Home

By Makhala Huggins, Meghan Price & Molly O' Reilly

“Home” illustrates what happens when the worlds of two misfits collide. Young viewers can learn a lot from watching Oh, a vibrant “Boov” from planet Smek, and Tip, an extremely strong-willed and courageous girl from Earth. The unlikely pair meet when the Boov take to Earth for safety from their enemy, the Gorg. Unfortunately, Oh accidentally discloses their new location to the Gorg, putting the Boov in jeopardy. This amplifies the Boov’s dislike for Oh and prompts them to go after him. While on the run from his own kind, Oh bumps into Tip, who was separated from her mother during the abduction. Oh promises to help Tip on her quest to reunite with her mom, and their journey together produces moments that are sure to stimulate the minds of young viewers.

Parents can take solace in knowing that “Home” delivers impactful lessons and demonstrations that can benefit their children. Perhaps the biggest lesson that can be taken from this film is the fact that it’s okay to be yourself despite what others might think. Both Oh and Tip are portrayed as characters that struggle with fitting in within their communities, but through their new found friendship, they learn that being unique is okay, and although it may not seem like it at first, there are other people in this world that will appreciate your uniqueness. Another important lesson

revealed toward the end of Oh and Tip’s journey is that everyone makes mistakes, and they should be taken as an opportunity to learn and grow as a person. These lessons are important for growing children to embrace because as we get older, we all inevitably face moments of feeling like we don’t fit in or fearing that we’ll be looked down upon based on the mistakes we make. Exposing and explaining these concepts to your child early can better prepare them for similar situations in the future.
Besides the overall lessons showcased in this film, there are also scenes that can promote learning moments for children. Children can strengthen their sense of emotional understanding by watching “Home”. Within this film, there are several scenes that showcase the use of emotion. One of

the first examples introduced was the fact that Boov change color when they feel a specific emotion. In one scene, Captain Smek was explaining to the rest of the Boov that they were going to be moving to Earth. This excited Oh in particular, and as he jumped with joy, his skin turned orange. However, while he was celebrating, the Boov standing next to him became annoyed by his happiness, and as Oh accidentally bumped into her, she turned red. This aspect of the movie can help younger children in particular identify specific emotions, and can help them understand the context or the reason why those particular emotions are being displayed, which can then be translated  and used in their own lives.
Parents should be aware that despite many positive learning opportunities, “Home” includes scenes that can elicit negative emotions and fear reactions from children as well. For example, further into the movie, Tip flashes back to the moment when she is separated from her mom. This scene could be more detrimental toward older children age seven and up, since this age range tends to process media more conceptually, meaning that they are more concerned with realistic harm and threats that can actually happen in real life. If a child who processed conceptually sees this scene, they will probably begin to think about the chance of being separated from their parent, which will induce negative emotions and fear.

There are also various scenes that display violence that can negatively impact a young viewer. One scene that can induce significant fear in young viewers is the scene where Oh is perceived to be crushed by the Gorg’s ship when it couldn’t slow down in time. In addition to this, there were several moments where characters were in situations where they could’ve been harmed or killed, but they all turned out to be alright. The unrealistic outcomes of characters put in harm’s way can be misleading. Children younger than seven have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy, so scenes like these can cause them to become desensitized and to believe that if the characters they’re watching are indestructible, they can be too.

Processing media can be very complicated for children, especially in more complex forms like children’s movies like “Home”, so it is critical for adults utilize the concept of parental mediation. While “Home” can teach young children important lessons about how to think about and cope with their emotions, it is important to recognize that the film aims to appeal to children and young people of other ages as well, and it can always be beneficial for parental mediators to co-view and clarify important issues regarding plot sequencing, violence, and fear in children’s films.