My animated reaction...

I fondly remember cartoon shorts before the feature movie when I was a girl. It was 1980, so let's not get too nostalgic and start referring to the '80s as "the good ole days, but nevertheless, I remember fondly. My parents and grandparent would often reminisce about a Mickey Mouse short or news features. After yesterday, I can't say that my children will remember that fondly.

It was one of our family's famous Date Days. One parent takes a child and goes out for uninterrupted quality time. I decided to take Daniel to "the big movies" to see Mr. Popper's Penguins." The film itself wasn't worth the $14 I spent on tickets, but this blog isn't about Mr. Popper's Penguins. It's about the cartoon before Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Picture it. I'm sitting in a theater with my 4-year-old while he stares at the big screen in amazement and wonder on his way to a massive sugar high with the tip of his nose glistening ever so with the sheen of popcorn butter. Then it happens. The lights dim and a cartoon short begins with the words, "Isn't this great?" "Yeah, makes me sad that I ever have to leave to poop again."

WHAT!?!?!? I sit horrified trying to decide how to handle this. The crude, violent short continued and I wavered between marching the both of us out of the theater and demanding my money back or sitting quietly and hoping that if I didn't make too big of a deal out of it that he may never remember it. Then, they announcer said that I could find this cartoon during Prime Time on the Cartoon Network. Ah ha! Right there is the disqualifications for it to be shown during a children's movie. NOTHING on the Cartoon Network is acceptable in my house, let alone during or after 8:00pm.

But my outrage doesn't lay with just this one short. Oh no...it is the trend of awful mini scripts written and produced for theaters. Just because it's animated doesn't make it OK! Television and movie producers...along with much of the country...have strayed from what is decent and appropriate. And I'm not just saying that in a buttoned up manner of a God-fearing, Southern mother. In the first two minutes of America's Got Talent last night, Nick Cannon said "damn". When did 'damn' stop becoming a 4-letter word? I remember getting a hand across my mouth if I ever said it way back when. Some programming is a given; Family Guy, The Simpsons, La Femme Nikita...naturally those are not appropriate for a 4-year-old. But on what planet should I pay $14 and be subject to unedited content that I am not informed of or is within the rating guidelines that have been set forth?!

From now on I'll stick with Netflix.