Mark's Blog

Sherrylee and I took our oldest granddaughter and her friend to see Alice In Wonderland on Saturday. I was reminded that any time you take someone you care about with you to a movie, you see it through more than 3D colored lenses.  (My sister-in-law just told me a story of innocently and blindly taking her mother to see The Piano.  Afterwards she apologized to her mother, quite certain that her mother had barely avoided apoplexy, but Mom replied, “Oh, well, I’ve had three children. . . . “)  Anyway, back to Alice.

Overall, we enjoyed Alice a lot. It was clever, great design, well-acted, and full of interesting characters.  As in most dramatic productions, the villain was probably the most interesting, so let’s start with her, the Queen of Hearts.  Here are four ideas for talking with your kids about this film.

1.       People with big heads usually do not get along with other people.  Noticing the Queen’s unusually big head provokes a talk about how movies use costume and design to develop characters. It has always made sense to depict people who are too proud of themselves as having big heads (Notice even the innocuous Jimmy Neutron.) So don’t get the big head.

2.       Some of the biggest laughs from the kids were when the Queen was using the pink flamingo for golfing and the pig’s belly for her footstool.  Much of what makes us laugh is at the expense of others. People who use other people for their own benefit are not usually nice people—even if they are being used just for a good laugh.

3.       “Off with their heads!” The Queen was a person of judgment, not grace. People who always find punishment as the solution to their displeasure find that others  may obey them out of fear, but they will never be loved for who they are. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

4.       Beware the Jabberwock!  The Queen’s power depended entirely on her weapon of mass destruction!  We face people like this all the time who demand something from us OR, they will fire us, they will divorce us, they will throw a big tantrum, they will do something extreme  that will “destroy” their victim. Take away their WMD and they have nothing.  People whose power over others depends on WMDs are not nice people.

It is always good to have some conversation starters after movies with the kids. Maybe these will help you—and them—and you!

Next:   A Few Thoughts on Alice and the Mad Hatter.