Let Me Be Good To You!

There are a lot of threads based on the "corruption" of Disney and the influence it has on young children. I've read through most of them and agree that responsible parenting is the bigger issue. With that said, I'm sure there are still many people who don't sit their children in front of the television as a form of neglect, but to reward them for good behaviour or to give them a treat.

Disney movies seem like the most suitable form of viewing for obvious reasons. However, I'm surprised that nobody has ever mentioned the movie Basil, The Great Mouse Detective.

There is a song-and-dance scene near the end in which Basil and his companion are in a seedy bar. Several acts get booed off the stage by the male audience until a pretty young mouse steps into the spotlight. The rowdy behaviour comes to a complete halt as all eyes are glued on her as she sings in a seemingly sweet manner.

"Dearest men, dear gentlemen. Listen to my song. Life down here's been hard for you. Life has made you strong. Let me lift the mood with my attitude.."

It all seems innocent enough as the music becomes more bouncy, as do the lyrics.

"Hey, fellas. The time is right. Get ready. Tonight's the night! Boys, what you're hoping for will come true. Let me be good to you.."

Wait a minute! That's a little on the suggestive side, don't you think?

"You tough guys. You're feeling all alone. You rough guys. The best of you sailors and bums. All of my chums!"

The attention moves away briefly from the act. Basil notices the bartender spiking a couple of drinks. Considering the suggestive content of the lyrics and what's to come.. Date rape, anyone?

"So, dream on and drink your beer. Get cozy. Your baby's here! You won't be misunderstood. Let me be good to you!"

The pretty little mouse disappears behind the stage curtains as the music amplifies further. The curtains then open to reveal her in a slightly more revealing outfit. A couple of dancers accompany her.

"Hey, fellas. I'll take off all my blues!"

What the..? She suddenly strips off her skirt to reveal a skimpy leotard outfit to the delight of the audience. I think she meant "taking off my clothes". When I was younger, that's the connection I made. Since when do people take off their blues? They rid themselves of their blues.. The context is all muddled. Oh, and one of the audience members is being held back as his tongue wags and his hands reach forward in a desperate groping motion.

"Hey, fellas. There's nothing I won't do just for you!"

What's the reaction of the skimpy lady when she spots the bulging eyes of her admirer? She wiggles her backside in his face! The spiked drinks from earlier are brought over to Basil's table. He tries to warn his friend, but he's too late. Dawson, now in a stupor, proceeds to lift his eyepatch for a better look at whatever is happening on stage and cheers. The lyrics continue in the background of the scene.

"So, dream on and drink your beer. Get cozy. Your baby's here! Hey, boys. I'm talking to you!"

Dawson is now up on the stage with the performers. Keep in mind, his character throughout the film is a reserved and intelligent one. An old-fashioned gentleman. I find that the message being conveyed is that spiked drinks allow you to let go of your inhibitions and "have fun".

"Your baby's gonna come through! Let me be good to you!"

Viewed by adults with a better understanding, this scene seems harmless and amusing. However, considering this is a children's cartoon with a G rating, I find it to be inappropriate. As a child, I personally found this scene confusing. It basically teaches children, especially young girls, that being submissive and desired is perfectly natural and normal.

Would you let your child, especially a young girl, watch this?

Let Me Be Good To You!

There's the YouTube link for the complete scene.

I'm interested in your thoughts on this particular scene only. Oh, and if you know of any other complete scenes from Disney movies that seem off, feel free to post!

This is not a discussion on a single frame subliminal image or message.

The movie got warm reviews from critics and i have read many reviews, and they all love the movie.

I dont see anything wrong with that scene. They are probably just beeing true to the books as it was based on the book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus.



When the setting is London 1897, you get what you ask for. I dont wanna get into another discussion here, but i think there`s a reason why kids now a days are wimpy, compared to when our parents or grand parents grew up.

Have you watched tv for children nowadays? Its just happy happy joy, flowers and songs. And they are so spoiled and overpotected. Some of the programs are realy trippy, like the producers were on drugs when they made it. I mean, they must get messed up watching some of todays programs. This cartoon seems to show things like they are, instead of taking away all the things that are "bad" and pretending they dont exist. Boy oh boy are kids today gonna get a shock when they discover how the world realy is. Can`t go crying to mom all their life



Childrens TV:
www.youtube.com...

They just go to far into the realm of fantasy... its quite creepy. No I`d rather see that basil movie. PS: You know its over when the discovery channel censors sexual organs of animals mating.



Now this is good tv:
www.youtube.com...

