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A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR2010.016  (2009), PG [PG*] (1hr 20.5min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1200 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Sony Pictures Animation • Distribution (US): Sony Pictures Home Entertainment • Director(s): Phil Lord, Chris Miller • Producer(s): Lydia Bottegoni, Chris Juen, Yair Landau, Pam Marsden, Andrea Miloro, Ron Barrett • Book: Judi Barrett, Ron Barrett • Screenplay: Phil Lord, Chris Miller • Music: Mark Mothersbaugh • Casting: Mary Hidalgo • Production Design: Justin Thompson • Art Direction: Michael Kurinsky • Viewed on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD  The final score of 73 places Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs close to midpoint in the scoring range earned by PG-rated movies in the comparative baseline database, making the overall "effect" of the movie equivalent to many PG films. However, in matters of the violence nature and the impudence nature (which includes matters such as crude humor, profanity, lying, arrogance and rebellion), the content of the film pushes the envelope into being equivalent to the content in the same areas in some R-rated movies, not in terms of extremeness or boldness but in the sheer number of examples of assault on morality and decency. It is the relaitvely high scores in the other investigation areas that kept the final score in the PG-equivalence realm. Flint Lockwood (voice of Max Neuwirth then Bill Hader) is a nerd. All the kids in his school called him names after he demonstrated a new invention that would alleviate the universal problem of untied shoes -- the laceless alternative foot covering, "spray-on shoes." The spray-on invention was marvelous ... except he could not get them off his feet. Running home to momma Flint was emotionally destitute, believing he would never amount to anything. When similar social hurts happened later in the film, Flint threw himself in the trash barrel. But as mothers do, Fran Lockwood (voice of Lauren Graham) soothed young Flint's pain and made him feel good again. Flint went on to make invention after invention. While still wearing his spray-on shoes Flint invented the remote control TV that sprouted legs and walked up to the user so the user could change the TV controls (too bad the TV runs off), a spray-on hair unbalder that covered the entire head with hair, a flying car that flew right into the ocean, a monkey thought translator and ratbirds. Flint's dream was to help his home town on "a tiny island under the 'A' in 'Atlantic'" on the map, Swallow Falls, a town famous for sardines until the sardine factory closed. Now there are sardines everywhere. Everyone had to eat sardines. Sardines this. Sardines that. Sardines poached, dried, boiled, fried, candied and juiced, even in baby formula. No one was happy and the whole town was as hopeless as it was flavorless. But Flint was not going to let hopelessness crush the spirit and livelihood of his home town friends. Still wearing his spray-on shoes, Flint vowed to invent a machine to make food out of water. The machine, the Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator, FLDSMDFR for short, had a "chow plopper" that looked a great deal like the weapon portal door array of the alien ships in Independence Day. With his FLDSMDFR (pronounced 'Fliminadifiser' or 'Fliminubahdibferer') which uses "a principle of hydro-genetic mutation" Flint created a solution to the boredom with sardines. Too much of a solution. The Fliminubahdibferer's 'dangerometer' is climbing. I've already spoiled the first part of the film and any discussion of the plot and story would spoil the entire film. So, I'll stop here. The writers used a number of clever quips such as "Looks like things in Swallow falls are 'sardine' to get better" and "You may have seen a meteor shower but you've never seen a shower meatier than this" that will amuse the young and old alike. Animation graphics keep getting better every year. This film is no exception. Even the shattering of the huge fish bowl and the movement of the water in it, the sinking of the slice of cheese and the pickle slice were about as realistic as photography. And the colors were strong and dazzling. Now to the matters for which most of our visitors come to our pages. While the summary discussions per investigation area below are useful, the listings in the Findings/Scoring section (the heart of the CAP analysis mode) are the best accountings of the content of the film. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 46 out of 100 Most of the violence content was of the slapstick nature. But a few sequences of chaos and disaster were probably more violent than the Buggs Bunny, Road runner™ cartoons which have been on the unnecessary violence controversy carpet more than once. One adult character gets eaten by a giant chicken. Another character, a child, gets carried off by a large predator bird. During one of the disaster sequences adult characters loot one of the local electronics stores. While slapstick violence and most of the other issues of violence indeed seem innocuous, it might be that God does not see them that way. He is rather stern about the influence of violence and other aggressive influences on us. [Prov. 16:29] He knows that violence is "catching." Impudence/Hate (I) - 46 out of 100 There is only one use of profanity in the entire 80.5 minutes of programming but there is a number of matters of disrespect, encouraging disrespect and defiance of father, abuse of father's trust, gross humor such as chucking manure balls, lies, belittlement of the image of police plus a couple others (see the listing in the Findings/Scoring section for a complete itemization). Granted this is all clearly fantasy but as parents we need to realize two things: 1) a bad influence does not have to be real to influence badly and 2) it would be unusual for even a 16 year old to be able to fully separate fantasy from reality or to be able to fully anticipate the consequences of personal actions: such skills usually do not plateau until the early 20s. Our Lord does not want us to embrace crude and rude humor any more than profanity. In a sense they are nearly the same. [Eph. 5:4] Sexual Immorality (S) - 54 out of 100 The overall intensity of the sexual content was close to the magnitude of the violence content. The first encounter with sexually-oriented content was the use of two female characters as toys or possessions by an adult character named Brent who also stripped down to a diaper which was supposed to be commemorative of his role when a baby as the "Baby Brent" on the label of the sardine cans (which looked an lot like the baby on the early Coppertone™ suntan lotion bottles). The writers even had other characters show disdain at the display. Maybe it would not have been so bad if he had not spent most of his screen time in a diaper only. As with some other cartoons for kids, the filmmakers had the lead female character, weather girl Sam Sparks (voice of Anna Farris, in my opinion the perfect voice for the part), drawn as a rather callipygian lady, dress in form-fitting clothes, more than other female characters and often posed her in positions to display ghosting and outlining of her anatomy, once in slow motion. Much the same as Elasti-girl™ in The Incredibles® only slimmer. It is hard enough for our youth to develop a healthy respect for sexual purity when at such an early age they are filled with images like these that challenge sexual humility as is accused of the Barbie™ doll (do a serach on <+Barbie +inappropriate> and you'll se what I mean). As many social engineers of the past knew, changing the outlook of youth will change the population ... in one generation. Such sexual re-engineering that has been going on since the bisxual pedophile zoologist Alfred C. Kinsey [Luke 17:2] has taken its toll -- and is still strong with entertainment imagery such as in this film which would have rightfully been verbotten before Kinsey corrupted the sexual morés of so many with his "if it feels good do it" mentality. I was there! At Indiana University. The state agency I worked for rented space from the Indiana University Poplars Research and Conference Center which housed Kinsey's Institute for Sex Research under the banner of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). I was not in any way a participant of such a pansexual outfit but I was there. And to fortify my anathema for stealing childhood from children with such sexual imagery and your embracement of what I am telling you, if you watch this show note Sam+ as she hangs in mid-air with her legs spread out ... in slow motion. [1 Ths. 4:7, 1 John 2:16] Granted, this is all animation but it is still suggestive, and suggestion can, at times and for some, especially the young, be more powerful than overt display. Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 100 out of 100 This investigator found not one instance of illegal drugs, alcohol possession or consumption, abuse of prescription drugs or anything of the kind. Offense to God (O) - 92 out of 100 Unfortunately, Flint uses a euphemism of Jesus's name twice but that is all that was found. [Deut. 5:11] Such disrespect for Jesus may not be important to the MPAA but it is to God. Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 Not one instance of murder or suicide was noted in the entire 80.5 minutes of the program. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 46 out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - 46 out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 54 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 100 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 92 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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