Pete's Dragon

Thought I was done with Classics From My Childhood Month, but then my Dad told me "Pete's Dragon" was coming on the BYU channel and had a little sparkle in his eye.  I can't believe I almost forgot this little gem!  Pete's Dragon is a Disney movie from 1977 starring Mickey Rooney and Helen Reddy (who my Dad apparently had a huge crush on).  I couldn't find too many cool facts about the film, except that even though it takes place in Maine, it was filmed in California.

For anyone who has been deprived of seeing this, it's about a little orphan boy named Pete who is running from this mean backwoods family who beat him and treat him like a slave.  His only friend is a magical dragon named Elliot, until he enters the town of Passamaquaddy, where he befriends 2 lighthouse keepers.

"There's room for everyone in this world, if everyone makes some room."  Helen Reddy sings a song about this when everyone wants Pete and Elliot to leave town.  I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately, how much tolerance plays a role in maintaining peace.  On a big scale, tolerance can help us avoid war and bloodshed, on a small scale... say, dealing with the annoying habits of a roommate, it can help us and those around us to be happier.  When we are intolerant, impatient, and think that our way is the ONLY way to do things, we cause stress, friction, and confrontation.  

Keep hope alive.  One theme in the movie is that of holding to hope or belief even when it seems "unrealistic."  Pete never denies the existence of Elliot, even when everyone tells him he's crazy.  And Nora holds out hope that her long-lost love, Paul, will return, even though it's been over a year.  In the end both of them are vindicated when Elliot rescues the town and Paul returns home.  We never know what the future holds, but if our hearts are holding to a dream, we have to believe there is a reason.  Of course, we can't ignore reality in the meantime.  Pete attends school, becomes part of a new family, and tries to make the best of his life in Passamaquoddy, and Nora works at the lighthouse and takes care of Pete & Lampie.

In Search of the Castaways

This loveable and engaging movie is based on a book by Jules Verne, published in 1867.  It follows the adventures of two children, Mary and Robert, who are searching for their father, Captain Grant.  They are assisted by Professor Paganel (who found their fathers' note in a bottle) and Lord Glenarvan (who facilitates their journey).  They sail to South America, ride horseback through the Andes mountains, survive an earthquake, an avalanche, and slide through a giant ice cave. Likely? no.  Fun to watch? certainly.  In fact, I always thought they should make a ride out of this movie.  Anyway, just when you think it can't get any more crazy, Robert flies off a cliff and is snatched out of the sky by a giant condor.  The condor is strategically shot by a gorgeous Patagonian named Thalcave.  He agrees to take them to a village with "white prisoners," but it is a long journey.

Then comes my favorite part of the movie... Thalcave hears a flood coming, and leaves the group in a huge tree while he rides for help.  The flood comes not in the form of rain, but in a giant tsunami!  The next morning the trunk is completely surrounded by water, and Professor P is cooking breakfast while whistling (adorable).  A jaguar rides a log and joins them in the tree, complicating things.  Lord G puts a message in a bottle, but alas, it is eaten by a crocodile.  Then the tree is struck by lightning and catches fire.  They'd swim out of the tree to safety, but the water is swarming with crocodiles.  Then, a giant waterspout comes to the rescue, putting out the fire and leaving the crew to stand among the burnt leftovers of the tree to wait for Thalcave.  They are rescued, but when they get to the prisoners, their father is not among them.  However they do not give up, and search next in New Zealand.

Mutiny ensues and they are dumped overboard at the same spot their father was, by the same treacherous man, and are taken prisoners by the maoris.  This is where they meet the charming gentleman "Old Bill Gaye" who has a plan of escape but has been waiting for someone small to squeeze through a small window.  After a narrow escape and a run-in with an erupting volcano, the crew stages a theatrical rescue of the ship and the children are reunited with their father.  A very happy ending...

Most of my favorite life lessons in this movie come from Professor P.


"Whatever you want to do, don't be afraid to do it for fear of failure." We can't let our fears keep us from attempting amazing things.  We need to be more intent on trying and less intent on succeeding. As the saying goes, "You only fail at trying if you fail to try."


"We're travelers on life's highway, enjoy the trip."  He sings a charming song about using your imagination to make the best of life, even the bumps and dips.  In the end, we'll learn that everything we endure is for our benefit and learning.



Hailey Mills also offers some wisdom in this song "Castaway."  I know her voice is kind of strange, but the message of the song is really good.  Bill Gaye also quotes many verses from the Bible, but you have to wipe the crazy off before you take them in.  At the end they find out that their father didn't even write the note, Bill Gaye did.  They marvel at how the sequence of events lined up perfectly to bring them all together in the end.  I think at the end of our own lives, we will also find that to be true.

