Married to the Media: Media Literacy for Parents, Children, and Family

In wrapping up our Christmas movie reviews before taking our holiday break, Cass and Pastor Robin tackle an oldie but a goodie: The Chronicles of Narnia. Around the time of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia was a fantasy movie series that was geared towards a more family-friendly audience. This is clear not only in the messaging of the source material itself, but the way it was adapted for the silver screen. While a little long and maybe a bit scary for 5 or 6 year-olds, Pastor Robin and Cass totally recommend this movie for a holiday movie night for kids older than 7.  Snuggle up and pop some corn; it's time for Married to the Media!

Robin and Cass went to the movies last week to see the new release, "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2". Cass in particular did a lot of research amongst her friends to see what people's perspective was, and though it's been received very well by critics and audiences, our hosts aren't sold on the premise. And "sold" might just be the operative word here. Cass and Pastor Robin both feel that this movie, not unlike the similarly-themed Emoji Movie of 2016, plays like a giant commercial for Disney and its advertising partners. As Vanellope and Ralph explore the internet and engage in modern e-commerce, a lot of messaging is packed into their chaotic adventure that might go over the heads of the adults watching- while disturbing their kids.  We know it's not a popular opinion, but we're not into this latest release from Disney. Hear why on this week's episode of Married to the Media!

In keeping with the theme of Christmas movies, Pastor Robin and Cass took to Netflix to hunt down some new, easily available watches for the season. While there are quite a few duds to wade through, Pastor Robin did find a hidden gem based on a story by Frank McCourt- Angela's Christmas. If you're struggling to find a more Christian-themed Christmas tale that isn't a straight retelling of the birth of Jesus, Angela's Christmas is a good middle-ground. Dickensian in nature, taking place in 20th century Ireland and focusing on a poor Catholic family, this narrative follows 5-year-old Angela when she steals the baby Jesus from her church's nativity scene in order to get him a blanket so he doesn't freeze in the Church.  Pretty cute premise, right? A children's presentation through and through, this movie has a child-like feel, in that it paces and reads like it's from the memory of a child, instead of being written for a child- all members of the family should find something familiar and relatable in Angela's Christmas. Here's Cass and Pastor Robin's Hot Take on the Netflix Original for the holiday season.

It's officially December, which means you've probably just run out of Thanksgiving leftovers and are finally ready to dive headfirst into the Christmas Spirit. Pastor Robin and Cass certainly are! This week they start off the holiday movie reviews with It's a Wonderful Life: the 1946 darling of American cinema and holiday movie marathons everywhere.  This is actually the first time Cass has ever seen this movie- and she's quite surprised at how applicable the post-WWII movie is to the struggles of lower-middle class Americans today: specifically millennials. She and Robin comment on the moral conflicts the Baileys face throughout the movie, and why they think this story is so important for today's audiences.  If you have a favorite Christmas movie you'd like to recommend for Cass and Robin to watch, send your suggestions to our facebook page at facebook.com/marriedtothemedia! 

In celebration of the season, Cass and Pastor Robin watched Pixar's Coco earlier this month. They're absolutely in love with this story and all of the messages that come across. In this episode, Cass and Robin talk family values, strong parental figures, dealing with loss, growing up, and ways this film can help you and your family talk about these important topics.  We tried really hard not to spoil it for you- so listen and enjoy!

Pastor Robin and Cass dive deep into Christian theology this week in their wrap-up of Disney's A Wrinkle In Time (as part of their "What You Can Watch on Netflix" series!). Based on Madeline l'Engel's book of the same name, A Wrinkle in Time is a fantastical sci-fi adventure that hones in on those oft-depicted angsts of teenager-dom. Meg, our main character, is struggling with school and her social life while being preoccupied with the mysterious disappearance of her father. Her little brother, Charles Wallace, while wonderful, is an eccentric and precocious boy who is also teased mercilessly by his classmates. He enlists the help of some magical women to take him, Meg, and their friend Calvin on a journey to find their missing father.  We explore the message of ubiquitous love, truth, and the spiritual implications in A Wrinkle in Time, as well as our nerdy film-critic takes on the artistic direction and how it helps the messages hit home. And maybe comment on Oprah's make-up a little bit.

We go seasonal this month in Married to the Media as we begin to address the ever-looming problem of the Holidays: how do we keep up with all the advertising? How can we tie in the holidays to our faith traditions? And is it all about candy, or do all these spending-filled crazy days have a lingering spiritual meaning? Pastor Robin and Cass address all of these concerns in their Halloween episode! If you're concerned about occult messages and want to know how to talk about the season with your kids, or are just looking for inexpensive costume ideas, we've got you covered on this week's Married to the Media!

