Posted on 07/06/2006 7:13:58 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Believes 'Cars' Gives Kids The Wrong Message About Racing Trains
(CBS) -- Is Disney's hit movie "Cars" spinning its wheels when it comes to safety?
CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports on the fight to put the brakes on a scene in the blockbuster animated picture about a fast talking rookie racer named Lightning McQueen.
"As I'm sitting there, I couldn't believe it because this is a red car. My daughter was killed in a red car," said Lanny Wilson with the DuPage Railroad Safety Council.
His 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, was killed in a collision 12 years ago when her brother chose to race a train and lost. It was a split-second decision that forever changed his family.
"I don't want this kind of nightmare, this kind of tragedy to happen to other families, especially if we can do something to prevent it," Wilson said.
He believes editing out the train race scene from the DVD version of the film will prevent from other young people from making fatal, split-second decisions.
The president of the Illinois State Medical Society agrees and wants the scene cut from future versions of the film.
"You give children that kind of a message: It cool, it is good to try to go and beat a train. It is the wrong message," Dr. Peter Eupierre said.
In a statement, Disney officials say: "Lightning McQueen's poor judgment in outrunning the train reveals his reckless and thoughtless behavior and is certainly not glorified."
Officials won't say if they're considering editing out the controversial scene.
Until they do, Wilson vows to continue to fight in Lauren's name.
"You never get over it. You just cope and try to go on," he said.
I kind of agree, as long as this isn't just preaching from some government jerk or a political group like MADD.
We certainly don't want any 8 year olds trying to beat the train when they're driving.
Obviously, Disney owes this man a lot of money.
Get over it.
If you were to ever see the video taken from the engine of a train as it bears down on a car at a railroad crossing, you would side with this father. It takes more than a mile to stop a moving train. Those engineers have to live with what happens to the people in those cars, too. The scene should never have made it to the final cut in that movie.
I'm furiously trying to calculate the cost of painting my truck compared to any potential lawsuits I might incur if Mr Wilson finds out I drive a red truck.
Animated ones that talk, at that.
As my mother used to say: "Oh my aching back!"
Dag gum!
I can't BELIEVE Disney showed Lightning Mcqueen pulling a road surfacer... My Uncle Elmer DIED pulling a road surfacer! How could they be so insensitive? /s
It's worse than I realized at first. Not only do I have a red truck I live on (gulp) Railroad street. Maybe I can sue the township for their negligence in naming a street "Railroad st"?
That's what I thought at first too, but what he actually wants excised from the movie is the "race the train" scene, as that is how his kid died.
Having said that though, I think this is a bit ridiculous. If anyone is going to see a cartoon car race a train and decide that is a greenlight ofr them to do the asme in real life, then there's some pretty serious issues there, far more than can be blamed on a movie.
I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, and as far as I recollect, I've never had the urge to jump a river because I was in a hurry.
Oh, crap. I've got a Dreaded Red Deathmobile out in my garage right now! It's only 15 feet from where I'm sitting!! Maybe I can *gently* push it outside before it goes off!!!
If it was blue, or even maroon, we could let it slide. But red? No, kids need to be protected from seeing red cars.
Maybe they should replace the red car in the movie with a hybrid painted an environmentally friendly green.
"Get over it."
You don't get over the loss of a child.
I'm amazed I even have to say that.
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