Published: April 16, 2009 11:10 am      

CRIB NOTES: Children’s toons can make parents a bit loony

Aside from the many obvious perks, parenthood has recently given this dear ol’ dad an unexpected side benefit.

If I ever decide to change careers, I am now more than qualified should someone be in pursuit of an animation historian.

The recent months have seen me go on a diatribe about why the creators of “The Backyardigans” don’t give Austin bigger roles, rail on the “Sesame Street” singers and engage in an intellectual discussion with my wife about the artistic merits of “Beauty and the Beast.”

As Penny’s intelligence continues to blossom, we’ve been forced to curb our normal viewing habits in favor of kid-friendly fare (which means tuning out “Family Guy,” which she loves but contains language that’s a bit too coarse for someone who likes to repeat the last word of whatever you just said).

That means the days at the Lane household are filled with DVD after DVD of youth-oriented programming (”The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” though, are tame enough for us to keep on and allow for a critical bit of sanity).

Whereas Penny had a short list of favorites a few months ago, her horizons have been expanded of late to include Disney movies — all of which, in her 21-month-old mind, star “Rella,” which translates to “Cinderella.”

This isn’t all bad by any means. I never really watched Disney films growing up, so I was ignorant on the movies aside from what I’d seen on the rides at Walt Disney World and played in the high school band. Sure, they’re cartoons, but some of them are actually pretty good.

Thankfully, Penny also counts Shrek among her favorite characters, which allows us to watch his film trilogy on a regular basis. Shrek and Donkey are the kind of characters that are funny even on the 20th viewing (I can personally attest to this), and the films are crafted with that child/parent hybrid style of writing for which I’ve grown quite an appreciation all of a sudden.

But, having a 1-year-old’s attention span and all, many movies don’t get to be completely screened before Penny requests the next show (an event during which you pray she doesn’t ask for one of her Elmo DVDs). Indeed, as many times as I’ve watched “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” with her, I haven’t actually seen the movie yet from beginning to end.

Not that I lack for chances, though. Penny insists on having her programming on the television from the instant she wakes up, banging on the TV screen before she does anything else in the morning and calling for one of her shows.

The funniest part is that she spends at least half her day doing something else. She just likes hearing her program in the background, sort of like those doplhin song CDs (or, perhaps, she has a benevolent interest in keeping Rigby entertained because he can’t play with her yet). But whether she’s driving her princess car in the adjoining computer room or eating her macaroni and cheese in the dining room, Penny rests easier hearing “Beast” and “Abby” conversing.

I know I’ve been watching these toons too many times because I’ve started poking holes in the logic of some of them (like when Magic Mirror tells Lord Farquaad that he can become king by marrying Princess Fiona; um, that would make him a PRINCE).

But making sense isn’t the point of these programs, entertainment is. And in that regard, they’ve given just about every day in our house a happy ending.

Contact editor Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116,or paul.lane@gnnewspaper.com.