In December of last year, Chris Klimek wrote an interesting feature for The Dissolve which explored the birth and subsequent ubiquitousness of the PG-13 rating. What started as merely a way for Steven Spielberg to make slightly edgy blockbuster fare without his movies getting an “R” branding has turned into the go-to rating for basically all blockbuster/action films released by major studios. This is because of the weirdly negligent way the MPAA judges violence, despite their prudish sensitivity towards sex and foul language.
In short, Klimek’s article is pretty depressing if you’re a movie fan. Luckily, if you’ve been looking to hear more about the history of the PG-13 rating without getting completely bummed out, you can check out this cute little animated short which acts as a companion piece to the article. The animation lays out the issues of the PG-13 rating in a clear manner, but also finds clever ways to add some texture and visual demonstrations to the argument. In the...
