9. Problematic Messages
This ones mainly to do with films aimed at children, particularly bad Pixar rip-offs. While its always good for such films to include a message (be kind to each other, take care of your friends, dont end up writing lists of bad Hollywood trends, that sort of thing), the actual messages included arent always the healthiest.
Luke Epplin's fine article, for example, examines the tendency of such films to promote narcissistic messages of excessive self-belief, of putting your own dreams and desires ahead of the communal good, and the possibility of success in spite of a lack of practice and discipline. Obviously, teaching kids that even the most difficult tasks can be completed with nothing but self-belief isnt helpful, as well as promoting the idea that if youre not living some crazy spectacular dream your life is worthless and inferior. This is our fault because of the relentless rise of narcissism in our culture, according to Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell. We all crave these kinds of messages because the gratification of the self is the only thing we value, and therefore the only thing we teach kids to value. I already knew this because every wall in my house is covered by a full-length picture of my super special face.