Author-Artist Maurice Sendak Questions Children’s Film Menu

Children’s author-artist Maurice Sendak is appalled by some of the films nourishing young audiences today, to wit:

* “ ‘Home Alone’ unnerves me. Such a popular movie about a child, and one that’s so mindless and violent. Why that is considered OK, I don’t understand. And when I say that, they say, ‘Oh Maurice, you’re being so serious . It’s just a movie.’ Nonsense. It has material in it that is so sordid, so cruel, and the paradox is, that’s acceptable.”

* “ ‘The Little Mermaid’ is another (example of a debased movie for children). It’s a total contradiction of the original fairy tale. Thirty to 40 years ago, Disney would have been slapped hard for deviating from Hans Christian Andersen.

“That tale is about sacrifice. The Little Mermaid doesn’t even get what she wants. She has all the risks of sacrifice with no rewards. That’s a hard lesson. This movie is about getting married, having cupcakes for bras and going to live in White Plains somewhere. And, in the New York Times, Janet Maslin was grateful that it had an upbeat ending.”