"When there are stories that are important... there's a responsibility to that story and to that lesson, especially when it's based on a real person." This week on Married to the Media, Robin and Cass reflect on their very different experiences with watching the movie Queen of Katwe. A powerful story about a young girl in Uganda who learns to play chess and break her family out of extreme poverty, Queen of Katwe is the type of biography filmmakers strive to turn into cinematic art- a true story that can inspire the masses. Think of Seabiscuit, Memoirs of a Geisha, Slumdog Millionaire: award-winning accounts and films that stick with us because of their poignant lessons and beautiful storytelling.  The film follows Phiona Mutesi, 3-time Ugandan Women's Junior Champion in Chess, and her journey from the back streets of Katwe, Kampala's largest slum, to international grandmaster. But where raw material is present in spades, the refining of this gem of a tale is butchered by Disney. Poor dialogue editing and recording, choppy film editing, and a poor blend of cinematic genre throw the story under the rug for the first half of the film, only to barely recover in time for the powerful ending.  While Robin recommends this film to teach important character values and lessons, Cass thinks this isn't the best biopic to show in class. Hear their reasons and their criticisms for the studio in this week's episode of Married to the Media!

This week on Married to the Media, Cass and Robin talk about one of the modern classics: Finding Nemo. What makes this movie a classroom favorite to this day, despite being over 15 years old?  They've talked before about the common trope of parents dying in the beginning of Disney movies. But Cass argues that there's a higher purpose to the narrative structure of Nemo. While it may be a little too much for your little ones under 5, Finding Nemo has poignant spiritual lessons for children and adults of all ages. Take a listen to hear how the structure of the story can give us a deeper understanding of spirituality, death and rebirth, letting go, the difficulties of fatherhood, as well as raising our kids (or growing up) in a dangerous world. 

2007 was a different time. In the height of America's involvement in the conflict in the Middle East, the US Military started to invest in more than just defense spending- they started making deals with movie studios and directors. Transformers was one of the first movies of this decade to feature actual military vehicles in it, and in exchange the Pentagon got to review- and change- the script.  And boy, do Cass and Robin have some problems with the script of Transformers. Not just the script, either: text and subtext mingle to create a whole host of problematic issues in this movie, from sexism and racism to leaving an audience confused about what they even just saw. Who's watching this movie? Who is it marketed to? Who is it for? Or is it just Michael Bay being Michael Bay? Let's talk Transformers in this week's episode of Married to the Media!

We're not gonna beat around the bush: Pastor Robin and Cass both loved Bao, the preceding short to Pixar's latest theatrical release, Incredibles 2. The first short ever to be directed by an Asian-Canadian woman at Pixar, this small story is chock-full of cultural easter eggs and symbolism that not all white audiences have embraced. We laud the producers at Pixar for having the courage to support this beautiful, poignant, and powerful story of family dynamics and letting go in non-white cultures. Take a listen as we review the spiritual resonances of love and the empty nest in this Hot Take.

Alright, y'all. Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Anyone who read The New Yorker's Review of Incredibles 2 might be a little hesitant to let their child watch a movie that has been heralded as over-sexed and populated with queer undertones. To this, Pastor Robin and Cass have a pointed response in their new segment: Hot Take!

Robin and Cass head to the movies for this episode! Before it comes out on DVD, listen to this review of Incredibles 2. Spoilers and some adult content ahead! Pixar tackled tons of controversial topics in their latest movie. Gender Equality, Queer Theory, Media Influence, Effecting Change in Government, AND Family Dynamics. On the heels of their own sexual harrassment scandals, Pixar didn't pull any punches in offering opinions and lessons in this sequel.  Cass and Robin talk about the various implications of Incredibles 2; they reflect on the portrayal of gender and violence and modern family struggles. How is this movie different from The Incredibles? How do the characters grow and move forward? Is Mr. Incredible just a big baby? Was the portrayal of Mrs. Incredible too sexual for kids? And why, oh WHY is there never enough butter for movie theatre popcorn? All this and more in this week's installment of Married to the Media! For more on sexuality, queer theory, age-appropriate content screening, and the short, Bao, check out our Married to the Media Hot Takes on this movie!

We all love to talk about movies. Shows. Game of Thrones. Pixar. Frozen.  Film Analysis is one of the most popular hobbies of today's social, media-centric culture. It's a common ground- a way to make friends and teach each other important lessons. But why are Cass and Robin so fascinated by kid's shows, and what's their beef with modern children's media? Why should we care? In this episode, we get to know Cass and Pastor Robin a little better, find out their backgrounds in media and faith and why their opinions are different from most film critics you'll find in newspapers and online. 

