It's time to let a certain skeleton out of the closet. While other toddlers are watching the Backyardigans, Dora and whatever the heck else is on the Disney Channel at 10 am, Sawyer is obsessed with musicals. One musical in particular: Hairspray. During a weekend at Mimi and Pop Pop's house when Arden was born, Sawyer was looking for something to watch among a dirth of options - the Horatio Hornblower boxset, some history channel specials. So, they put in Hairspray, the movie where John Travolta plays an overweight woman. Sawyer was transfixed. He would stand in front of the TV, shake his little booty and watch the thing from beginning to end. My parents often talked about his love for this movie in the months that followed, and I eventually had to watch it myself. While there's nothing outright unacceptable about the movie, the 60s-era racial tension at the plot's surface seemed a little inappropriate for a two-year-old. I suggested that if he likes musicals so much, perhaps we should try something more classic.
My mom took this mission to heart and started ordering them all: Annie, Oliver, Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Music Man and Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang. (She ordered Grease too, but I've 'top-shelved' that one due to all the smoking and drinking.) The absolute winner with Sawyer and the rest of Pierce-ville is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It starts off with an exciting car crash and delivers with cute kids and catchy tunes the rest of the way through and, like any good Disney musical, it stars Dick Van Dyke. We've watched it no less than 50 times, and I never get sick of it. (I can't say the same for Pixar's CARS). What's not to love about a movie that uses the word "uncategorical" and has a floating/flying car that travels to an imaginary country called "Vulgaria" where children are outlawed? And how COULD anyone forget Truly Scrumptious?
Not every musical is a winner, at least not int the toddler category. Oliver is rather dark (wouldn't recommend it) and Sound of Music, as much as I love it, is pretty slow if you're 2-years-old. Mary Poppins and Annie are enjoyable but haven't hit the top of the charts yet in Pierce-ville. (Sawyer can say "Annie," which I find incredibly cute). We don't have TV, so movies are our sole source of hands-free entertainment. I am a bit leery of how this watching the same movie over and over will scar him down the road, especially when I see a scene like this:
Oh dear, don't let your pretty necklaces dangle in the mud!
4 comments:
reid, big tayloe LOVES musicals (knows every single word to the 'sound of music' and many, many others) and look how great he turned out. HAHAHAHAHA.
in other news, t2 can't get enough of the waltons. so it could be worse for you ....
You have to get Sawyer into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I mean, talk about a classic.
I LOVE C&TCF - we have the Johnny Depp version, which I would classify as not-so-toddler-friendly. Need the original. You can add that to my wish list.
Oh - and seriously Jeannine - you are Truly right. I should have mentioned the name.
what about showtunes???
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