Thursday Movie Picks: Childhood Favourites


When I was a kid, I would get obsessed with a certain movie and watch it over and over and over again. I'm sorry mom for making you go through that. Anyway, I still remember which movies they were and I'm using them in this week's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, since it's childhood favourites week. 

Without further ado, here are my picks

A Bug's Life (1998)

Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to an anthill and eat all the food the ants have gathered for them. But things don't go as planned this year as Flik, a misfit ant, accidentally drops everything into the river and pisses off the grasshoppers. So he embarks on a journey to find warrior bugs to fight the grasshoppers. I loved this movie so much I even had a plushie of the ladybug. And I slept with it. Anyway, I rewatched it last year and it's still fun and enjoyable. 

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

A cocky emperor is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator (she wanted to murder him to be honest) and in order to regain his throne, he must seek the help of a gentle llama herder. It's a hilarious buddy film with great characters --I know we are not supposed to like the llama, but I've always loved him more than the peasant who helps him-- and a nice message. 

Mulan (1998)

A young Chinese maiden decides to disguise herself as a man and join the army to save her ageing father from certain death. This was my favourite Disney movie when I was a kid and it still is. It's funny and entertaining but mostly important Mulan is no princess who needs to be rescued, she is smart, resourceful and independent. A role model, in other words. 

12 comments :

  1. These are all great! I think A Bug's Life is so underrated. That's never at the top of anyone's Pixar list and it's #2 behind WALL-E for me. I still remember going to the skating rink before watching this in theaters. It was a good day. lol

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    1. YES! Finally someone who thinks this movie is underrated. I can't actually believe some people prefer Antz to this.

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  2. I was in my late teens/early 20s when those films came out. I have seen Mulan and A Bug's Life as they're both amazing films. I haven't seen The Emperor's New Groove as I'm not really sure if I want to since that was a film that represented the beginning of Disney Animated Films' early decline in the 2000s where they were starting to make mediocre to really bad films like Home on the Range.

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    1. I completely forgot about Home on the Range. That movie was so bad I never finished it.

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  3. Great picks! All movies are entertaining, though on a recent re-watch of Mulan, I found it to be darker than I thought. I have a feeling I wasn't really listening to what they were saying and was just focusing on the visuals and song numbers and the whole Mulan-saves-China plot.

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    1. I rewatched it last year and I also found it darker than I thought.

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  4. Yikes all these being animated I've never seen any of them all the way through. They all came out when my nieces were in their later teens so I didn't even see them by osmosis they way I did The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

    Mine are farther back, but then so was my childhood, but I'll wager you've seen at least one.

    Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963)-Based on silent film star Corinne Griffith’s memoir of her small town childhood with her brash, tippling father (Jackie Gleason) and aggrieved mother (Glynis Johns) who while frustrated with her feckless husband and the troubles he causes when he’s in his cups still loves him very much. Homey and sweet film introduced the song “Call Me Irresponsible” which won the Oscar.

    Mary Poppins (1964)-Practically perfect in every way nanny appears on the doorstep of the staid but colorful Banks residence one day and nothing is ever the same again. Julie Andrews IS perfect as Miss Poppins, the songs are wonderful as is the rest of the cast including Dick Van Dyke (terrible Cockney accent and all), a delightfully addled Glynis Johns again and Oscar winner Jane Darwell in her last film appearance as the Bird Woman.

    Angel in My Pocket (1969)-Minister Sam Whitehead (Andy Griffith) arrives at his new post in the small town of Wood Falls, Kansas with his wife Mary Elizabeth (Lee Meriwether), kids, mother-in-law Racine (Kay Medford) and trouble making brother-in-law Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke) hoping to lead his flock in a peaceful fashion. Instead he finds himself smack dab in the middle of a feud between the families of Mayor Will Sinclair (Henry Jones) and his rival Axel Gresham (Edgar Buchanan). While he tries to deal with that unbeknownst to all Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke) turns the church boiler into an alcohol still leading to another set of problems. As things come to a head and Sam fears he is losing his faith something happens that leads to a happy conclusion. Homespun and comfy movie with Griffith adding just the right blend of warmth and gravity to the lead.

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    1. I'm sorry you don't like animated films. Anyway, I haven't seen any of your picks but I'll watch Mary Poppins soon.

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  5. Love it, all Disney! Although I never really got into The Emperor's New Groove, I did love Krunk, but I think its because Patrick Warburton's voice. Mulan is awesome - has my favourite Disney song and I agree - A Bug's Life is superb!

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    1. YAY more love for A Bug's Life! Also, Disney for life haha

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  6. The Emperor's New Groove is the only one I have not seen, it just never seemed interesting to me.

    It's totally a kid thing to do, watch something over and over again. Plus I only had a few movies on video, so I just watched the same ones again and again.

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    1. Same with me. My mother would buy me VHS only of movies I really loved. But at least I didn't make her waste money with a movie I'd watch only once haha

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