw parallels between their own
story and the journey of Kevin, Bob and Stuart. This could problematic when the
three minions compete to win the affections of Scarlett, then move into her
home, only to be threatened with disownment (or worse) if they disappoint her.
This conditional acceptance fits with a supervillain, but some young viewers
might need to be reassured that their acceptance into your family is
unconditional.
Recommendations
Minions is a mostly-harmless, kind-of-fun film that should
be fine for most kids ages 7 and up. It offers the opportunity to talk about
the desire to belong, and could be a good film so long as parents can help
their children differentiate between the conditional, self-centered acceptance
offered by
Scarlett Overkill and the unconditional, loving acceptance offered
by a healthy family.
Suggested Films
Despicable Me 2 features the minions as well, and also
portrays a healthy, thriving adoptive family.
Questions for
Discussion
How are the minions’ bosses like parents? How are they
different?
Who is your favorite minion, and why?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment