The Joy In Revisiting Movies Part 3: Appreciation

 

When we watch movies or tv shows when we’re kids, we enjoy the entertainment they have to offer, whether it’s the colourful visuals, the funny character, and maybe sometimes we can feel empathy for them too. However, as we grow into teenagers or adults, we can revisit our childhood movies, and we probably gain a bigger appreciation for these movies because we can see how meaningful they are, because they have messages or relatable problems we can empathize with. It can help us understand why we might miss being little kids, because we didn’t have much to worry about, like homework and many responsibilities, some of those movies show that these things are inevitable as we grow up, but they also try to help us learn to go with it, but also provide some form of assurance and it might succeed in helping them and know that though things are hard, it will all be okay. Here are some movies that I’m sure a lot of us grew to love even more as we got older.

 

The Incredibles I find would be a good example, I saw this movie when I was a kid and I just thought the action was entertaining, the characters were really fun and it was just totally incredible!! However, as I grew up, especially as a teenager, I realized how deep and dark it could get, you got a villain who committed genocide on a bunch of superheroes, who are not only superheroes but also friends to our main characters too, talk about dark! But it doesn’t stop there, the villain actually attempts to murder Mr. Incredible aka Bob Parr’s family, by shooting missiles at their plane, and my goodness what a scene! As a kid I remember when I used to go to the Ontario Science Centre, one of the things you could do was pretend to drive a bobsled, I for some reason, used to recreate the plane scene, always shouting, “Disengage, repeat. Disengage!”, I even used to recreate it at school in the climbers, but as I became a teenager, I realized how tense this scene truly was, I mean, this is basically a death sentence for the family, Helen is trying to be a pilot and a mom at the same time, the kids are frightened, and at one point, Helen demands that her daughter put a force field around the plane, which she tries but because she’s never had to do it under pressure, she just can’t, and to make matters worse, Bob (who’s being held hostage by Syndrome) has to listen to the whole thing and is desperately begging him to call the missiles off and is even more horrified when he realizes his kids are on the plane, even Syndrome’s henchwoman is horrified too. It gets worse, once the missiles do hit the plane, while Helen and the kids manage to get out alive thanks to their indestructible suits, Bob doesn’t know that and is devastated, heck before we cut back to the family in the water, we actually hear him crying, gosh poor guy! Heck, there’s a deleted alternative scene where Snug, the guy Helen was on the phone with was originally going to fly the plane and he didn’t survive the missiles. According to Brad Bird, he wanted someone to die on the plane to show how serious the villains are and if you get in their turf or cross them, a price will be paid, Plus, he becomes more relatable as we get older, I’m sure we can all relate to missing the older days, when we didn’t have that much to worry about, and we can also understand his frustration with not being able to help others, showing while he claimed to like working alone, he really did care about the safety about the citizens, and even while he can be a bit selfish, when he puts his hero work over his family which puts himself and their lives in danger, we don’t hate him for it and by the end of 1 he is able to balance being a super and a dad, sure the superheroes are still illegal until the end of 2, but the sequel does show him trying to be a better father, helping trying to learn Dash’s homework so he can help him and more, that’s what makes The Incredibles so great for everyone to enjoy.

 

Finding Nemo is probably my favourite childhood movie, it started my fascination for sea creatures, I used to play the computer game, had plushies and more! As a kid I just enjoyed the beauty of the ocean and got a good giggle out of some parts, especially with Dory. However, as I got older, it got better. I used to be annoyed with Marlin for being an overprotective father and for being too hard on Nemo, knowing it was kind of his fault Nemo got kidnapped in the first place and I sometimes thought he was a little too mean to Dory, however, by the time Finding Dory was soon to be released, I got to revisit the movie not too long before and my feelings for Marlin got more stronger, since I have anxiety and can have emotional problems, I started to feel a lot more for him, when I saw him crying after realizing what happened to his wife and all but one of his kids, I just wanted to hug him, plus, that scene where he breaks down when he and Dory are trapped inside the whale, I just wanted to go in there and console him, I sometimes imagined sitting next to him rubbing his back, nodding gently when Dory explains why his promise to Nemo, while well meaning, isn’t a good one because it would be a boring life for Nemo, and I’d probably chuckle over Dory calling Nemo, Harpo, sometimes those moments made me think of times when I would talk to my therapist, if I was telling her about things that happened, or if I might’ve been a bit emotional and as she would listen, give me advice or even just be great, I sometimes might’ve looked up at her the way Marlin did in that moment, it’s a scene that hits harder even more.

