Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Strange Magic Adoption Movie Review
The fairy princess Marianne is crushed when she learns that
her fiancée, Roland, does not truly love her. Instead, he hopes to marry her in
order to gain access to her father’s armies, in order to conquer the
neighboring kingdom of the Bog King. Dawn is Marianne’s sister; her
happy-go-lucky, flirtatious nature irritates her brooding sister.
Roland is determined to marry Marianne, however, and so he
plots a way to obtain a love potion to make her change her mind; his efforts
expose him to the wrath of Marianne – and expose the fairy kingdom to the wrath
of the Bog King.
The Adoption
Connection
The Bog King has been hurt before by someone from whom he
wanted love. He now broods in darkness, fearful of love, because “love is
dangerous. It weakens. It rots.” Although Strange Magic is about romantic love,
I think that kids who’ve been hurt by previous parental figures might also
resonate with the Bog King’s fear of love.
Strong Points
We learn that true love (whatever it is), is more powerful
than love created by a love potion.
We are reminded not to judge a person based on their looks,
but by their actions.
Marianne understands that talking with someone – and
understanding them – is far better than silently viewing them as a scary enemy.
Challenges
Roland is very manipulative towards Marianne as he tries to
win her back. While it’s a negative behavior, it is realistic. Parents could
take the film as an opportunity to help their kids think about finding a
balance between being gullible and being closed off – finding the ability to be
trusting of others while also maintaining the boundaries important to safety
and mental health.
Weak Points
One princess is threatened with death, and there are scenes
of kidnapping that could be scary to young viewers.
Recommendations
Strange Magic is described by its creator, George Lucas, as
“Star Wars for 12-year-old girls.” Another filmmaker described it as “Beauty
and the Beast, where the beast doesn’t change.” To me, it seemed like Frozen –
a two-princess story where the men aren’t who they seem to be, and where one
princess declares that she doesn’t actually need a man at all. Of course, where
Frozen has been remarkably well-received, most critics have panned Strange
Magic. The scenes of kidnapping make it a poor choice for kids under 10 or so
who’ve been through foster care, and the general fairy-love-story nature of the
film makes me think it’ll appeal more to girls than to boys. It could be an
interesting choice for girls ages 10-12; parents could use it as an entryway
into an important conversation about how to decide which boys are trustworthy.
Questions for
Discussion
Why was the Bog King scared of love?
Why can kids sometimes be scared to let their parents love
them? To let their friends get to know them?
How can you tell whether someone is trustworthy?
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