Nov 01, 2007 05:05 PM
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This review is dedicated to two of the sweetest girls I have ever known so far in my life. Two girls who mean everything to me. Two brats who would come running and screaming at the top of their voices, when they heard the doorbell. Two sweethearts whose smiles and giggles, would make me forget all my work tensions. Two angels who happen to be my daughters, and whom I miss every moment sitting here in far away Seoul. Missing the simple pleasure of reading out from comic books or narrating stories to them in night. My two lovely daughters Lakshya and Disha, this review is for you my sweethearts.
These are some wonderful movies which I had seen as a kid, and which I still do enjoy. So if you are having a kid at home, or if there is still a kid in you, do get hold of these lovely movies. I understand most of them are in English, but please let not that be an inhibiting factor. These are movies which your children should watch, and trust me this will be the best gift you can ever give them. It is sad that for a country with such a vast repertory of Children's stories and tales, the number of good children's movies we have in India is pretty low, both animation and normal movies alike. Anyway thats another issue, so here goes my list.
The Wizard of Oz(1939)- MGM's evergreen Hollywood musical, based on the book by Frank.L.Baum. The movie deals with the story of a young girl from Kansas, Dorothy( Judy Garland) who along with her dog Toto, is transported into the fantasy land of Oz, by a cyclone. Dorothy needs to travel along the Yellow Brick Road to go to the magical city of Oz, where she will find the Wizard, who will help her to get back home to Kansas. She is joined by a Scarecrowwho is looking for a brain, a Tin Man who is looking for a heart and a Cowardly Lionwho needs some courage. All the 4 of them become friends, and watch this movie for a non stop magical entertaining ride. Beautiful songs like "Over the Rainbow", "If Only I had a Brain", "We are Off to see the Wizard", wonderful special effects like the flying monkeys attacking Dorothy, Dorothy's home being swept away in a hurricane, and brilliant usage of tones and colors, makes this movie a must see. Truly a classic for all ages.
101 Dalmatians(1961)- While there have been a couple of movie adaptations of this book, the best to date remains the 1961 animated Disney version. The movie revolves around a male dalmation Pongo, who bored of being single, decides to find a partner for himself and his master, Roger, a song writer. After an awkward meeting he hitches up with a female dalmation Perdita,while her owner Anita, ends up being Roger's wife. The scene where all the 4 meet together is totally hilarious. Pongo and Perdita then give birth to a litter of 15 puppies, and a rich socialite **Cruella De Ville wants them so that she can make a dog skin coat. When Roger and Anita, refuse, she gets the puppies kidnapped, by her two stupid henchmen, Jasper and Horace. How Pongo and Perdita, rescue not only their kidnapped puppies, but also the other puppies kidnapped by Cruella makes for a rousing affair. This is one movie your kids are going to love, it is a non stop run of laughter. My recommendation would be to watch the original 1961 animated version.
Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang(1968)- Based on a story written by Ian Fleming himself, this movie is a kind of spoof, on the Bond movies. Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes adapted the novel to screen for Warner Bros. The movie is the story of Carcatacus Potts( Dick Van Dyke),an eccentric but poor inventor, who lives on a windmill farm, with his two kids Jemima and Jeremy. He meets the rich and beautiful Truly Scrumptious( Sally Ann Howes), the daughter of a rich confectionary factory owner. The movie takes it's name from the old racing car and is like a story within a story, where the hero narrates to his kids an imaginary story of a flying car, an eccentric Baron Bomburst, a child hating Baroness and a child catcher. Watch out for some wonderful songs "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "Hush a bye mountain", "TootSweet". There are some brilliantly choreographed dance sequences too a bamboo dance, and one where the heroine, does an impersonation of a singing doll. Trust me this is one entertainer, that keeps you hooked from start to end.
Finding Nemo(2003)- One of my favorite animated features, not just because of it's wonderful special effects, and the brilliant colors of the ocean. But also due to it's emotional factor of father-son bonding. Or I guess being a father myself, I have a soft corner for this movie. Be it the beautiful colors of the coral reef or the insides of an aquarium, or the dark depths of the ocean, or the thrilling adventures by Dory and Marlin, a clownfish, while searching for his son Nemo, the animation here is of the highest order. And the best part being the father son relationship. As also the homage to Alfred Hitchcock in a couple of scenes. This movie is special to me in a way, because it also happens to be my daugther's favorite movie. To such an extent, that whenever she sees a fish in the aquarium, it isNemo **for her.
Free Willy(1993)- Pretty much underrated movie, it is quite heartwarming and touching in many places. The movie deals with the story of a young orphan Jesse, who befriends Willy, a hughe Orca killer whale at a marine park. Jesse finds out that Willy suffers from loneliness and longs to be back in the ocean. How he manages to come up with a daring plan to evacuate Willy from the Marine park and let him back to the ocean, makes up for a fairly interesting and engaging movie. The movie is quite predictable and a bit cliched, but it still manages to hold your interest, thanks to the wonderful way the animal-human bonding has been shown. It also raises issues of the way animals are treated at parks for the fun of spectators.
E.T., The Extra Terrestrial(1984)-** One of Spielberg's best movies, and a movie which I dont mind watching again and again. The tale of Eliot who befriends an alien, and his attempts to get him back to space, is just heartwarming and touching. I still have that lump in the throat feeling whenever I watch the movie, especially the climax scene. Totally natural performances by Henry Thomas as Eliot, and a young Drew Barrymore as his kid sister, wonderful effects especially the scenes of Elliot flying with ET on a bike, and an unforgettable musical score by John Williams, makes this one of my favorite movies.
