Why Kristen Bell Believes Kids Should Watch Darker Films Like Frozen 2 And Do We Agree?

When I first saw the trailer for Frozen 2 a few months ago, I was blown away!

I couldn’t believe how intense it looked! And seeing as how I was bout damn ready to let this ENTIRE franchise go when Disney announced another Frozen film, (cause OMFG are they really gonna make us suffer through ANOTHER Frozen film lol) an intense, action packed, family focused film was exactly what we needed to get sucked back in!

But then came the what ifs. (Not from I says the cat. Lol But from others, mostly parents with kids who’ve already fallen in love with the first film and were extremely excited to see the sequel.)

What if Frozen 2 was too intense? What if it was too dark for kids to enjoy?

Me being the animated movie lover that I am … I didn’t even stop to think about the children when I first watched the trailer! Lol Cause despite being a mother of a 7 year old girl who LOVES all things Frozen, as far as I was concerned, this wasn’t for them!

This new, intense sequel was clearly for us older folk. Whether you were too skeptical to watch the first because you don’t have kids and thought it wasn’t gonna live up to your “standards”, you fake ass wanna be rotten tomatoes critic. Lol Or whether you watched the first because of your kids and needed a real reason to endure the pain of the second film, knowing that it would drain your pockets within seconds of it’s release. Lol

Frozen 2 was gonna be for US! Not for these damn ass kids! Lol But I guess the worried parents have a point! Sigh. Would this be too dark for our kids to enjoy? So before I tell you what I honestly think about this film, here’s what Kristen Bell had to say when my awesome friend Rachel (from Pretty in Baby Food) asked if Frozen 2 was darker on purpose, and if it was made for older kids.

Should Kids Watch Darker Films?

Kristen Bell seems to think so!

Okay, not seems … she straight up said that, “we don’t give kids enough credit for their ability to digest complex situations and trauma and struggle.”

Oh and she also said that, “it’s great for kids to be a little bit on the edge of their seats because it’s a safe environment to try on those emotions”.

Do I Agree With Kristen Bell?

Hell yeah I agree! As someone who’s always criticized for allowing my 7 year old to do things she “shouldn’t be doing”, like making decisions on her own, I firmly agree that kids should watch darker films! Kristen is absolutely, 100% right!

We DON’T give kids enough credit! The fact that parents think they should lie to their kids in order to “save them the pain” means they don’t understand how much kids can withstand. I, personally don’t lie to my kid, about anything! I’m not pretending to keep her drawings and then throwing them in the trash when she’s asleep, I’m not telling her the Tooth Fairy is real, when it’s not.

I just can’t! If there’s anything I’ve learned from working with kids it’s that they are way more in-tune to what’s going on around them than we think. They know when mom and dad are fighting and are on the brink of splitting. They deal with bullies, and poverty, and homelessness, and domestic violence, and it’s a shame that we would think that our kids can’t handle a movie that’s not happy go lucky. As if somehow seeing what they may see in real life, on a big screen, is going to damage them.

When in reality, as Kristen mentions, it honestly just gives kids a chance to really understand the emotions behind something. Seeing something on TV or on a big screen allows kids to ask questions comfortably, because they’re asking about what they saw, not about what happened to a friend. It’s less intimidating to ask about what was seen on a screen, than what happened in real life.

So in all honesty, I think kids would benefit from seeing darker films, if they can talk about it afterwards. It can potentially prepare them for the real world, and with the way things are going these days, maybe it’s better we prepare them by showing them complex situations via family friendly films, as opposed to seeing it play out live on the news or in their neighborhoods.

Click here to read my full review of Frozen 2.

About Frozen 2

Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she’ll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey. In “Frozen,” Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. In “Frozen 2,” she must hope they are enough. From the Academy Award®- winning team—directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, producer Peter Del Vecho and songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez—and featuring the voices of Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen 2” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2019.