 

The anxiety I’ve felt for years and probably still feel, is what made me love this movie a lot more, and love Marlin as a character more and if I ever do become a mother (I highly doubt it), it probably will hit me even more, than again, I might be a bit of a cat mom with my little Marly Mew, I can be sometimes a little too worrisome over her but I know she’s a great kitty and I love her so much and nothing will change that. I also enjoyed the sequel to the movie too, showing how to accept our disabilities, and see them as a strength not a weakness, and to remember that we are all capable even if it may seem impossible, which is a great message especially today.

Lilo and Stitch is a movie that a lot of kids, especially those mid to late 90s or early 2000s kids, really loved, and as they grew up, their love for it increased. As kids, they enjoyed the goofy antics with Stitch, thought Lilo was a really funny girl and some might’ve thought Nani was rude or unfair, however as they grew, their feelings probably didn’t change except for the point with Nani. Before I get into why, the story is actually quite emotional, Lilo lives with her sister Nani because their parents died in a car accident and they both are struggling emotionally. Lilo is only six years old and she deals with depression, just lying on the floor while listening to Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel and locking herself in the house, punching Mertle Edmonds for calling her crazy for wanting to feed Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich because according to her, Pudge controls the weather (let’s be honest, Mertle was asking for it) and she’s a social outcast as a result, a pretty hard thing to deal with at such a young age. As for Nani, you really grow to feel for her, she’s a young woman who had to sacrifice her dream to take care of her little sister, she’s trying too hard to find a good and steady job and is trying to do everything she can to be Lilo’s legal guardian so she won’t be taken away by social services, and it’s not easy dealing with a little girl with emotional problems and also having to take care of an out of control “dog”, the latter of which leads to her failing her interviews and eventually leading to the social worker, Cobra Bubbles having to take Lilo away. The worst part for me would have to be when Jumba and Pleakley come to the house and end up blowing it up, just when things were turning around for Nani, she had a successful interview and might have a chance of having custody, she sees the firetruck and is dismayed when it turns left, and now she had lost the only family she has left. The Nostalgia Critic even pointed out that Bubbles isn’t being malicious or spiteful towards her, he is understanding about what Nani’s doing but is trying to do what’s best for Lilo and cares about her safety. Naturally, this situation can cause the two sisters to argue and yell at each other but it doesn’t take long for them to make up and try to stick together, which makes the ending more happier when things do work out and Stitch becomes their ohana. Remember, Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

