The trend in family-oriented movies has been influenced based on the “norms” for the period in which they were created, much like other pop culture in our society.  The trend from two parent families to single parent families, for example, has been weaved into the story being presented to us on the silver screen.  The need for heroes/heroines as positive role models and action/adventure to add to the entertainment value has grown with the advent of current events and unrest.  Unconditional love portrayed between a child and an animal is very popular among family viewers and never fails to inspire and tug at everyone’s heartstrings.

            I found some characteristics of family oriented to be very interesting.  Our fascination with space, aliens and mythical legends gave us a series of family movies such as E.T., Star Wars and Harry and the Hendersons.  Family life goes from a nostalgic “Father knows best” theme in the movies Lassie and Stand By Me to the single parent family theme in E.T. and Milk Money.  Adventure is a definite ingredient to the family-oriented genre to stimulate interest of all family members and help them to more easily relate to the characters in the movies.  Unconditional love between a child and an animal in movies such as Flipper and Free Willy continue the tradition of portraying loyalty, unconditional love despite obstacles and tugging at the heartstrings of everyone in the family.  Action and animation are a winning combination to entertain all family members in movies such as Cars and Cars2, where automobiles take on human characteristics and interact with each other in human-like scenarios.  Comedy is a key ingredient to drawing in the audience in these films and encourages families to share laughter.

            I will, personally, not look at family oriented movies quite the same.  Family values, desires, dreams, morals and a need to believe in “something” are at the basic core of most family-oriented fare.  There are shared moments of laughter and tears, fantasy and reality, awe and fascination.  The nostalgic hope is to draw in the audience as a family to enjoy time together, much as we used to around the dinner table before we became “too busy”.