A Childhood In Movies: A Reflection

Every night was a movie night in my bedroom. Sometimes it was under a fort, sometimes it was on the futon on the bottom bunk, other times just on the carpet-less floor. The whirring of the VHS player, the full screen 4:3 TV ratio, and having to wait on a full rewind because I did not carry enough hindsight after the last time I had to wait for a rewind. Of course, some of those times the movies came from the local library, my haven of new film goodness. So much for "Be kind, rewind".

We all, hopefully, had movies we loved to watch when we were kids and some surely got viewed more than others. I think my childhood precipitated one of the more extreme versions of that scenario, having to rely on the various VHS tapes in my collection for most of my viewing pleasure because the bunny ears could only offer so much. Therefore, I had some movies that I watched a lot, sometimes out of necessity because of limited availability more so than for pleasure. For others, I know that childhood movies may have deeper connections, such as coming from family movie nights or inheriting a favorite from a loved one. Through the exercise of writing this article, I found it most interesting to discover how the movies I enjoyed back then have influenced some of my current preferences. Not only that, but the nostalgia of reliving these movies through video clips/trailers as I refreshed my memory brought its own form of catharsis.

The idea for this post came about when a former coworker and myself struck up a conversation about childhood movies and as I began discussing mine, she was as clueless to some of the titles as an infant would be to algebra. I surely was not that much older than she was, but regardless, it got me wondering how different my experiences with movies was from others. After asking around across a variety of age groups, while many knew most of the movies I discussed, a fair number of them were pretty unknown by most. I encourage you, as well, to think about your own childhood movies while reading about the ones that filled my childhood. How different are yours from mine or others? Which one do you want to rewatch first?

Honorable Mentions

Air Bud

Short Circuit

The Land Before Time

Anaconda

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls/Pet Detective

"Reheheheheheeeealy." Over 25 years since these movies released and I still use many one-liners and mannerisms from them. Jim Carrey is a comedy genius and one of my favorite actors. It is because of him that I have to sing the Slinky song anytime I come across one. While Adam Sandler shaped the comedy of my teen years, Carrey built the foundation for the stupid shit at which I laugh.

Casper

Oh man, Christina Ricci before I could say "Ooo, Christina Ricci 😏. To be honest, as I read the synopsis to refresh my memory, it sounds like nothing of what I remember. There sure was a lot of death in this children's movie!! The one thing that stuck with me is the voice of Casper, oh, and that there was a Halloween party. Maybe this began the roots of my deep-seated love for All Hallow's Eve.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

So this movie is odd and it has the oddest circumstances of all the ones listed here. I never owned this movie nor either of the sequels, but frequently watched it when my mother would visit one of her friends. This lady was a bit older, quite stuck up, and she had a super annoying grandson, so I hated going there. Her little movie collection (along with her Super Nintendo) is what helped me maintain my sanity during those abysmal times and this movie was a frequent flyer in the VCR.

The 10 Movies that Shaped My Childhood

The Flintstones

It is only right that of all the movies and series for which John Goodman, one of the greatest actors of his generation, is recognized, that the most memorable for me would be his live-action portrayal of bone-headed Fred Flintstone. I mean, come on, he had a hell of a surrounding cast for a cartoon adaptation: Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Elizabeth Perkins, Halle Berry, and Dann Florek. Back then, any type of childhood cartoon that was portrayed in live-action was like seeing magic happen and the 90's saw a few great ones for sure, such as The Addams Family and Space Jam. But nothing hit quite like hearing a real person yell "Yabba-Dabba-Doo," and "Flinstones" was not even near the top of my favorite cartoons list.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth

This is where it all began, my love for Godzilla started with this early-90s kaiju classic. My first foray into media from Eastern culture, specifically Japan, the story follows a more traditional Godzilla as the antagonist of the story. Deep in Mothra lore, this movie introduced me to Infant Island, Battra, and the Cosmos twins. I loved that some of these aspects from the movie are touched upon in the lore established in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters". With monster battles that wowed me as a child, this movie has enough story and enjoyable characters to retain high ratings amongst other movies in the franchise. It has some really beautiful scenes along with some of the commentary on environmental preservation that had become prominent across many Godzilla movies.

Jumanji

My childhood was filled with board games and the like, with Monopoly, Yahtzee, Scattergories, and various card games filling up much of my time. Naturally, a fantasy movie about a supernatural board game that unleashes its terrors into the real world with Robin Williams leading the charge was an easy win. I do not have the strong connection that others do to Robin Williams, but this is clearly the highlight of his career for me. This is a movie that you can watch simply to enjoy all the crazy animals that the game releases and how the cast survives them. Did anyone else own the Jumanji Board Game? It was never as visually appealing as the rustic wooden box from the movie, nor did any wild animals show up, but it was fun nonetheless.

