G-rated movies, characteristically known for lovable animated characters and family-fun-type content, may have more “adult” content than previously thought.
A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health found alcohol and tobacco use is prevalent in G-rated movies.
The study of 81 G-rated animated films, released from 1937-2000, found nearly half of the movies portray characters using and abusing alcohol or tobacco.
Some area adults say such a study is a good idea and more like it should be done.
“(These studies) give people a guide,” Ann Arbor grandparent Barb Root said at Celebration Cinema, 200 E. Edgewood Blvd. in Lansing. “I might not always agree with it, but it lets us know what we’re headed for when we consider going to the movies.
“I’d have no idea otherwise, because I don’t read or watch TV enough.”
Root’s 10-year-old granddaughter, Kali, who lives with her, is not allowed to watch any movie rated higher than PG-13 unless Root views it first. Also, if a film is PG-13, Root watches it with her granddaughter.
Local theaters have not felt any negative impact of such studies, nor have the studies affected what movies the theaters show, said Scott Ring, Celebration’s manager.
Family-oriented, G-rated films are frequently some of the bigger hits at theaters.
“Family films that bridge audiences, like ‘Shrek,’ are big,” Ring said. “Others too, like ‘Spy Kids,’ are big because it’s summertime, the kids are out of school and the movies attract wider audiences.”
Organizations like the Grand Rapids-based Dove Foundation, a nonprofit group that encourages wholesome family entertainment, are concerned about movies with questionable content spanning large audiences.
“Some movies are re-rated so they can get out to everyone,” said Dick Rolfe, Dove Foundation president and CEO. “It’s all just a name game with Hollywood. The message is just as perverse as (it is) before they snipped three seconds out of the sex scene.
“Companies like Disney and Dreamworks want a PG rating to make a movie more sexual, action-packed and edgy so they can make money,” Rolfe said.
Rolfe said more parents should take preventative steps.
“Parents need to talk to their kids about issues that are important to them,” Rolfe said. “They also need to ‘walk the talk,’ so to speak. Any norms that parents want to instill can best be set by example.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