I can name something from DreamWorks that I feel got better once I got older, and that would be the Kung Fu Panda movies, as kids, we probably loved the action and seeing the animal characters, especially pandas and maybe getting to see their first ever red panda, (I remember as a kid I didn’t know what kind of animal Shifu was, and a friend of mine guessed raccoon, which is actually a great guess because they do look like raccoons) but growing up is us viewers understanding the wisdom that is spread into the movies that can help us. Oogway’s speech to Po about the present time is actually a really nice saying, I try to remember that saying if I ever feel doubtful about myself, worried about what the future can hold, and also, near the end when Mr. Ping tells Po what the true secret ingredient to his soup is, it’s nothing because he says that the only way to make something special is to believe it really is special, and that is what gets Po to understand why the Dragon Scroll was blank. When I first saw this movie at 9 years old, I didn’t fully understand what that was supposed to mean, but now as I grew up it got better, even now I still have to remember that by believing in myself I can still try to do things and they can work out, sometimes they probably won’t but it still is worth the effort, while I may have mixed feelings about Mr. Ping as a character (please don’t judge or kill me for that), I still find that line very effective and I find it to be something everyone should remember when it comes to achieving their dreams or wanting to do something great for the world or to change their lives. The second movie also does well at teaching viewers to not let the past affect you, you will find yourself in traumatizing or really hard things like losing a family member or witnessing horrifying things, that can be scarring and sometimes make it hard for you to focus or be present in life, but the important thing is to remember that the things that happened to you in the past don’t define you, it is the present that does, if you remember the great times you’ve had and are still having, you can still live a great life, who you want to be is the only important thing, that can help you grow from the trauma and not allow it to harm your life, it’s when Po remembers how he got separated from his parents and remembers the happy life he had and still does have, is what helps him overcome his trauma and achieve inner peace, so he can stop Shen and gain a bigger love and appreciation for his life, it can hit harder when we grow but it still succeeds in being effective. Plus, while I don’t think the third film is great like not buy the DVD good or rewatch a lot good, I still appreciate it especially after the fourth movie, the third movie still had a nice conclusion to Po’s story and it could actually be heartfelt. One line I like in this movie particularly is when Shifu tells Po that if he only does what he can do, he’ll never be more, that is a line I tell myself sometimes, because sometimes I can be nervous to get out of my shell, but this line can help me remember that and I sometimes found myself thinking about it whenever I did do something new or different, like when I attended a little dance leadership class at a ballet school, tried different types of yoga or exercises, when I attended a little music workshop, when I attended a poetry thing or whenever I tried to go to a different place, I recommend you stick with this line so you can remember to do more to be your best self. While it is such a shame the fourth movie is such a disappointment, these movies will never lose the love and wisdom they had to offer.

Now, even though this movie is more recent, it’s probably something that would be a bit strange for me to have seen when I was younger but since it came out at the age of 23, I instantly dug it, and the movie I’m talking about is Pixar’s Turning Red. As a girl who was born and has lived in Toronto all her life, it was so cool to be able to see Toronto on the big screen, and seeing it in 2002 was pretty cool too, I was only 3 years old at the time so I couldn’t really remember a lot of things there too well, but it was interesting to see Tamagotchis, a VCR, no iPhones and especially seeing The Skydome (which is now known as The Rogers Centre) which was a place for baseball games and concerts, now it’s mostly just for the Blue Jays to play, but there are concert halls around the area too luckily, and even an aquarium too! The thing I truly appreciate about this movie is how they subtly or maybe not so subtly talk about a certain thing that happen once girls become women. I’m sure if a lot of us saw this as teenagers or adults we probably remembered our first time we became “red pandas”. When I saw the scene when Mei turned into a red panda, it at one point took me back to that day, back when I was 12 years old, on a Friday, on Mother’s Day weekend, it started as a normal day, I woke up, had breakfast and had to get ready for school, but then when I went to use the bathroom, I saw a total mess, I tried washing up but that didn’t help and I was really scared, my dad was calling me to get ready and it took a while until I eventually confessed that I was a mess, my dad had a feeling it was happening until I said I was a mess.  Unfortunately, my mom was at work so she couldn’t help me (unlike Mei Mei, her mother was there when she believed her red peony bloomed for the first time while Jin backed away), so my dad called her to tell her, and he called the school to let them know I would be late and he got my almost 8 year old brother to school, later he took me to the drug store to buy some supplies I needed, he had me pack a few pads and a couple of extra underwear, before dropping me off at school, I didn’t say why I was late to anyone because it was so embarrassing and confusing to me, and later after school, my mom went to talk to me about what was happening and I at one point got emotional because reliving it was kind of scary, which is natural (funny thing is that almost a month later, when my dad took me and my brother to see Kung Fu Panda 2, when Po asks his adoptive father Mr. Ping where he came from and he briefly tells him not to ask where geese eggs come from, I don’t remember if I giggled or cringed at the time since it was still new for me, now I go, “Eww” or giggle) , and when Mei was emotional as her mother tried to talk to her about it, it took me back to that moment. I also have to praise Pixar to have guts for actually showing real pads, people have complained for showing that, but I actually think it’s good to show that because it’s a normal part of going from girl to woman, and it’s really nothing to be ashamed of, sure it might be messy and it is and can feel unpleasant, as a girl who’s had this happen to her for 13 years as of now all the cramps and mess, I should know but it still is something that shouldn’t be stigmatized, which I think fits into what the movie is trying to tell us, we all can have a messy or negative side, especially when we grow up, but we must embrace it or find a place for it instead of stifling or denying it, to be our true selves, if I saw this movie when I was around Mei’s age or a bit younger, I would’ve probably felt super uncomfortable because of these big changes and it was quite scary but would’ve appreciated it better once I got older, and since it came out 2 years ago, I highly praise it and hope this can stop the stigma of menstruation and show it as normal, if I ever had a daughter, I would be sure to show this movie along with maybe My Girl just to give her an idea before it happens so it won’t be as scary or unsettling as it was when it happened to me.

