Movies That Darby Likes to Watch With Me
Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog. For those who don't know, I have a wonderful five-year old daughter named Darby. She likes to snuggle with me and watch movies.
Like most kids and like myself, Darby has some favorite movies that she watches over and over again. Specifically this list are the ones that she likes to watch with me.
INSIDE OUT - 2015 - PIXAR
I have to say this has become one of my personal favorite movies too. It's clever and emotional and really gets what it's like to be a kid. It's about an eleven year old girl named Riley and the five emotions who control her personality : Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and my favorite, Anger (the incomparable Lewis Black).
When Riley's parents decide to move the family to San Francisco, it puts Riley into an emotional crisis, sending Joy and Sadness on an adventure into Riley's mind. There is so much good material here, particularly the imaginary friend Bing Bong who cries candy; the shortcut through abstract thought in which the characters begin to deconstruct ; and a hilarious film set where dreams are staged. The movie works as a fun adventure on a kid's level, but it also works on an adult level, showing how stress and change affect your decision making and what children (or anyone) does to cope. It's a surprisingly deep and intelligent film.
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO - 1988 - STUDIO GHIBLI
If you hear the words Anime or Japanese Animation and immediately think of Pokémon or Speed Racer, then you have never seen a film from Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki and the animation wizards at Ghibli, make incredibly detailed animated films with lush backgrounds, nuanced characters, beautifully told stories and incredible music. My Neighbor Totoro has become their flagship film, even gracing their logo. It's a deliberately slow paced story about a father moving his two young daughters out to the country, while their mother is sick in the hospital. The girls explore the forest and meet Totoro, a large, friendly tree spirit. The movie is more about mood and environment than plot, as it really follows the girls emotional journey and how Totoro helps them deal with their new home and sick mother. It has wonderous images such as a magical cat bus and mischievous soot sprites. This is another film that works on many levels, for kids and for parents. This one in particular hits an emotional cord with me because it's about a child learning to cope with the reality of a sick parent. If you don't already know, I am 37 and living at a nursing facility because I have ALS. But enough of this depressing stuff, onto the next film...
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - 2017 - DISNEY
I'll just come out and say it, this is a film that I don't particularly like. Darby loves it of course, but I much prefer the 1991 traditionally animated version to this strange hybrid of live action and computer generated animation. What's weird about this version is that it tries so hard to copy the older version, instead of becoming its own movie, but it falls kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty to look at and the familiar songs are still as catchy as ever, but it seems like a high school production of a famous play with a Broadway budget. Emma Watson who is better known as Hermione from the Harry Potter films, is a bit wooden here. She sings well, but she always looks pissed off. The Beast is an impressive achievement of animation and motion capture acting by Dan Stevens. I almost wished though that they had forgone the fancy CGI, and had just put Stevens in some elaborate makeup and costume. All in all it's a pale comparison to the other film, but my five-year old loves it and that's why it made a butt load of money.
KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE - 1989 - STUDIO GHIBLI
This is another incredibly detailed film from the masters at Studio Ghibli. This one is a fast paced, episodic tale about a young witch who flies to a big city with her talking cat and starts a package delivery business. Along the way, she makes new friends and learns how to control her powers and use them for good. In the English dubbed version, Gigi the cat is voiced by Phil Hartman in one of his last roles. It's a magical film that you and your children can enjoy together.
RATATOUILLE - 2007 - PIXAR
This must have been an unusual project to pitch to the studio. It's about a rat who's really good at cooking and he befriends a hapless garbage boy at a once prestigious french restaurant. He then controls him like a human puppet and together they cook wonderous dishes and become the toast of Paris. See, not your typical kids fare. It also happens to be hilarious and even contains some great messages about harnessing one's creativity, staying true to yourself, and to not judge someone based on their background. The voice acting is also top notch, especially Patton Oswalt as Remy the rat, Ian Holm as the villainous chef Skinner and the marvelous Peter O'Toole as cynical food critic Anton Ego.
Like most kids and like myself, Darby has some favorite movies that she watches over and over again. Specifically this list are the ones that she likes to watch with me.
INSIDE OUT - 2015 - PIXAR
I have to say this has become one of my personal favorite movies too. It's clever and emotional and really gets what it's like to be a kid. It's about an eleven year old girl named Riley and the five emotions who control her personality : Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and my favorite, Anger (the incomparable Lewis Black).
