Nothing like a traumatic intergalactic experience to tighten the bond between mother and child. Disney's Mars Needs Moms is --wait for it-- Gribbletastic! This movie hits home for this blog because even as the premise is all about children learning to appreciate their moms, the deeper message is all about parenting.
Metaphors flew everywhere!
The mommy Martians who had to design nannybots to discipline their little Martian kids because they have absolutely no time to do so stereotypes the human career woman mom who can't be bothered with parenting that she has to hire a babysitter.
When the Martian moms decided that the Martian dads did nothing but goof around and so had them all banished typifies the idea that men don't ever grow up. Ok, maybe some don't. But the movie also showed that it was the dads who connected better with their kids because of this. The banishment is the Martian's over-the-top way of divorce.
The old, prune-skinned Martian dame of a supervisor represents good ol' mother-in-law who would do anything to get in the middle of her daughter's marriage and gingerly poke her gnarly fingers into the disciplinary process of her grandchildren.
In the end, Mars Needs Moms, although billeted as a kids' movie, is a parents' movie as well. It's a wake up call. Do great with your parenting and... and you won't have to kidnap a parent from another planet to do it for you. Haha! Or... or, do great with your parenting, earn the envy of your extraterrestrial peers, win a free trip to outer space, plus, a laser treatment! Woohoo!
No, seriously. Do great with your parenting as a unit of mother and father... and have a happy family. The end. Simple. But like I said, it hits home.
Wonderfully crafted from messages to images, Mars Needs Moms is a must-see for the whole brood.
"Prrrr...Tuk!"
(That's 'Awesome!' in Mars-speak. Look it up.)
