Animated films only for kids ? Na

[novaflare]

the below is taken from http://www.donbluth.com/contactus.cfm

Subject: MPAA
Message: Mr. Bluth, I have decided to write an independent essay on the current state of animated features. Among the topics that will be discussed is the hypocrisy and strange policies of the MPAA. I know you've had a history of your animated features getting a PG at first and then toning them down to get a G rating. Examples being THE LAND BEFORE TIME, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN and ROCK-A-DOODLE. I feel that the MPAA has its moments of hypocrisy. MONSTER HOUSE was denied a PG rating unless the victims inexplicably came back to life. Yet many G-rated films from my childhood were full of death, especially your films Mr. Bluth. Also, crude humour usually earns an animated feature a PG rating, notably Dreamworks films. However, DOOGAL was full of toilet humour and it still kept its G. What I want to know is specifically how the rating process works and how the appeals for softer ratings occur?
Reply: Doug, Gary Goldman here. Actually any editing done to our films, including the Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven or Rock-A-Doodle, was not done to improve the rating to a "general audience" G. On Land Before Time, George and Steven were more concerned about causing nightmares for children than getting a G rating. On All Dogs, the folks at Goldcrest Film and Television were concerned that the Hell Hound sequence would cause nightmares and would in fact cause a word of mouth that would steer family audiences away. We would have just preferred getting a PG rating. On Rock-A-Doodle, Goldcrest's marketing rep had some issues about the owl making a skunk pie with a baby skunk voiced by a 6 year-old child actor. The skunk got away when the The Duke's nephew, voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly crash-lands in the outdoor kitchen. The rep came at us with some sort of experience about child abuse and that most child abuse occurs in the kitchen with scalding, burning etc. He made demands for us to cut material from that sequence, again not for the rating but for some personal concerns. With regards to Monster House, I would have thought that the producers would have wanted a PG rating, there are some scenes that could cause nightmares for younger children, say 7 or younger. But, you're right, there isn't a whole lot of discretion on the ratings board. Maybe they need some members who are parents of young children for better ratings tests. Bathroom or toilet humor is definitely a part of today's marketing sense. Guess today's producers think fart jokes attract big audiences. We all know that a fart joke is a cheap shot to get the kids laughing. One of our films that we wanted a PG rating was our first independent feature, The Secret of NIMH (1982). Funny, even with all the support of the press and the critics, they all commented that there are dark sections of the film that could be frightening to small children. Not really sure you will get the attention of the ratings board or its members, I think they just feel that animation is for children so it's just an automatic gesture, rate it G! I often wonder if the ratings board actually looks at the animated films???
Reply Posted: 04/19/2007

As most here know already i have never considered a film to be just for kids because its animated and well goldman at least also has the same thought. Just because a film is drawn and not recorded by a camera does not mean its a kids only work or in some cases not a kids film at all (vampire hunter d, blood the last (or is it little) vampire just to name 2 animated films anime in those cases).

People like mpaa etc just do not get it. These ratings board member are often totaly off base. Note where goldman says
"One of our films that we wanted a PG rating was our first independent feature, The Secret of NIMH (1982). Funny, even with all the support of the press and the critics, they all commented that there are dark sections of the film that could be frightening to small children." I always did beleive nimh should have been rated pg. Thaat film is so dark and scarry in areas. Movies like nimh if they had a live action equiv they would easly get a pg or even pg 13 rating. If you replaced the rats and mice in the movie with people and did the same film in live action there is no doubt it would get a pg rateing.

[Petrie.]

Heh, with Gary's reasoning that the MPAA doesn't watch animated films sure is off cue.  If they didn't, the Plague Dogs would be rated G because it has dogs in it, and they would've had no reason to cut out the scene that they did.  Somebody's watching something.  Extreme example perhaps, but what I think he means to say is the MPAA has no consistent basis when it comes to ratings.  PG-13 these days would've been R many many years ago, and R now is only not PG-13 because of nudity....that's the only real difference.  The violence, guns, swearing...all PG-13 fare these days.  In those terms, yeah, animation is so mild its bland and can get a G with no trouble.

[novaflare]

Heh, with Gary's reasoning that the MPAA doesn't watch animated films sure is off cue.  If they didn't, the Plague Dogs would be rated G because it has dogs in it, and they would've had no reason to cut out the scene that they did.  Somebody's watching something.  Extreme example perhaps, but what I think he means to say is the MPAA has no consistent basis when it comes to ratings.  PG-13 these days would've been R many many years ago, and R now is only not PG-13 because of nudity....that's the only real difference.  The violence, guns, swearing...all PG-13 fare these days.  In those terms, yeah, animation is so mild its bland and can get a G with no trouble.

Well i think that was ment to be more of a sarcastic reply. After talking with some of these guys in irc chat with the stars deals over the years i always got the impression that riaa and mpaa like orgs are not their fav sorts of people. Not from don or gary but something said to me after one such chat (the following has been self censored just a bit heh where the ____ is)" Personally i would just love to tell the mpaa to _____________ them selves. We have to censor our selves so much on the show its really getting way out of hand i mean come on we could not even use the word fart because it might offend some one. If it is such a problem toss out the g rateing and give us a pg rating. Some of the subjects that come up should be rated pg for various reasons any ways."

Orgs like the mpaa have gotten way to powerful for their own good. Unconfirmed rumor has it that basically you ither go through the mpaa and riaa as a producer other wise should your property be stolen (pirated) Your out of luck and have little chance of winning a case because you did not use riaa or the mpaa.

Got admit its pretty sad when you want to have a film rated pg but are basically forced to cut scenes to get a g or the mpaa gives it a g rateing when it should be pg then parents go nuts and start blaiming you over it even though you not only thought it should be pg but wanted pg.

[Petrie.]

Frankly if parents want to blame someone, they need to blame themselves if they got a surprise in a film and didn't screen it themselves before showing it to their kids.  :  Its not the filmmakers' fault you didn't do your homework.