When Riley's parents decide to move the family to San Francisco, it puts Riley into an emotional crisis, sending Joy and Sadness on an adventure into Riley's mind. There is so much good material here, particularly the imaginary friend Bing Bong who cries candy; the shortcut through abstract thought in which the characters begin to deconstruct ; and a hilarious film set where dreams are staged. The movie works as a fun adventure on a kid's level, but it also works on an adult level, showing how stress and change affect your decision making and what children (or anyone) does to cope. It's a surprisingly deep and intelligent film.
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO - 1988 - STUDIO GHIBLI
If you hear the words Anime or Japanese Animation and immediately think of Pokémon or Speed Racer, then you have never seen a film from Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki and the animation wizards at Ghibli, make incredibly detailed animated films with lush backgrounds, nuanced characters, beautifully told stories and incredible music. My Neighbor Totoro has become their flagship film, even gracing their logo. It's a deliberately slow paced story about a father moving his two young daughters out to the country, while their mother is sick in the hospital. The girls explore the forest and meet Totoro, a large, friendly tree spirit. The movie is more about mood and environment than plot, as it really follows the girls emotional journey and how Totoro helps them deal with their new home and sick mother. It has wonderous images such as a magical cat bus and mischievous soot sprites. This is another film that works on many levels, for kids and for parents. This one in particular hits an emotional cord with me because it's about a child learning to cope with the reality of a sick parent. If you don't already know, I am 37 and living at a nursing facility because I have ALS. But enough of this depressing stuff, onto the next film...
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - 2017 - DISNEY
I'll just come out and say it, this is a film that I don't particularly like. Darby loves it of course, but I much prefer the 1991 traditionally animated version to this strange hybrid of live action and computer generated animation. What's weird about this version is that it tries so hard to copy the older version, instead of becoming its own movie, but it falls kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty to look at and the familiar songs are still as catchy as ever, but it seems like a high school production of a famous play with a Broadway budget. Emma Watson who is better known as Hermione from the Harry Potter films, is a bit wooden here. She sings well, but she always looks pissed off. The Beast is an impressive achievement of animation and motion capture acting by Dan Stevens. I almost wished though that they had forgone the fancy CGI, and had just put Stevens in some elaborate makeup and costume. All in all it's a pale comparison to the other film, but my five-year old loves it and that's why it made a butt load of money.
KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE - 1989 - STUDIO GHIBLI
This is another incredibly detailed film from the masters at Studio Ghibli. This one is a fast paced, episodic tale about a young witch who flies to a big city with her talking cat and starts a package delivery business. Along the way, she makes new friends and learns how to control her powers and use them for good. In the English dubbed version, Gigi the cat is voiced by Phil Hartman in one of his last roles. It's a magical film that you and your children can enjoy together.
RATATOUILLE - 2007 - PIXAR
This must have been an unusual project to pitch to the studio. It's about a rat who's really good at cooking and he befriends a hapless garbage boy at a once prestigious french restaurant. He then controls him like a human puppet and together they cook wonderous dishes and become the toast of Paris. See, not your typical kids fare. It also happens to be hilarious and even contains some great messages about harnessing one's creativity, staying true to yourself, and to not judge someone based on their background. The voice acting is also top notch, especially Patton Oswalt as Remy the rat, Ian Holm as the villainous chef Skinner and the marvelous Peter O'Toole as cynical food critic Anton Ego.
Hi Scott and Darby! I like your perspective on these movies- what an interesting range you are exposing her to. I like that. We are partial to InsideOut and I might check out a few of these based on your reviews.
ReplyDeleteThank you Debra, I appreciate it. Another great studio ghibli movie your kids will love is Ponyo. Darby loves that one too.
Delete<3 this and you
ReplyDeleteI love you too sweetie. I've been meaning to do this for a while.
DeleteGreat blog, Scott! I personally loved "Beauty and the Beast", and I totally agree with you about "Inside Out". I really enjoyed reading your take on all these films. I look forward to your next blog post.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Robin, that means a lot coming from a movie buff like yourself.
DeleteI love these (even the new Beauty and the Beast)! Somehow since I didn't see any Studio Ghibli as a child and only came to them as an adult, it never occurred to me to watch it with kids, but it's such clear fit now that I see this. What a cool list :)
ReplyDeletethank you very much I appreciate it.
DeleteKim Chaparro
ReplyDeleteLove these. You are superdad. 😎😎