Graphic Gunshot on PG-rated Once Upon a Time

The Disney fantasy series features a gory killing. ABC’s Once Upon a Time is a TV program based Disney’s classic fairytale movies and characters. The fantasy series is rated TV-PG, acceptable for children under 14. But the October 27^th episode featured an ultra-graphic violence totally inappropriate for children. In the scene, Alice in Wonderland points a gun at a man she believes to be Rumpelstiltskin. After an argument, Alice shoots him at point-blank range. “Rumpelstiltskin” falls, with blood gushing out and pooling beneath him. In our recent study “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore:” Fantasy-Themed Prime-Time Broadcast Programming Unsafe for Children, the PTC pointed out the growing trend on towards more explicit violence, sex, and language on shows based on fantasy concepts attractive to children. At the time of that study, Once Upon a Time was one of the less graphic programs analyzed. But now, apparently those running the Disney-themed fantasy show feel the need to increase graphic content to the level of Grimm or Sleepy Hollow.