Re. the letter “Kill ‘Lio'” (July 27): I am not sure how old the writer of that letter is, but hopefully, he is old enough to remember cartoons from the '40s and ‘50s.
Raise your hands if you are old enough to remember the 1942 Disney movie “Bambi.” Now raise your hands if you thought it was a happy movie.
If you remember, Bambi's mom was shot by a hunter. Not funny, yet that movie won three Academy Awards.
Now raise your hands if you remember The Three Stooges, who were popular from 1930 until 1975. That was sick comedy at its best.
What about Wile E. Coyote's unrelenting pursuit of poor Road Runner, with the end result being very bad for the coyote? Whom were you rooting for, Road Runner or Coyote?
Let's move on to Cinderella —– probably the first person on the big screen to be bullied by her three ugly stepsisters. Sleeping Beauty was poisoned.
A young man is forced to shoot his own dog in “Old Yeller.” Tell me that's not twisted.
And thanks to cable TV and the Internet, all of these “classics” have been seen by younger generations.
I think Walt Disney was a very strange individual, given that just about every movie or cartoon he created had some element dealing with extreme sadness or death. Yet there probably isn't a person who wouldn't label him a genius.
Look at any cartoon and you'll probably find some sort of sick humor. I honestly think Mark Tatulli's cartoon “Lio” is not that bad; I read it daily and like it. I think we just have to put cartoons and movies into perspective and accept them for what they are — entertainment.
If the letter writer really wants to see sick and disgusting, he can just watch the daily news. That makes “Lio” appear tame at best.
Chris Schubert
Lower Burrell
