Elona of the Great Green

At first glance one may not think that there are a lot of adoption stories in films or literature created for children today, at least that was my first assumption. But, since I am the mother of a a two year old, I have had the “privilege” to watch/listen and read many such stories. As I write a story for children about adoption,  believing in yourself, fairies and the earth around us, I would like to take a look at adoption in other story telling mediums geared towards children.

So to start, Disney’s Dinosaur

I love this movie, while I felt it was a tiny bit violent for a two year old, I also felt that the Dinosaur stuff was real and that avoiding animal behavior might not be a good thing, so my daughter and I talk about Dinosaurs and their sources of food. When we watch the film together, my kiddo screams with delight when she sees “the Big Guy”….meaning the multi-teethed and evil-mean Carnitaurus who spends most of his time growling and I applaud and say “right on kiddo” for not being afraid.

What I LOVE about the movie is that it is about empathy, understanding, hope and adopted families.

A lemur family finds a baby dinosaur egg and while there is a threat that the baby will grow to become a predator one day,  they raise it as their own. And in being raised by the lemurs, the Dinosaur becomes part monkey, by cultural association with his adopted family. However, as the lemur family joins a pack of dinosaurs, they too become part dinosaur as they work together to save the heard from the Valasa Raptors and Carnitaurus that pursue them throughout their journey. When they finally reach the fertile and safe nesting ground at the end of their journey, the Lemurs, once considered “parasites” by the dinosaurs are fully included in the dinosaur heard.

What I love as a transracially adoptive parent is the idea of blending cultures, that may or may not seem deeply divided. It is this empathy, care and love shared by the common thread of “Family” that creates a bond and a blending of culture, race and heritage as my child will continue to remain part of my family and I hers as she herself has children one day and again blends more into the tapestry of our heritage.

I highly recommend all parents, but especially adoptive parents seeing Disney’s Dinosaur, released in 2000 and available on DVD.

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