Now, here’s a movie you would think would be strange to be mature yet it is, and that movie would be The SpongeBob Squarepants movie from 2004, I’m sure a lot of us grew up watching this classic cartoon from Nickelodeon, we would laugh at the goofiness SpongeBob and Patrick would offer, hate Squidward’s grouchy attitude and of course crack up whenever he gets annoyed by the title character and of course, boo or hiss and Plankton whenever he tries to steal the Krabby Patty formula and so much more! However, once we get older, we would sympathize with Squidward since we all probably have felt like him as we grew older, but the movie would appeal to adults or teenagers even more. In the movie, SpongeBob is told that he’s not mature enough to be the manager of the Krusty Krabs, despite being the most loyal and hardworking employee having won so many Employee Of The Month awards, which saddens SpongeBob, but then when King Neptune’s crown gets stolen by Plankton, so he can frame Mr. Krabs and finally steal the Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and Patrick volunteer to go to Shell City to get the crown, along the way, they come across many obstacles, including an assassin, nasty thugs who would beat up “babies” that like to blow bubbles and more! When things seem to be going wrong, the boys just see themselves as nothing more than “kids” even when Mindy the mermaid tries to convince them that they are great, that’s still not enough, so she pretends to use her “mermaid magic” to turn them into men, by putting seaweed onto their faces, once Dennis, the assassin rips them off and then gets stomped on by the cyclops who captures SpongeBob and Patrick, the two are put on a heater, and when they lament that maybe they really are just kids, they soon realize they did make it to Shell City and see the crown, and they realize that they did really well for a couple goofballs. As a tear comes out from each of their eyes, they sing the Goofy Goober song as they dry out, and it looks like it’s the end for them, luckily their tears cause a power fuse, turning the sprinkler on and bringing every sea creature back to life. After David Hasselhoff helps the two get back to Bikini Bottom before Mr. Krabs is executed, and SpongeBob declares that maybe he is a kid, but he’s proud of it, and shows that he will not care if people give him a hard time for it, that’s who he is and this is what makes Mr. Krabs realize SpongeBob is more mature and capable than he gave him credit for and appoints him as manager, and that’s why this should’ve been the ending of the show. This is why it is a great movie to watch as an adult or teen, we might feel pressured to stop loving things we did as kids, while we could grow out of some things, there can be other things we like and if we love it, then we should! Stay tuned for another article in the future about a topic like this.  

We all grew up with certain movies we watched as kids and we really enjoyed the comedy, the colours and the characters we would see, especially the ones that would get a good giggle out of you, but as we get older, we understand some of the things they had to tell us a lot more, because they could be relatable, have messages that can appeal to us a lot more than ever and can help us remember things and become better people. A lot of my childhood movies, I’ve gained a bigger appreciation for now that I can be able to relate to them and I hope it’s done the same to you and those to me are great examples as to why certain animated or family movies are for all ages and that is an amazing thing! If you want to revisit your childhood films, go for it and maybe, you’ll understand some things a lot more than ever! Happy viewing!