The Willoughbys Parent Guide

Whether or not you will enjoy The Willoughbys depends entirely on your enjoyment of very dark humor. I have always enjoyed quirky films but this one goes too far for me. Frankly, I just can’t laugh at a movie that is centered around the abuse and neglect of children.

Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby (voiced by Martin Short and Jane Krakowski) are wrapped up in one another, kissing and gazing at each other constantly. Mr. Willoughby even allows his wife to use his moustache hair as yarn for her interminable knitting projects. When Mrs. Willoughby gives birth to Tim (voiced by Will Forte), the couple are appalled. The new father dumps his infant son in the hallway, berates him for his birth and tells him, “If you need love, I beg of you, find it elsewhere”. Their attitude does not change with the birth of three more children – a musical daughter named Jane (Alessia Cara) and inventive twins, both named Barnaby (Seán Cullen). The children are ignored, starved, and thrown into the coal bin whenever they disturb the adults’ romantic idyll. Not surprisingly, the children decide they would be better off without parents and figure out a plan to “craft a murderous adventure” so they can “orphan themselves”.

If the plot doesn’t give parents cause for concern, there are plenty of events in the movie that will. It is difficult to overstate the cruelty with which the Willoughby parents treat their children. Hearing a mother tell her hungry children “We eat today’s food. You eat yesterday’s food.” makes my skin crawl. Watching as the parents insist the children “get rid of” a baby found on their doorstep is also appalling. Listening to the children plead with their parents, “You don’t have to love us, but will you be our parents again?” breaks my heart. And I find it unbearably chilling when the kids come to their parents’ rescue, only to have their parents abandon them to certain death. There’s nothing funny here.

Despite the toxic parents, there are a few (very few) positive elements in the film. The Willoughby siblings love each other and have close, nurturing bonds. They are a great example of siblings working together in times of crisis – although plotting the disappearance of their parents might not be something most of us would find praiseworthy. Their love and unity makes it all the more painful when the children are separated by “Orphan Services”. This is definitely a movie that makes viewers appreciate the need all children have for stable, loving families.

There are undoubtedly viewers who will point out that I am taking this too seriously and the violence is all tongue-in-cheek. It is true that animated movies often go over the top with silly aggressive or perilous content. (We all remember the constant danger faced by Wile E. Coyote in his hilariously doomed pursuit of the Road Runner.) But most animated movies are funny despite their cartoonish violence because we know the mayhem is make believe. Sadly, The Willoughbys isn’t funny because we know that similar scenes of abuse and neglect are playing out in the real lives of children in our communities. And there’s no laughter to be found in that.