TV cartoon violence worries parents (3)

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"She did not learn positive things. She said the Gray Wolf is very stupid and gets tricked by the goats. I have to teach her that real wolves are actually very smart. That confused her. This sort of thing is common."

Professor Wu Gang at East China Normal University said that more people should create appropriate animation and films for children with social responsibility in mind. He is an expert in education and film.

"Young children are in the period of learning language, so the animations should be educational, have accurate language, and help children's psychological development," Wu said.

Liu Jian's 5-year-old son has been watching cartoons for two or three years and Liu says it's mostly fun but not particularly educational.

"Foreign animations like 'The Croods' are better. They can teach and at the same time they're still funny," Liu says.

Dai agrees with Liu. She prefers foreign animations such as "The Lion King" and "Ice Age."

Fun and educational

"These are fun for parents too. There's nothing negative. It's simple and logical and both inspirational and fun," Dai says. "A big problem with Chinese animations is that they mix too many elements of the adult world."

Another popular series with children is the comic "Boonie Bears" — about protecting a forest from logging — created by Fantawild Holdings in Shenzhen, Guangdong. The first 104 episodes were aired on CCTV in January 2012. Now there are 312 13-minute episodes.

The main characters are a logger named Vick, two bears named Briar and Bramble as well as a squirrel named Warren. The story focuses on the battle between the logger and the bears as Vick wants to cut down the trees and harm the forest. The animals try to protect their home.

The animation is very well made with vivid visual effects, but many parents say it's too violent, including many fight scenes and bad language, as when Vick the logger frequently waves a chain saw and shouts "Bad bear, I'm gonna kill you!"

Dai asserts that old Chinese animations such as "Black Cat Detective" are much better, and that's also her daughter's favorite.

"Black Cat Detective" released five episodes in 1984 and 12 in 1993. The main character is a black cat sheriff who stops villains in the forest. He is one of the most beloved cartoon figures in China.

"We don't have a choice of what to watch on TV now, but they could bring back these better-made old animations like 'Magic Brush' and 'Little Tadpoles Looking for Mummy'," Dai says.

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