Style is hard to grasp when you’re a kid. When you consume media, you’re primarily focused on what is being said rather than how it is being said. Something has to really break with formula to make you sit back and take notice of the style.
As distinct as the style of someone like Jonathan Demme is, it’s not gonna grab some middle schooler by the eyeballs and rock their world. The first directors to catch someone’s eye are most often the really ostentatious ones like Baz Luhrmann and Terry Gilliam where style can be measured in gallons. For me it was Oliver Stone. But if you’re looking for a filmmaker that will make your child consider “style” look no further than Wes Anderson.
I get that mileage may vary for many with the work of Wes Anderson, but for a kid his aesthetic is kinda perfect: The colors are saturated, there’s lots of pop music, and even the adults act in a childish manner. Things are "off" just enough to make them aware that this isn't like an Illumination film. And for parents, Fantastic Mr. Fox can be a welcome respite from the dross we must periodically endure for our little ones.
Even if your kid is older, Wes still has you covered. For the PG-13 crowd there’s the adolescent love of Moonrise Kingdom, for the rebellious teenagers there’s the youthful (R-rated) ambition of Rushmore, and even for the older teens tentatively venturing out into a bigger world there’s Bottle Rocket. Maybe Royal Tenenbaums and the rest of the filmography can maybe wait for a Quarter Life Crisis?
I guess Tim Burton could also scratch this aesthetic itch, but if your kid becomes a super-fan you might end up having to watch Alice in Wonderland. Nobody should have to endure The Futterwacken .
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