Hans Christian Anderson

Wow, I love researching for these posts and finding out all sorts of crazy things I might never have known otherwise.  For example, Hans Christian Andersen may have royal heritage, as a child he suffered through school and worked as an apprentice for a weaver and then a tailor.  While attending college he lived with a schoolmaster where he was beaten "to improve his character" and discouraged from writing in general.  They were the most bitter years of his life and he went through a phase of severe depression.  Despite this difficult beginning, he went on writing anyway, and in addition to the Fairy Tales he is well known for, he also wrote several novels.  As a young adult he received a "travel grant" from the King (how do I get my hands on one of those?) and many of his travels inspired his writing and sketches.  But though his professional life was successful, his private life was a little disappointing.  He fell in love with many women (and a few men) but never married or had children.  At the age of 67 he fell out of bed and never fully recovered, and died 3 years later.

All of this is kind of depressing, and not at all what I thought I would find when I started doing my research.  I'm interested in reading some of his serious work, especially about his travels, which apparently contain excerpts about being an author, immortality, and fiction in travel reporting.  I also discovered there's a BBC miniseries called "Hans Christian Andersen... My Life as a Fairytale," has anyone seen this?  It's kind of an interesting title considering his life was anything but.

Perhaps it is because he had such a bitter, depressing, romantically unfulfilled life that he retreated so often to this make-believe world.  Who would have thought that a man such as him would bring to life such beautiful and enchanting stories as "Thumbelina," "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Emporers New Clothes," and "The Ugly Duckling?"

And more importantly, what do these stories teach us about life?  That we must value ourselves despite our circumstances, that each of us is unique and there is beauty in that, that we shouldn't worry too much about what others think of us, and that each of us has a story to tell.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." - Hans Christian Andersen

Neverending Story

This movie is based on a German fantasy novel first published in 1979.  The English translation was published in 1983 and adapted into several films.  The most popular is the WB 1984 version, which I must have watched a hundred times as a kid.  As I am covering movies from my childhood this month, I've watched it again.

I really related to Bastian, who would rather spend his time reading and daydreaming than in school.  I wish that I'd had access to a sweet, creepy attic when I was his age.  I was watching this with my 2 youngest siblings, who aren't as familiar with this odd tale as I am, and from the moment the racing snail rose his strange head, there was a constant flow of "What the heck?" from both of them.  The characters in this movie are definitely strange, but they all have one thing in common: their world, Fantasia, is being destroyed by the "Nothing."  They seek the help of the Empress, who lives the heart of Fantasia in a beautiful castle called "The Ivory Tower."

However when they arrive, they discover that she is deathly ill,
and that their only hope is a young boy named Atreyu (who is
apparently green in the book).  His only guidance, that he "must
go alone, leave all his weapons, and it's very dangerous."  He accepts the challenge and begins his quest, but so does the "creature of darkness," Gmork, who seeks to kill him.

I was terrified of this thing as a kid, and not just because I had a huge crush on Atreyu and couldn't bare the thought of that beautiful face of his getting chewed off.  (He's even cuter now.)  He travels into the "Deadly Swamps of Sadness" to find
Morla- the Ancient One.  Without a doubt
this is the saddest part of the movie.  Whoever lets the sadness overtake them sinks into the swamp, and for some reason Atreyu's horse, Artax is very sad.  Despite Atreyu's best effort (and some wonderful acting), Artax sinks into the swamp.

This is a great analogy for life- we can't let sadness weigh us down and make us "stuck."  We have to care, we have to try.  When Atreyu finds Morla, he is extremely confused and frustrated by how apathetic she is.  The world is being destroyed and she couldn't care less.  It seems that apathy and sadness can go hand in hand.

"We don't even care whether or not we care," she says.

Atreyu. goes. off.  Finally Morla tells him that he can ask the Southern Oracle, but she is 10,000 miles away and he should just give up.  This made me think of a talk that my almost-brother-in-law gave in church about the importance of being a "Finisher."  It's one thing to begin a quest, it's quite another to finish.  Luckily for the people of Fantasia, Atreyu is a finisher.

"No," says Bastian, as he notices that school is ending and he is tempted to go home, "Atreyu wouldn't quit now."  And so he stays to read the book as darkness and a terrible storm approach.

Atreyu is almost lost to the swamp and killed by Gmork, but at the last moment, a luck dragon named Falkor swoops down and rescues him.  Falkor (who somehow manages to be sweet and creepy at the same time) gives him a ride to the Southern Oracle, but getting there is only half the battle.