Disney Princesses dominate the market for young girls: from "My First Disney Princess" dolls to dreams of Disney Weddings. The Frozen franchise, which boasts two princesses, fills the shelves with merchandise and spin-offs, direct-to-DVD shorts and sing-along tapes. We've come to equate idolizing princesses with part of being a girl. But does it have to be? Let's be real, girls have existed much longer than princesses have. Pastor Robin and Cass get real in this episode, telling stories from their own experiences that they hope will help parents navigate the toy stores with their grains of salt in hand. How can we bring the ubiquitous Disney culture back into a neutral narrative for our kids, inspiring creativity instead of squashing it? What's good about the Disney Princess line? What's flawed about it?  Special thanks to the moms and families that helped us prepare and research for this episode!

In our continuing coverage of Disney's Frozen, we tackle the complex concept of Love (ah yes, capital "L" Love) and how Frozen actually examines it from a lot of different angles. Pastor Robin introduces some tough questions you might hear from your kids while watching, and we even suggest some interesting sequel ideas!  This episode gears us up towards our Disney Princess Wrap-Up next week, where we take on the lifestyle empire that is the Walt Disney Corporation. 

Frozen is such a gigantic fixture in children's media right now; upon researching, Cass and Pastor Robin realized they needed TWO episodes to cover it. Frozen is (very) loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snow Queen, which is coincidentally one of Cass's favorite fairy tales. Together, Robin and Cass break down just how different Frozen is from the original story and how the new take on the characters inspires the adoration of millions of children worldwide.  It can be easy to forget the subtleties of the story line of Frozen when all we see and hear is Elsa costumes and pop covers of "Let It Go," but it's important to frame these take-aways in the context of the story. How are Elsa and Anna more relatable to young children today? How do the side characters pull at your heartstrings? Who is the real villian in this movie, and why was it such a surprise? What does the animation and sound tell us that the story leaves out, how does it draw us in? Why does THIS movie stick with us, even 5 years after its release, where other Disney movies (Moana, Tangled) don't? Why does this make it dangerous? Installment Four of our Disney Princess analysis brings us closer to our breakdown of the Disney Princess machine, and what we can do to stay aware of Disney's impact on our lives.

For parents and students everywhere, the news coverage surrounding the events in Parkland, Florida struck a little too close to home. In this episode, Pastor Robin asks "What's happened??" to our country's schools and violence-driven culture, and Cass recounts living through a shooter threat at her school in the early 00's.  The impacts of these shootings go far beyond political discourse. They affect real people, real families, and real communities on a too-regular basis. How do we talk about school shootings with our families? How do we talk to our neighbors? How do we encourage the children in our community to share their emotions with us, and how can we respect their perspective in our response to these tragedies?

Tired of the mid-century fuddy-duddy princesses they've already talked about, Pastor Robin and Cass are ready to tackle a NEW kind of princess this time around: Merida, from Disney-Pixar's Brave.  Lauded almost universally by audiences and critics alike for its unique mother-daughter narrative and outstanding animation, Brave should seem like a no-brainer for your family movie collection. So what's Cass's deal? Pastor Robin is thrilled with Merida's spunky independence and I-Don't-Need-No-Man attitude. Cass thinks there's more to independence than being a brat.  As always, we have story summary, spiritual resonances, and our recommended age-ratings included in this heated episode of Married to the Media, so let's dive in!

So we get it, Disney: you were always on the fore-front of the latest in animation technology. By 1950, you knew how to write a hit song and sell your product. Cinderella was the product of post-war America and a return to traditional values, which means it sends a lot of subliminal messaging to parents almost more to kids. Broken families, role-reversals, and absent fathers were more common after WWII than in previous generations, and Disney had paid the bills during the war by making pro-America propaganda shorts- so how was Cinderella meant to help instill hope in the younger generation? Does it have any lessons that young children (particularly girls) today can benefit from? Cass and Pastor Robin seem to be a bit at odds with this Princess- and we're sure it won't be the last time. Let's take a closer look at Cinderella and see how exactly we can re-frame the famous rags-to-riches princess story for modern family values.

  The first ever animated feature-length film, Snow White was the cinematic accomplishment that put Walt Disney on the map. Of all of children's media, the Walt Disney Company is by far the most ubiquitous: from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to The Marvel Universe. Since the creation of the Disney Princess franchise in 2001, Snow White has had something of a resurgence, despite being over 80 years old. Is it still relevant? Married to the Media is our regular podcast where we discuss movies, television, news stories, and children's media, and  the impact media can have on your family's life.