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Susie

 It feels like Susie and I have watched every animated film in history, in the past few weeks: "Anastasia," "The Great Mouse Detective," "Snow White," "Lego Batman," "Encanto," "Up," "The Rescuers," "The Rescuers Down Under," "A Cat in Paris," "Puss in Boots II," "Tangled," "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles," "The Jungle Book," "The Princess and the Frog," and more.


It's refreshing to watch with an attentive small child, because she can teach you about moviegoing: Suspend disbelief, and actually enter the world of the characters. Somehow, this is easy in childhood--and it becomes difficult in your forties.

Susie just needs to see one animated skull; this causes her to shriek, "Spooky!" and to cover her eyes.

Another thing I've learned from this project: The makers of "Snow White" knew what they were doing. Adjusting for inflation, "Snow White" is still the most lucrative animated-film endeavor of all time. It was a tremendous risk: At the time, people were skeptical that anyone would want to endure a sixty-minute cartoon. It's not perfect. There are some deadly longueurs (involving the Seven Dwarves). But it has romance, dignified (not cutesy) woodland creatures, royalty, and a genuinely evil villain. More recent "high-minded" cartoons have moved away from romance, because writers want to "redefine" what a story can be. (I'm looking at you, "Encanto," and I'll never, never wish to wade through your songs again.) I'd argue that romance endures for a reason: It's just interesting to consider. Art is not a civics lesson. Give the people what they want.

I hope to sell Susie on "The Simpsons," next; my goal is to avoid the obvious classics ("Mr. Plow," "Rosebud") and to study the overlooked gems ("The PTA Disbands," "A Milhouse Divided")....Wish me luck....
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