Published: April 10, 2009 10:34 am      

There’s comfort to be found in children’s movies

I love watching kids’ movies. They’re fun, imaginative and transport you to places you’ve never been.

I’ve especially liked the films produced by Pixar Animation Studios, with “Finding Nemo,” “A Bug’s Life,” and “Monsters, Inc.” being my favorites.

Occasionally I crave a nostalgic journey into the movies of my childhood. Nothing beats the kid movies of the ’80s and early ’90s. Often times I feel compelled to raid the “Family” section at Mr. Movies or Family Video and relive my childhood.

This past weekend I watched a 1995 classic, “Heavyweights.” It’s a funny, yet freaky film about 11-year-old Gerald’s summer at a camp for over-weight boys. Or, as he calls it, “fat camp.” Summer doesn’t go quite as planned when a scary fitness maniac, played by Ben Stiller, takes over the camp.

My favorite character in the film is played by Shaun Weiss, who I only know as “Goldberg,” which brings me to my next kid movie, “The Mighty Ducks.”

Goldberg is the goalie in this hockey flick, with several sequels, that came out in 1992. “Mighty Ducks” is an underdog-conquers-all film, as are the two sequels.

I also recently rented “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” which came out in 1989. I still remember seeing it in the theater, when I was 3, and I wanted to see if it was anything like I remembered. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad, despite the lack of good graphics in the scorpion-versus-ant fight scene.

I also remember when baseball movies “The Sandlot” (1993), “Rookie of the Year” (1993) and “Angels in the Outfield” (1994) came out. Who didn’t want to play baseball, make s’mores, or flap their arms like angel wings?

Going along with the sports theme, “Little Giants,” the 1994 pee-wee football flick, was always a favorite. What sports-loving girl doesn’t like the fact that the tomboy gets the cute guy in the end? And everyone loved cameo appearances by John Madden, Emmitt Smith, Tim Brown, Steve Emtman and Bruce Smith.

Two childhood favorites that I like to watch every couple of years are “Home Alone” (1990) and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992). I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) set traps, which bandits Harry and Marv have an uncanny ability to fall into.

As a kid, I was always kind of scared of E.T., the little alien in “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982). Actually, he’s still kind of scary in the scene where he hides in the stuffed animals and all you see is his head.

Watching the adventure flick “Hook” (1991) never gets old, even though I own it. With lots of quotable lines and a stellar cast, it’s a fun movie that brings Neverland to life. And Dustin Hoffman delivers the perfect Captain Hook.

When “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” came out in 1993, I was instantly obsessed. I can’t remember how many times I watched that movie, and wished that I had a dog like Shadow. I always cried at the end when he almost gave up.

No foray into kid classics would be complete without “The Karate Kid,” which came out in 1984. After mastering “wax on, wax off,” you’ll be ready to take down any opponent, even when wearing a shower costume.

A few other films worth mentioning are “Newsies” (1992), “The Princess Bride” (1987), “Little Rascals” (1994), and “Dennis the Menace” (1993).

I have yet to see “The Goonies” (1985) and “Ghostbusters” (1984), so those are next on the to-be-rented list.

Granted, kid movies are fun no matter when they came out, but there is a priceless element to the films of the ’80s and early ’90s. I recommend renting a couple, quoting your favorite lines and basking in the nostalgia.



Elise Loyola is a staff writer for the Clinton Herald. She has been here since November 2008 and she can be reached at eliseloyola@clintonherald.com.