The first gate is the Sphinxes- whose eyes remain shut until someone who doesn't know their own worth tries to pass through.  Despite fancy armor, their eyes can see straight into your heart and see what you really think of yourself.  And if you don't realize your own worth, they blow you up, which seems a little extreme.  I'm pretty sure most of us have moments where we'd get blown up for sure, where we have little or no self worth and can't see the amazing person we are and the potential we contain.  Even Atreyu narrowly escapes this challenge.


The second gate is the Magic Mirror Gate- where you must face your true self.  Apparently this causes many men to run screaming, but it doesn't prove to be so challenging for Atreyu, who only sees Bastian and is really confused.  The traumatized one here is Bastian, who can't believe that people in a book can be aware of him.  He throws the book dramatically and says "Now, this is going too far," but he eventually musters the courage to keep reading.

Atreyu goes on to discover the cure for the Empress is a new name and learns he must go beyond the boundaries of Fantasia, but in a horrible storm he loses the necklace that's been protecting him and his luck dragon.  He has another run-in with Gmork, who informs him that Fantasia has no boundaries, because it represents the dreams and hopes of mankind.  The nothing, conversely, is the emptiness and despair that remains when people abandon their dreams and lose their hope.  Gmork is helping the Nothing because,
"People who have no hopes are easier to control.  And whoever has the control has the power."  This is just how Satan works.  He wants us to strip us of our dreams and hopes so that we may be filled with emptiness and despair, and are easier for him to control.  We have to hold tightly to our dreams and hopes so that we can resist him.

In the end, Bastian overcomes his doubt and fear and becomes a part of the Neverending Story, saving Fantasia.  It's kind of ironic, because at the very beginning of the movie, his father is having a serious discussion with him about being responsible and growing up, giving up his daydreaming.  And then his experience reading "The Neverending Story" only makes him believe in the world of fantasy even more.

Charlotte's Web

This has been such a fun month, watching movies I grew up with but hadn't seen in ages.  It's funny how different you see them when you're older, and the things you noticed that you never did before.

For example, I never realized how needy Wilbur is.  He gets coddled by Fern, and when he moves to the Zuckerman farm, he's really lonely.  He wants a friend, someone to play with, and to live.  Come to think of it, I guess that's not too much to ask for.  Perhaps it's just the way he talks that make him sound needy.

When your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.


Then he meets Charlotte, the barn spider.  And despite my fear/hatred of spiders, I can't help but love Charlotte.  Most of the gems of wisdom in this quaint tale come from her.  The Goose contributes a few gems as well, such as when she tells her frightened recently hatched gosling-

  "It is big and frightening at times, but on the whole, the world is a wonderful place."


I was shocked at how blunt this story is about life and death.  There are so many facts of life that we try to shield from children, but I suppose they are capable of understanding much more than we give them credit for.  Many of the lessons are quite obvious, like the theme of "Chin Up!" one of Charlotte's favorite mantras whenever Wilbur is feeling sorry for himself.  Others are a little more veiled (or I am just gleaning whatever I want to from events and lines :)  For example, when Avery tries to catch Charlotte and Wilbur races him off, causing him to crush the rotten egg, the ram is complaining from the smell.  But Wilbur says "It'll clear soon, see, the wind is already taking it away."

This is a positive stance to take whenever we are facing a struggle, uncomfortable situation, or trial.  We focus so much on the fact that we have to deal with it, not realizing that life is always changing and that often the circumstances which bring us down one day are a part of the past the next.  What comfort and perspective we could find by taking a deep breath in those moments and realizing "it won't always be like this."

It also strikes me that everyone made such a big deal about Wilbur, when the real hero of the story is Charlotte, a simple spider.  The barn animals realize her worth, and turn to her for advice, but the people take her completely for granted.  Sometimes the people who contribute the most are the people who get ignored the most, and the people who accomplish the least receive all the fame.  This made me think of my mom, who is always doing things for everyone else and hardly ever gets noticed.  It's important to let people like this know that we appreciate their efforts.  We could also try harder to be more like Charlotte- happy to do good whenever we can, and not concerned with whether or not we get praised for it.

As Wilbur's fame grows, he gets ready to go to the fair, and Charlotte sings the beautiful but sad song "Mother Earth and Father Time."  (Here is a version of it I LOVE...)

Charlotte knows her time on earth is short, and she has a clear sense of purpose for the time that she has.  In the end, her efforts save Wilbur and she is able to lay her sack of eggs, her magnum opus, or "great work."  Templeton gets the sack and the nastiest part of the story ensues- when he and Wilbur each carry the sac in their mouths until it can be safely deposited on the farm.  Spring arrives and life renews itself.

