Gordy Parent Guide

Talking pigs are big in Hollywood these days, but Gordy gets the nod for beating Babe, the other big pig movie, to the video racks, and that’s where movies like these stand to rake in the biggest claim.

Viewing Gordy is much like reading a children’s story. Everything is so simple. The script is as straightforward as you could ask for and even the cinematography of this movie looks like a grade two field trip. Gordy’s farm has a perfect blue sky, a big red barn, and green grass. I don’t know if this technique was done deliberately, but through this whole movie I saw a visual simplicity that is difficult to describe in words.

Enough artsy talk. The bottom line here is that Gordy is a children’s movie and will have little appeal for older children or adults. However, as I suggest with most movies, I would strongly encourage parents to watch this movie with their children. There are many funny moments that most children will find amusing, but at the same time Gordy uses many of the same old tired techniques to keep children glued to the screen.

One of the most popular “hooks” in a children’s movie is to kill off or remove the parents at the beginning of the movie and then have the orphaned child spend the rest of the movie finding his family again. This is the very basis of Gordy, and some children may be disturbed by the opening scenes when his parents are taken “up north.” The happy ending (no surprises here) is preceded by another scene that may frighten small children, as Gordy’s mother and siblings are led into a sausage factory where a man awaits with a knife in a dark room.

Yet, as Gordy sets out to better the world for pigs and people, he gives kids an entertaining adventure where innocence makes up for what may be missing in substance. If you are looking for something new to show to your children, Gordy may be the perfect opportunity to bring home the bacon.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.