Children's Movies - A Whiter Shade of Pale

When I was growing up, I played the organ.  My father always requested that I play, "far far away" but I could never find the music for that.  I had two favorite songs to play.  The first was "Isle of Capri".  It was a very difficult for me to master but I did.  I was very proud of myself.  The second favorite was "A Whiter Shade of Pale".  It was relatively easy to learn but had deep harmony with many chords so it always sounded very impressive.  Little did I know that a "white shade of pale" would become a metaphor for how I see the world.  Nothing is ever black or white, there is a lot of grey in my world.  

When I was a child, the world seemed black or white.  Fairy tales and other stories were that way.  There was a hero and a villain.  The heroes were all good and the villains were all bad.  And, everyone always lived happily ever after, meaning no stress.  

Well, children are our great teachers.  I learn a lot from my perfect grandson.  I have to tell you, being a grandma is my favorite gig.  (And, its not just cause people assume he is my son because I look too young to be a grandma, although that doesn't hurt!)  What I am really liking about being a grandma is watching the new movies with him.  The new movies are certainly a White Shade of Pale.  

One of our favorites is a movie called "Sing".  It has an all star cast and you can't watch the movie without dancing and cheering.  It is just that good.  I don't want to give too much of the plot away but it as about a down and out theatre manager who needs a hit show in order to pay his bills and for his theatre to go on.  He thinks of a singing contest with a $100,000 prize.  Only he doesn't have $100,000.  Buster Moon is also a bit of a charlatan.  He steals power from his neighbours, he takes sandwiches to a fancy restaurant where he can't afford to eat, but, he is a great heart and wants everyone to succeed.  He is not your traditional hero but we cheer for him because he is doing the best he can and he is very nice.  He keeps his aged secretary on despite her having questionable clerical skills.  In turn, she is loyal to him.  We don't quite understand their relationship but we like it.  We like the loyalty and kindness and patience and tolerance towards each other.  

There ends up to be 5 acts in the competition.  

The first act is Mike the Mouse who has the voice of Frank Sinatra and sings the best of the rat pack.  He is talented but has never got a break.  He has questionable morals and shames people when he is busking.  He cheats in cards to a bunch of bear mafia.  In an effort to get their money back, they end up destroying the theatre and exposing Koala Bear Buster Moon's lies about the prize money.  Mike doesn't want anything to do with the competition anymore, but he does end up coming back for himself to prove to the world he has talent, despite no prize money.  The mafia are still after him but in showcasing his talent, he manages to win true love who comes to his rescue.  They end up driving away but will likely always be looking over their shoulders.  Mike doesn't inspire us to cheer for him because he is not punished for his cheating but we cheer for him anyway.  After all, he was cheating cheaters.  Is that really cheating or is it a whiter shade of pale?  

The second act is Rosita.  She is a stay-at-home mom of 25 little piglets who has dreams of being a singer.  Actually, her dream is to be known for something other than being a mom and to get the attention of her husband who sees her like everyone else, just a drab mom.  She has the talent but doesn't have the "moves".  Her first challenge is finding a nanny.  Once prospective caregivers hear that the assignment is 25 kids, they hang up on her.  Her story is one about there always is a way when you have the right motivation.  She teaches us the lesson that in order for others to see you differently, you have to see yourself differently.  She is paired with Gunther.  She also wants to continue even though there is no prize money because proving something to herself is more important.  She ends up rocking it like there is no tomorrow and cheered by her children.  She also ends up being a sex-pot and worried about her husband's reaction.  Her husband reacts by giving her one of the most romantic kisses on film.  We cheer loudly.  Anyone can be anything and dreams don't have an expiry date.  Even after having 25 kids, you can still pursue your dream !!!

The third act is Ash.  This porcupine teen is part of an act with her boyfriend, but only she is chosen for the contest.  Her boyfriend is jealous and instead of encouraging of her success, finds another girlfriend.  Ash is devastated but kicks his sorry prickles to the curb.  She ends up writing her own song about not looking back and moving forward and valuing yourself enough to wait for someone who will value you.  Her anthem empowers us all !!

The fourth act is shy elephant Mina.  She has an amazing family that believes in her but she is full of stage-fright.  She ends up pursuing her dream through the back-door but manages to overcome her fear to be a true star.  Again, no matter what the obstacle, you can overcome if you persevere.  

There is also Buster's best friend, a trust-fund Sheep who doesn't do much except play video games.  He lacks motivation because he can't find anything he believes in.  It turns out, he believes in friendship and helps Buster when he is down and then he finds his passion when he is helping him.  

The final act is gorilla Johnny.  Johnny's dad is a leader of a gang who robs banks and other nefarious activities.  His dad wants him to follow in his footsteps but Johnny wants to be a singer.  Johnny's dad goes to jail because of a mistake that Johnny made.  Well, the real reason he went to jail was because he robbed banks.  He doesn't want Johnny to visit and scoffs at his dream.  When Johnny is performing on tv, the dad breaks out of jail to give Johnny his blessing, a big hug, and to tell him how proud he is.  Then, he voluntarily turns himself in.  Even though his father is a career criminal, we can't help but love this touching moment between father and son.  Just because he is a criminal, he is not all bad, it is a white shade of pale.  

Things aren't usually black and white.  There are always shades of grey in every situation.  That is what makes life interesting.  That is the basis of finding out our personal values and our own code of ethics.  It is wonderful that children are learning that there really is a whiter shade of pale.   

Also, it is still a good lesson for grandmas.