And this is so wrong:
www.youtube.com...

Of course the movie is going to get warm and fuzzy reviews. It's a Disney movie we're talking about!

I suppose there is nothing wrong with it compared to the entertainment standards of today. It's normal and almost acceptable to see and allow children to watch music clips with half-naked women grinding against rappers, etc..

I'm only 22-years-old and I don't have children, so I'm not speaking in a parental role. I first watched that scene over 10 years ago or so, and I must admit that it had a negative impact on me. I guess it's safer to assume that things in the media were a lot more toned down in the early 1990's, and my parents censored a lot of my viewing.

With that said, I still feel that children who are not permitted to view mature content may find such a scene confusing and misleading. If they are constantly being subjected to inappropriate material then they are merely desensitized.

I understand that it is more destructive to shelter children from reality, but I must insist that it is unfair to force it onto them. They should learn from experience and education. Not from a cartoon, which is meant to engage their visual and imaginary senses.

If children must be exposed to such content in cartoons, it should at least be done in a carefully considered manner. Let them be children when they are children. They are more than likely to become sexualized once they hit high school. Why take away their innocence earlier than needed?

And LMAO @ the YouTube links. That show screens here on weekdays, haha. I just don't know what to think of it anymore..

I have no problem with my little girl seeing stuff like that Basil movie. Looks cute.

Of course she is going to fall in love with every pretty cartoon girl she sees. I can't speak for every parent, afterall some moms seem to think that Sponge Bob will turn their children gay... They would be very upset, my little one seems to watch it every chance she gets.

Oh, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the overall story. It's actually a very sweet movie with valuable moral lessons.

I guess the real issue I'm concerned about is whether influential scenes in animations can be regarded as completely harmless. Disney is known to produce "wholesome" viewing for children. Just how wholesome is a burlesque (although tame) performance under the G rating? It should at least be classified as PG because there are many parents who sit their children in front of the television without supervision assuming the content is suitable because of the rating.

Children are impressionable. They like to mimic the characters they see, especially if they admire them. I'm not saying children will hop up onto the dining room table and strip their clothing off! I'm just saying that they need guidance when they see something "new".

And I hate that damn sponge! The damn flute thing he does with his nose at the beginning of each show really annoyed me, haha.

How is this different from Pepe LePu? Or some of bugs' romantic endeavors? Turned out ok. LOL

Warner Bros. has a reputation for producing violent and sexually explicit cartoons. Please note that I use both descriptive terms VERY loosely.

Disney is supposed to be wholesome.

I remember when i was a kid probably in 3rd grade, i watched everything. My dad even took me to the video-store so i could rent robocop 2.

I was up late in weekends to watch the cool movies that came on at night, and some times porn came on...

Me and the boys were often out causing mischief, we cursed like there was no tomorrow, (but only among us guys), and we tried smoking. We had a selfmade little hut which we had some old nudie magazines and posters on the walls.



I didnt turn out to be bad or anything, in fact i turned out quite normal. And i have no doubt that if i had been protected from everything, and just been shown flowers and happy happy world stuff, i would have been more screwed up than by watching the things i have.

ED 209:
www.youtube.com...

Robocop:
www.youtube.com...

Loved the way they made the blood blow out of the actors. Ok so these scenes were maybe a bit scary to watch as a kid.. but we all new it was cool, so we didnt care :p

reply to post by Pandapple


I don't see a thing wrong with this scene and I would let my kids watch it. Physical attraction between men and women is a perfectly natural part of life. I am more concerned that someone interprets this scene as inappropriate.

Betty Boop never ruined anyone.

I have an older brother, so I watched my fair share of violent and bloody action flicks. Robocop was/is awesome!

I guess my reservations come from my own childhood. Perhaps the views I am expressing are too strong, but I still find something troubling about that particular scene.

We're all entitled to our own personal opinions, I suppose.

I'm more put off by the spiking of the drinks by the bartender than the coquettish mouselette. As a boy, the depiction of female superheroes, cartoon & other comic characters as being voluptous was part o' the good stuff. I don't think it did me any harm. We have no kids, so I can't hypothesize whether I'd allow them to view this.

I guess the concern itself is directed mainly to little girls, not little boys. As mentioned above, little girls tend to "fall in love" with pretty female characters. They especially admire pretty female characters singing and dancing!

The song lyrics in this particular scene aren't incredibly worrying, but I still wouldn't like my daughter (if I had one) to repeat them out loud..

Oh, and when the mouse strips off her garments and declares that she'll "take off" her "blues", I couldn't help but notice that her clothing is blue.