Matilda

For all the kids who were considered outsiders or outcasts, I think this was one of the movies made for us. Matilda (Mara Wilson), a young girl with a genius intellect and telekinetic abilities, finds herself fighting against her family and an evil principal to find the place where she belongs. As an adult, I can see this movie being interpreted with a theme focused on childhood trauma and resiliency. The movie is odd, ridiculous, and over the top, but it maintains a hopeful outlook with the light-hearted Matilda and her teacher Ms. Honey (Embeth Davidtz). I have never thought of cholocate cake the same again after the cafeteria scene.

Tremors

The creature feature of my childhood and my favorite slice of Bacon, followed closely by "Footloose". While it may not have debuted the famous "Ass Blasters" from Tremors 3, the original battle against the grotesque, giant worm-like Graboids was such a memorable movie that I would enjoy with my brother frequently. For those unfamiliar, "Tremors" carries a similar concept to "A Quiet Place," with a group in a desert town fighting against carnivorous, underground worm monsters that cannot see or hear, but instread hunt through feeling seismic vibrations. Less of a thriller and much more of a western/action movie, I think this is a great intro monster movie for a younger generation. Interestingly enough, the creatures look much scarier on this poster than I remember them in the movie.

Homeward Bound

An adventure-comedy with talking animals feels like the epitome of a children's movie. Moreso, it packs a lot of heart, so much heart that a recent rewatching of the ending still brought tears to my eyes. As the title implies, a misunderstanding during the family move results in these pets taking it upon themselves to journey through the Sierra Nevada to San Francisco to reunite with their owners. With a voicecast that includes Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, and Don Ameche is his penultimate role, these starring animals will easily win the hearts of pet owners and non-pet owners alike. Also, because of this movie, the Himalayan has become my standard of fluffy for cats and is a breed that I continue to favor simply because of the impact this movie had on me.

Jungle 2 Jungle

Even with the amount of his movies I love, I wouldn't realize how much I enjoyed Tim Allen's delivery of comedy until much later in life. Even before I saw the holiday spectacle of "The Santa Clause," my big screen introduction to Mr. Allen was in this family dramedy in which he discovers he has a son named Mimi-Siku (Sam Huntington) that has been raised in a less-civilized, Venezuelan tribe. Bringing Mimi-Siku to the lavish life of New York City leads to quite the revelations for Allen's character, as well as to a young love between Mimi-Siku and Karen/Ukume (Leelee Sobieski). Let's cut through the fluff, I loved this movie as a kid because I found Leelee to be super cute in the movie. But it is still really good and light-hearteded. Of the top end of this list, I think "Jungle 2 Jungle" is the most under-appreciated and a must see for all ages.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Before my disturbed life led me to become enamored with horror movies, the most sinister and terrifying character I had ever encountered was that of the Child Catcher from this 60's fantasy-musical. Following a tall tale told by an inventor to his children, the bulk of this movie takes place in fictional Vulgaria, where children are outlawed and an evil Baron and Baronness kidnap the children's grandfather to build them their own version Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a versatile and magical car with a mind of its own. The movie really dove deep into the imagination and had some very impressive set pieces to match. The cast could only be described as charming, with Dick Van Dyke leading the charge, and while I don't remember most of the musical numbers, the titular theme song could never fail to bring a smile to my face...and thoughts of the creepy ass Child Catcher. These days, it might be considered a bit disturbing for the G-rating it garnered back then it won't carry today's progressive views, but that is quite alright, its imaginative nature alone makes it a gem of a children's movie.

Getting Even with Dad

Let me guess, you best know Macaulay Culkin from "Home Alone," "Richie Rich," or "My Girl". While those may be household names for some, it was the often forgotten "Getting Even With Dad" that reigned supreme on my Sharp television. This comedy found Culkin as the son of an ex-con played by Ted Danson who is put in a position to watch his son for the week while also planning a big heist. His son learns of the heist, steals the goods from his father and cronies, and blackmails his dad into spending time with him. A large chunk of their father-son time was spent at an amusement park, which I think made this movie even more appealing to me. I grew up with the greatest joys of living close-ish to Adventureland and the entertainment center, Discovery Zone. When you are a kid, it is so easy to become enamored with a movie or TV show that has some detail that connects to something you like, even if it's a minute detail.

Baby's Day Out

Written by acclaimed writer, director, and producer John Hughes (yes, that John Hughes), this comedic adventure follows the travels of the greatest escapist in the history of kidnapping: the sly baby Bink. Through a series of seemingly random happenings, infant Bink continuously escapes through the fingers of a few blundering criminals as he is chased throughout Chicago. I am not sure how this became THE staple of my childhood movie experience. I like to think that my mother really enjoyed this film and that is how I became exposed to it, but I don't think that is a true statement. Almost any time I see a gorilla, my mind wanders back to the scenes from this movie when Bink is protected by a zoo Gorilla after wandering into his cage. Nowadays, that kind scene would come with a whole lot more controversy.

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