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This was an email I received from the Executive Director of our Adoption Agency. It says to feel free to share it with anyone that I feel might benefit knowing about this, so I would assume that it's ok to post the body of the email here, although I am deleting the agency's name and her name. If you would like to know who it is from or the agency, feel free to PM me. I for one don't plan on watching this one...Dear (agency name) Family,We feel that it is important to warn you about a Disney movie called "Meet the Robinsons" that is now playing in many local cinemas. The advertising for this animated feature makes it sound like a great movie for any young child, but this is misleading. Fortunately, one of our adoptive parents alerted us about the negative adoption messages in the story and the very unhappy experience she had with both of her children who were greatly disturbed by the messages conveyed in this film. As a result, I went to see the film to decide if it warranted putting out an alert to our adoptive parent community. Indeed, I thought the concerns raised were completely justified.The movie is filled with extraordinarily inappropriate messages about adoption. The basic story is about an adorable baby whose birthmother leaves him on the doorstep of an orphanage. Portrayed as loving, sweet, extremely smart and overly appealing, he spends the next 12 years of his life wanting a family and being turned down by one family after another. In all, more than 100 couples refuse to adopt him. One scene shows a prospective dad losing interest in adoption because this very smart little boy is more interested in science than sports. The prospective parents leave the disappointed child in an angry huff when he accidentally splatters them with some food from his science project. This is supposed to be funny.Since no one else wants him, the child invents a time machine in order to go back in time to find his birth mother. The "bad guy" in his time travel journey turns out to be his best buddy from childhood, once his orphanage roommate. Now an emotional wreck resulting from being left behind when the orphanage was closed and shut down, the once-cute orphan is now mean and devious. Another chuckle. Various monsters attack the child as continues his birth mother search. You get the picture! I found "Meet the Robinsons" to be both tasteless and totally insensitive regarding adoption issues. Please think very carefully before taking your child to see it, whether adopted or not. You may want to preview the movie yourself before deciding whether your child chould see it or not. At the very least, help prepare your child by letting him or her know about the adoption theme before seeing it. It is important for our children to know that orphanages no longer exist in the U.S. and that the adoption process is totally different from what is portrayed in this "pretend" movie. I will write the Disney Corporation to let them know about my concerns about their flippant way of dealing with issues that are extremely important and not funny for millions of adoptees and their families in this country and around the world.Feel free to share this message with anyone you know who you feel might benefit from knowing about this warning. (signature of Executive Director of our Adoption Agency)
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I think if you read the debates on this one, you will find that the adoptive parents who have taken their children to see this movie were very pleased with the message of adoption. I will be taking my children to see this. From what I understand, the whole moral of the story was that that through disappointments and trials, the best situation works itself out. Eventhough the main character was rejected so many times, he ended up with the right parents in the end. These were the parents that could love and accept him for who he was. Isn't this how our adoptions really are? We wait, we hit road blocks, and climb over mountains, and nothing happens when we want it too, but we end up with the perfect child for our family. As I looked around the White Swan at all the precious babies, there was not one that appealed to me more than the one in my arms. And since being placed with us, I have come to realize that I would have waited forever just for the chance to be her mom. So, I'm going to take the lead of the young adoptees who have already seen the movie, and said that "it warms my heart to see that he ends up with the perfect family in the end."
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I haven't personally seen it. I was sending along a message from my adoption agency. Keira isn't old enough yet to sit through a movie in a movie theatre, so more than anything it would be whether I should or shouldn't add this to her Disney video/dvd collection. I think I'll wait to see other opinions on it before then..after all, it will be a while before it's out on DVD.
I saw it and thought that it was touching. Clearly, this is JMO, but it brought me to tears at the beginning and the end. It is a movie that DH and I plan to buy when it comes out on DVD. I never felt that the message was a bad one -- there were many times that it showed that family are the people who love you -- and that is a message that we are giving to all our children, both bio and adopted.
