By Karen Gieseke
Synod Children, Youth, & Family Ministry Coordinator
PIXAR movies are created for kids of all ages, adult kids too. Whether a fan of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, or Cars, each story brings to life the characters as they struggle with everyday challenges, and approach choices with virtue and moral character. These movies create an opportunity for entertainment in community, with meaningful conversation during and after, inviting the viewer to use “stories” to understand God’s desire for our Christian lives.
The book begins by exploring virtue, wisdom, hope and imagination, and God’s word on these topics. From there, the book addresses a chapter on each of the ten PIXAR films, offering a brief synopsis and unpacking the content relevant to Scripture and God’s story in our lives, and concludes with 4-6 discussion questions. The questions weave together the characters, scripture, values, our life, and an invitation to respond in one’s own life.
A “user-friendly” addition to the book is included at the end, where each movie plot is summarized and a movie discussion is provided. Additionally, PIXAR films are known for their Short Films at the beginning of each feature film. These short films are also summarized at the end of the book, including a brief reflection point on the message of the short film. A personal favorite is titled For the Birds and can be seen prior to the Monsters, Inc. movie. The lesson in this short film, “don’t make fun of those who are different from you.”
The author writes in the opening chapter, “…films do tell stories, and in the process of telling stories, they present ideas. As Western culture continues to shift from a ‘Have you read…?’ perspective to a ‘Have you seen…?’ framework, the influence of films increases exponentially.” This book offers a great resource to engage in faithful conversations as families experience the “Have you seen…?” culture. Whether the book and its questions are used in a ministry setting, offered through a congregation’s library, or somehow shared through other communication avenues, the films stories create an opportunity for God’s creativity and activity in the world, and our response as God’s children.