Kid Flicks--Something for Everyone
by Christine WellsAs a busy person, mother of two small but boisterous boys and writer (is there ever enough time to write?) I don't have time to watch television any more. Basically, the only time I sit down in front of the box is to watch DVDs with my children.
Animated films come a long way since I was a child in terms of technology, but at heart, that brilliant, emotion-grabbing core story is still there.
I remember vividly my parents taking me to see The Jungle Book and Bambi, both pretty scary movies in their way. Back then, the films were cartoons rather than the 3 dimensional-looking Pixar Productions of today, but the stories still captured our imaginations. They were big stories, full of emotion, death and disaster, and love. If you weren't scared out of your wits at some point and hiding your eyes from the yucky lovey dovey bits at another, the movie hadn't done its job.
My parents always used to try to pick what actors did what voices, a thing I find myself doing now, to my own children's bewilderment. I love the way the faces of animals and other creatures in animated movies are often a caricature of the actors themselves. Not that this matters to the children. But it adds a lot to adult enjoyment, as do some of the rather risque double entendres and the sophisticatedly witty lines the characters often surprise us with.
Nowadays, there are some quotes from Shrek that have made their way into family lore. Finding Nemo, Ice Age, Toy Story, Madagascar. They go in and out of fashion, but we love them all.
Our latest acquisition is WALL-E, the robot who is the only form of 'life' left on earth, cleaning up all the rubbish we humans left behind when we vacated it 700 years before. I can't imagine Disney choosing a subject like this in ye olden days when I was a child, but the lonely robot's poignant search for love makes this a movie everyone should see.
Ah, but I'm a romance writer and the stories that touch me the most are great romances. My favourite animated film would have to be that classic tale of love, Beauty and the Beast. What's yours?
Peter Pan was always my favorite. Marry Poppins has some animation in it and that was also one of my favs. Ratatouille is awesome. I have so many really. Little Mermaid and of course Beauty and the Beast.
ReplyDeleteMy early favorite as a child was Lady and The Tramp. Ah, the romance. I loved 101 Dalmations, Peter Pan, and of course the Aristocats. *smile*
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing WALL-E. Last December for my birthday movie, we went to see Bolt. I loved this movie!!
Thanks for reminding me of how much I love animated flicks. Yay!
Smiles,
Chiron O'Keefe
www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com
Hi Murissa, thanks for commenting! I haven't seen Ratatouille. I must try that one! Oh, yes, I loved Peter Pan, too!
ReplyDeleteChiron, I had a Disney book with the Aristocats story in it and I loved it to death. Thanks for reminding me about that one.
ReplyDeleteDisney's Sleeping Beauty was and is my animated romance favorite. I loved the prince chained to the wall even at an age when that shouldn't have attracted me!
ReplyDeleteAh - so many favourites - but in recent years it has to be Shrek 1 and 2 - both were so well done and I love how they incorporated references from fairy tale lore into the stories - both in characters and themes. Oh - and I just watched The Jungle Book (again!) with my two young nephews - they love it! We all get up and sing and dance during "Bare Necessities";D
ReplyDeleteLoved Beauty and The Beast. My boys think it's too girly for them so it remains there as a chick flick for me, lol!
ReplyDeleteKnow what you mean about the actors resembling the animated characters, and it's true that it's fun to try to recognise the voices.
Some of my faves in animated stuff is Monsters Inc, Ratatouille, Madagascar 1&2, Meet The Robinsons, Flushed Away.
Dunno if Wallace and Gromit fall under here but they're a riot too.
Hugs
Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn)