My youngest daughter was desperate for us all to see the Minions movie this holiday break. I was a bit dubious, I mean I liked the guys as a support act in ‘Despicable Me’ but can they really pull off their own movie?

On the other hand, Pixar’s latest installment Inside Out was a total unknown to me until my brother in law said how much he enjoyed it. Unfortunately, though for him, his twin 4 year old boys practically ‘climbed the walls’; it was just over their heads. So if you do go to see it be prepared for it not to be an all round crowd pleaser like the Toy Story series.

What we all love is seeing a movie where everyone in the family comes out buzzing and we go grab something to eat and talk about all the bits we enjoyed most. So we decided to hedge our bets by seeing both as our kids are a bit older than the twins.

When we all came out of Inside Out, there was so much we all wanted to discuss. We all recognised and felt the emotional upheaval that forms the arc of the movie. Plus, since  the movie is about validating and constructively handling your emotions, it really ticks the box for parents. You’ll want to see this movie even if it’s just for yourself!

On the other hand, when we exited Minions, which is a very cleverly animated action fun fest, our mood was quite subdued in comparison. You really can’t compare these two movies. Both are targeted at kids under 10, both are animated, but Inside Out is pure class, Minions is popcorn fluff. Unfortunately, my youngest was devastated when we left Minions with our brows a little beaten. You just can’t put the two movies side by side; one of them is going to take an emotional battering.

However, while Inside Out was a triumph, Minions is probably more successful in hitting the mark with its target audience. Both movie theatres were packed with kids under 8 years of age. While Minions got lots of laughs from the little people, you could hear lots of chip packets crumpling during Inside Out.

What Minions gets right

It reminds me of somethings I have to keep in mind whenever I write and perform shows for kids. If you really want to connect and hold the attention of children there are a couple of principles that you do well to keep them in mind:

Repetition, repetition

Small kids like seeing the same thing over and over, with mild variations between. So with Minions you might get a little bored, as I did, feeling like you’re watching the same basic story arc over and over until the movie finally finishes. What’s the story arc? No spoilers here…Minions need a master, Minions find a master, master dies/exits. Of course the larger part of the movie expands on one of these episodes, but that’s basically it.

But it’s so simple, even a very young child can follow it. Plus its very short narrative arc, so they don’t get lost.

On the other hand, Inside Out is more like a proper movie, long story arc, easy for little ones to get lost.

It’s why I don’t offer my Anton’s Antics shows to child audiences under 5years of age in general. Anton’s Antics is written primarily for kids 6-12 years of age. Children in this group are starting to hang on to longer form stories, not just repetitious short episodes.

Concrete versus abstract

Young children (under 6 or 7 years of age) generally struggle to understand abstract concepts. Like if you say ‘God’s got the whole world in His hands darling’. They’ll most likely think that God has very big hands! Inside Out is a full on, abstract city, extravaganza. First you have to get that we are looking at the story through someone’s head and that inside their head there are these emotional responses that are being played by fictitious characters. See what I mean? Those toddlers are just not going to get it. If you try and teach your toddlers or preschoolers in this manner, it will just fly right over their heads.

That’s why when I’m writing for preschoolers (Note: at present I’m not performing this live show), it has to be really concrete. This is that. ‘A bird is a bird, it flies’. Not ‘a thought is like a bird and it can take flight’. Or ‘Jesus made the blind man see again’ not, ‘Jesus can open all our eyes to known God’.

Slapstick city

Young kids also loooove slapstick. Trip, wallop, slip on bum, fart, eeewwhh! Minions packs a punch in this department. Plus there’s lots of action that won’t cause distress. Inside Out however, has some scenes that may distress little ones (if they’ve managed to keep following the story!) plus there’s not as much car chase style action. One of my main characters, Anton, in my live show Anton’s Antics, carries the comedy for the show. Often there are slapstick gags that make the younger kids laugh hysterically or get really frustrated, but basically anything that hooks them in. Little kids, big kids, parents, love Anton. Though it’s not always easy to find something funny that fits organically with the message of the show. You don’t want just gratuitous gags. So I often turn to my kids for inspiration, give them the main idea of the show and they often come up with some amazing ideas.

What Inside Out gets right

[caption id="attachment_748" align="aligncenter" width="180" caption="Inside Out from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inside_out_2015/"][/caption]

I’d say that Inside Out is one of the best family entertainment movies I’ve seen for a while. It’s got plenty of entertainment but the adults will really find themselves in the movie and you start to critique your own responses to your kids, remembering all the times you plastered over their emotions and tried to just get on with life rather than validating where they were at and really listening. Perhaps we do this because we often ignore our own internal signals, press on and bear the cost of not listening to the alarm bells in our heads.

Soul

Most importantly this movie has a soul. It is poignant. It feeds the soul. The best art makes you laugh, makes you think, cry and even challenges you. Maybe you’ll live a different life as a result of it. When I write Anton’s Antics shows, I am taking the Bible and making the show an entertaining conduit, a revelatory mechanism for the text. But if it’s too complex, the kids will switch off. If it’s not entertaining people will stop listening and check their phones. If it doesn’t have a soul, people can take or leave it, ignore it, too easily. It’s a big challenge and responsibility to bring to life someone else’s work. But I love it and if you’re willing to pay attention to the author’s intent and the clues He gives in the script, you’ve got the basis for a great show.

Epilogue: Family trips to the movie

Next time we see a movie, I need to remember who is this for? Has it hit the mark for an 8 year old? If it has, I need to celebrate it more. Let my little girl feel validated, she doesn’t need to grow up to enjoy the flicks. Its great being reminded what it’s like being 8 or 5 or 3 years old. It takes you back, refreshes your outlook, and keeps you where you need to be as a parent. Plus in my case as a writer and performer, it keeps taking me back, if I’ll let it, to the place I need to be to write the best shows I can for these little ones.

Stephen Shearsby is a Christian performer and writer

Find out more or book his shows here:

Anton’s Antics www.antonsantics.com  Gospel Shows for Children and Families