I’ve always been an advocate for re-watching childhood movies. As a child, it’s hard to see movies past the fun songs and enjoyable characters. However, when we get older, we start to identify themes and concepts in movies that went unnoticed the first time we saw the film. Here are four classic movies that portray a deeper twist.
1. Lilo and Stitch
Gif courtesy of wikia.net.
I love this movie. As a child I loved it, and as a semi-functioning adult it is still one of the most memorable movies. A rouge alien and a kid pair up together to save earth? It’s every child’s dream. In this movie, Lilo helps to transform stitch from evil to good with the help of Elvis Presley and through small gestures of love. Her emphasis that Stitch is ohana (family) means that he is not only worthy to be appreciated but a part of something greater than himself. Lilo saved Stitch because she saw him for who he truly was. That, in turn, saved her because she realized her own value through his friendship.
Life Lesson: Small acts of kindness go a long way and have the ability to change not only a person for the better, but you as well.
2. Shrek
Gif courtesy of tumblr.com.
Besides the commonly known purpose of this movie as one for entertainment, I discovered something I had commonly missed as a child. For anyone who doesn’t know, Shrek is about an ogre who is sent on a mission to bring back a princess in exchange for his land. In watching the movie, I noticed a common pattern. Shrek’s largest goal was to maintain himself throughout the entirety of the film, despite the stigma surrounding his persona. His persistence, I believe, created a chain reaction that forced others to push themselves to embrace their own identities, like Fiona. By not allowing others to dictate his beliefs, he, in turn, allowed others to feel comfortable to express their true identities.
Life Lesson: Be the person that makes others want to be themselves.
3. Fox and the Hound
Gif courtesy of hellogiggles.com.
This movie is low key underrated. In my opinion, its conceptual feelings are closer to real life, as it doesn’t have the normal feel good ending. The ending is one of the most memorable because it is the most uneasy. Throughout the entirety of the movie, you see these characters develop together not only as individuals, but as friends. You want the ending to reflect some sort of happy relief from the movie’s conflicts, that against all odds, the characters will somehow remain in each other’s lives. Yet, that ceases to happen. Instead, the movie ends with the two parting ways to live their separate lives. However, before they part ways, we see a final act of friendship and love that is shared with the two. There’s the idea that they understand the situation is forlorn but acknowledge with gratitude the impact each had on the other’s life. The ending is sad but necessary. Did I cry? Ah, yes. But besides that, this movie offers the audience the conceptual idea that a lasting impression is made by the people who have touched our lives, and whose lives we touched.
Life Lesson: There is a lasting gratitude for the friends and people we interact with because without their presence in our lives, we wouldn’t be us.
4. The Lion King
Gif courtesy of wikia.com.
This movie is a timeless classic not only because children love it, but also because it calls to adults. While re-watching this movie, I saw Simba in a way I hadn’t before. In essence, this movie primarily deals with Simba’s own character growth. The deeper in the movie I got, the more I related to Simba. His character growth was cleverly represented in the movie by the presentation of aging and by his ability to see the world on a larger scale later in the film. Through his fall, he learned what it meant to not only live in the world, but to be impactful in it. Simba’s ego had to be shaken in order to see the importance in leading the kingdom, not for himself. I took a powerful message from this that I didn’t see as a kid, one that translates to my life now. When it’s our turn to enter onto Pride Rock, we want to lead with confidence in our ability to be trailblazers in the world.
Life Lesson: In order to know how to be our best, we have to be able to learn from our worst.
The real lesson is: you’re never too young for a childhood classic. They might seem like they’re a part of our distant past, but the lessons they teach are so relevant to the lives we live tday.