Once upon a time, we lived in a world of giants. When we were children, the world was too big for us, time too inconsequential to confine us.. but now we’re University Students. We occupy that shadowy borderland between the vibrancy of childhood and the grey uncertainty of adult life. Imagination is something we unfortunately seem to lose as we grow up, but every now and again something will pop up that ignites that spark of creativity once more, taking us back to that world where reality is wonderfully distorted: Childrens’ Films. This is not just a run-of-the-mill list of “movies to see before you die”. This is a list of kids films to see before you finally cross that border into adulthood, films that even once you slip on your starched shirt and grab your leather brief case, you’ll be able to watch and remember; Once upon a time, these fictions were your reality.
The Muppets
For the past few years, the Muppet franchise has found itself unceremoniously discarded at the back of the Hollywood garage, stuffing spewed, somewhere behind a box stamped “Silent Movies” and “Cartoons”. Well, after some bright spark stumbled over the Silent Movie crate, it was only a matter of time before the Muppets made their return to our screens, stitched back up, strings untangled and witty one liners at the ready. The Muppets is a triumph, something both die-hard fans and young newbies can enjoy in equal measure. In an age where kids’ movies rely increasingly on CGI, action sequences and spoon-fed jokes, the Muppets is a deliciously refreshing reminder of how a bit of felt, some string and an energetic hand manipulating a furry mouth can be more alive than any cluster of computer generated pixels.
How to train your dragon
Set on the Viking island of Berk, this all CGI 3D masterpiece from DreamWorks is one of the most criminally underappreciated movies of the last decade. HTTYD follows Hiccup, a young Viking not cut out for the blood-thirsty, dragon hunting future his Dad (voiced by Gerard Butler) envisions for him. Upset that he can never live up to his Father’s expectations, Hiccup does what any other angsty adolescent would do and fires a cannonball miles into the sky, straight into a rare dragon casually gliding past. As events unfold, this touching adventure story is basically a retelling of the classic ‘man’s best friend’ tale…. Though rather than a faithful hound this movie features a fire-breathing lizard with a penchant for fish.
Chicken Run
There are few directors that would think of re-making a classic like The Great Escape, but that’s just what Peter Lord and Nick Park did, and at the same time added their own twist. They decided to use the same concept seen in The Great Escape and set it on a 1950s Yorkshire chicken farm, where the chickens are organised, and trying to escape the certain doom set upon them by the diabolical Mrs Tweedy and her incompetent husband, Mr Tweedy. Under the leadership of Ginger and Rocky the chickens plan their escape, but it all depends on one thing: flying. With laughs for both adults and children alike, this Great Escape-esque film doesn’t fail to disappoint; after all, there’s a reason it’s on every Christmas.
Up
Let’s not lie, everyone cried in the first few minutes of Up, it was inevitable, and if you didn’t then you were at least sniffing a bit at the end of the first scene. Up follows the life of Carl Fredrickson, a pensioner who meets his wife Ellie when they are both children, dreaming of becoming explorers. Through a clever, funny and emotional montage we see their life together and understand that they both dream of going to Paradise Falls. After Ellie dies Carl is forced to move into a retirement home, but wants to fulfil his promise to Ellie, so ties thousands of balloons to their house and flies to Paradise Falls. However, it all doesn’t go quite to plan when he discovers he has a stowaway on board; an 8 year old called Russell. A lightning storm, talking dog, giant bird and crazy explorer later, Carl and Russell’s adventure really starts to begin; a flawless film from Pixar which will be loved by generations to come.
The Iron Giant
Before Brad Bird joined Pixar and brought us such films as The Incredibles and Ratatouille, he brought us The Iron Giant. The Iron Giant is based on the story Iron Man by Ted Hughes, and explores the friendship of a robotic alien that crash landed near a small town in America, and a young boy named Hogarth. The friendship between these unlikely individuals is put to the test when a government agent searches to destroy the iron giant at all costs; even if it means destroying the town the iron giant is residing near. The Iron Giant disregards prejudices, putting forward the point that just because we don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s a danger; overall a triumph in animation, a film that will hopefully last the test of time.