A reader writes:
As a movie critic, I end up seeing most new releases and two of the biggest grossing films of the year, "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3," were not only family films, but also two of the year's best. They exceeded in quality and sophistication most of the movies aimed at adult audiences. (I'm just talking multiplex here. The art house continues to offer challenging films for adults.) "How to Train Your Dragon" was genuinely thrilling and the 3D animation was gorgeous. "Toy Story 3" was, in the tradition of Pixar, superb and had children laughing, while the adults cried. (If you haven't seen "Up," Pixar's big release from last summer, do so soon. It's one of the best movies of this century. My kids love it for the talking dogs, but some of its story of loss is too painful for me to watch repeatedly.)
Animated films are currently some of the most intelligent films being made for the multiplex.
Pixar has proven that quality - with the help of the monstrous marketing arm of Disney studios - can be successful. The animated film, though inherently more artificial, is providing us with more humane, challenging stories than we are seeing in live action. I keep expecting Pixar to challenge audiences too much-- the movies "Up" and "Wall-E" spend a good portion of their running times as essentially silent movies--with stories of cranky widowers and robots helping humans overcome a world ravaged by overconsumption. But Pixar makes these films with such care, that they have gained the complete trust of the audience.
I celebrate, crave, quality films wherever I can find them. And right now some of the best movies are being made for families. It's a golden age for animation.
Noting the NSFW mash-up above, Gabe differs:
... I don’t care about Toy Story. That being said, it is high time the children of America learned about the gray-area vagaries and heartbreaking social complexities of the modern day drug trade and the political and legislative efforts being used to combat it in a format that is both relatable and appealing to them. Also, the show would be called Hamsterdam and feature animated hamsters. Obviously.