HI! I took Annabelle to see it Friday. I thought it was cute. I don't get overly sensitive about anything adoption related- I guess I figure before I was "in the know" I was not smart about it- probably said wrong things, etc. The movie was cute- my daughter loved it- I guess I didn't really read much into the adoption stuff. It was a movie. It was cute. I'm surprised an agency would send out emails about this sort of thing- I guess to each his/her own. Melissa PS Didn't go to the 3d version- my daughter is only 3 1/2- and barely sits through a whole movie- let alone with glasses :-)
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My Review I hadn't been to see a regular Disney movie in ages, not since Cars and cars doesn't count because it's Pixar. It wasn't a bad movie. It actually had a very positive message about moving forward, and not focusing so much on the past that you become bitter and ruin your life. It was sad and funny at the same time. It was sad the way one of the couples didn't except Louis the way he was and instead wanted a boy who played sports. Louis was a cool kid who was smart and clever, but just needed a bit of confidence. Most of the movie was about him LEARNING confidence and how to believe in himself. It was especially nice when he met the Robinsons, who were weird and awesome and praised him when he failed, telling him that failing was a big help and that you shouldn't be afraid of it because it can help you learn and get better. I liked the way the accepted him and wanted to adopt him until they realized how bad that would be for the space time continuum and all of that jazz. This movie will probably be a bit disapointing to some people, it's just that you cannot really put the details of the triad in a movie like this which is mostly targeted at children and would have things they do not understand. I like how the woman at the orpanage told Louis that he didn't really know the whole story and that prehaps his birthmother just couldn't take care of him, and he said, he had never thought of that. I reckon it would have been depressingly difficult to track her down, and if he had met her face to face, prehaps his future as it was would have unraveled, I do not know, it is a movie, and most movies on these topics are imperfect and someone is bond to find something about them frustrating. I doubt they'd have a movie where the older child tests and initially rejects their adoptive parent's rules instead of just settling neatly into the family because the reality of things is so much more frustrating and heartrenching than movie versions. The best things about the movie were, Louis learning to believe in himself, his friend learning the importance of not harping on a past failure so much that you don't have time to live your life and the acceptence, warmth and cheerful insanity of the Robinsons. Things in real life are not that ideal, but it's a movie. Also the really small hat was so cute. And the Dinosaur. And the fact that one of the women had this HUGE TRAIN! I want a huge train, that would be so cool, and also the UFO and robot. And I am ashamed to admit the ending made my eyes get a bit wet. Also, here's a couple of unrelated but adoption themed things. Darkwing Duck and Wise Child. One deals with a single father/super hero and is available on DVD, the other deals with a Scottish Village in the past where a single mother adopts an older child and teachers her about the value of things. I like that book until the last few annoying chapters that are not annoying because the book is bad, but because of those villagers! Also, the only thing is there's a part in it that seriously creeped me out. Kids are a bit less sensitive these days, some, but man, it was a bit intense...
Huh. I saw a preview for this on some DVD or another (possibly Cars) and didn't "get" that adoption or orphanages was part of the movie at all. I'm slightly more concerned about the upcoming Iron Man movie, actually -- I stuck something about it on my blog last Friday. Bringing back an old (but not forgotten) supervillian: The Mandarin. Oh, that'll be productive....
I disagree about this movie. I took my four children to it and I did not see how this had a negative impact on adoption. The boy did not create the time machine but a machine that would let him see an image of his mothers face. In the end everything worked out and he ended up with a wonderful family and so did his friend in the orphanage. The boy who was left behind, actually stayed behind because he was upset about missing a ball in the baseball game due to not sleeping caused by the smart boy. I like this movie and my children very much enjoyed seeing this movie. This was not malicious but I guess each person has their own opinion! I am so glad our agency does not send out these types of emails but stick more to issues on actual adoption. I remember when people attached Harry Potter and also the Little Mermaid movies. Just my two cents.
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THIS MOVIE HAS A VERY POSITIVE MESSAGE REGARDING ADOPTION!!! I can't believe that anyone would have thought otherwise. I wouldn't want to give away the end but in my opinion it was a beautiful story of a boy finding his forever family. Moving forward and not looking back. I took my son and he loved it. I also plan to buy it when it comes out on DVD. Kelli Adoption completed 3/01
What an odd message for an agency to send out. I took my boys to see this movie and they absolutely loved it. It was soo funny and an awesome message of "believe in yourself!" Unfortunately, there are children in the orphanage who sit there for years and "dont beleive in themselves"..Just a great all around message. I have to disagree with the agency. But, everyone will obviously have their own opinion on it. Good luck to everyone in their journey!