Dear Disney

Dear Disney and Pixar,

I'm sure you have panels upon panels of focus groups that tell you all about what kinds of movies children will like and how they will respond to them. But, I feel you may have been led astray, so I would like to take a moment to remind you.

There are little boys out there, especially 4 year olds, who have lived and breathed Cars for two years. These boys adore their beloved Lightning and his friends. They carry their Cars everywhere, they wear Cars shirts, pajamas and underwear. These same boys have Lightning McQueen decor in their room and usually go to bed cuddling up with the characters.

These young preschoolers waited patiently for the Cars 2 gear to come out and even chose their new favorite character before seeing the movie.

There are even little boys who waited for Cars 2 to see their first movie in a theater. I know that these boys saved the day for a special occasion, like their birthday. These almost 4 year olds, would be surrounded by people who love them and were excited for their big day - grandparents giving them new shirts to wear, neighbors giving them popcorn boxes and candy to bring, and parents as excited as their sons were to have the special experience.

Disney and Pixar, maybe you don't realize but little boys would have waited for weeks, and or months, for their big night out. Their parents would have booked a babysitter weeks in advance, psyched the boys up for the big day and even taken them for a special "Big Boy" pizza dinner before the movie.

Little boys, while anxious to see their favorite Cars, would have also taken in the whole experience of the movie - the ticket box, the concession stand and even hunting for the theater.

After finding their seats, little boys would have been waiting patiently through the overly inappropriate previews, gripped their parents hands as the lights went down and held their breath as the CARS 2 symbol went on the screen.

Now, imagine if these same little boys were sensitive. Imagine if the only movie they have EVER loved was Cars. Imagine if they had never allowed their mother to turn on a movie with a villain, an angry character or even negative undertones.

I can assure you that these boys would not understand why cars were trying to hurt each other. They would not understand why a car was blown up, why one was thrown over a boat and shown broken into pieces or why another car was destroyed. I am also quite confident that these boys would have never heard the word "kill" up until the movie.

I know that little boys would have cried and been heartbroken by 10 minutes into the movie and no matter how much they were comforted by their parents, they needed to leave. Innocent little boys would cry the whole ride home. They would feel betrayed by the cars, by their parents and by the whole event.

I am sure that most parents of young children would be shocked to find out that this movie was rated "G". I am sure that many families would feel betrayed by Disney, Pixar and Lassiter for turning a sweet, innocent movie into just like everything else - violent and inappropriate for young children.

One more guarantee - Walt Disney rolling over in his grave. Shame on you.