Best line of the movie: "It's not often that someone that comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.  Charlotte was both."

What's your "magnum opus?"

Swiss Family Robinson

Imagine you and your family are fleeing Switzerland, where war is breaking out, and sail on a ship bound for New Guinea, an island north of Australia.  In a horrible storm, the entire crew abandons ship and you and your family are the only survivors of the wreck.


"What if we put up a distress flag?" asks Ernst.
"Don't you think we look distressed enough?" answers Father.  

All you have is each other, a tropical paradise, a shipload of things to scavenge from, and your own creativity, intelligence, and raw power to build a new life.


"Well, I guess the first thing we've got to do is to unload the raft, and then put up some sort of shelter for the night," says Father.
"Not the first thing," says Mother, and they all get on their knees to pray.

This is the movies' first great lesson: GRATITUDE.  Despite all they've been through, they are alive and safe and they have each other.

They have a rough first night, on the beach under a simple lean-to, in a rainstorm.  But the next day they waste no time in getting what supplies they can from the wreckage of the ship.  This is the second great lesson: RESOURCEFULNESS.

The men quickly start working on the house, which is built in a tree.  These are some of my favorite scenes in the movie, watching the men (with no shirts :) WORK TOGETHER to build their new home.

"You've probably never seen such a house as this is going to be," says Father.
"I'm sure of that," says Mother.

Mother kind of gets on my nerves here, thinking of New Guinea and getting worried that all this building means that they are going to be there for awhile.  And they can't light a signal fire because of the pirates.

"We can't just sit on the beach waiting for a ship to come by," says Father.

This is another great lesson, MAKE THE BEST OF THE SITUATION.  Even when Mother chews them out about how dangerous the house is, the men continue to work hard on the house.  by the time they bring her back, they have created an absolute dream home.  There's a kitchen with "all the latest innovations,"
                                                             including running water, a cooler, and a water wheel.  He takes her

       up to the living room, where there's a captains wheel that pulls up
       the stairs, and then up to their bedroom, which has a beautiful bed,                    
       even curtains.  Finally, Mother's stony heart is softened and she
       cries with gratitude, in awe of everything her men have done to
       make their house a home.

       The family settles nicely into their new life for awhile, riding ostriches,
       swimming in the lake by the waterfalls, swinging on vines.
     
Father muses, "Don't you sometimes feel that this is the kind of life we were meant to live on this earth?  Everything we need right here, right at our fingertips.  You know, if only people could have all this and be satisfied, I don't think there'd be any real problems in the world."

But Mother points out that they don't have everything, (like wives for her sons).  And this is the small incentive she needs to let the older sons, who have been anxious to explore their surroundings further, attempt to sail around the island- to SEE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE.

It's funny to watch the way the brothers' relationship changes once they rescue Bertie, and discover she's actually a woman.  They go through some hairy adventures before finally making it home, the night the family is celebrating Christmas.  There are more adventures after that- pirates, the rescue, love.  In the end, everyone doesn't get what they first thought they wanted, but they all get what they really need.  Perhaps that is the greatest lesson of all.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

This movie has so many of my favorite things... candy, color, craziness, old people, Gene Wilder.  It's based on one of those crazy creative books by Roald Dahl, who is pretty much my hero.  He is also responsible for James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and BFG.  He...is...awesome.

Some morals of this movie are obvious.  Few movies have a song, complete with words wiggling across the screen, after each "lesson" is illustrated.

Charlie is the only kid who doesn't get his own oompa loompa song, but even he has broken one of Wonka's laws by stealing fizzy lifting drinks.  There's a really great documentary in the special features section on the disc that shows what all of the kids look like grown up and has little interviews with each of them.

But Willy Wonka himself is by far the most interesting character.  And Gene Wilder is brilliant.  It was mentioned in the doc that this is a difficult role to pull off because this is a character who should be disturbing (children are being drowned, blown up, falling down chutes, shrunk, and disappear all throughout the movie) and yet Gene Wilder is so warm that he's never scary or unlikeable, even when he freaks out and yells at Charlie.  And he makes so many subtle gestures throughout each scene to really add depth and character to his role.  Like when he's singing "Pure Imagination" and caressing Mike's hair, then pulls out a strand.

So what else can we learn from this cult classic?

Grandpa Joe is a freeloading skank.  This is a touchy subject with me for some reason.  Grandpa Joe and the other elders have been sharing a bed, bed-ridden, for 20 years.  Not only is this completely disgusting, but it is also a scam because the second Charlie comes home with his golden ticket, not only does he stand up and walk, but he dances around the room and even does that feet-tap-jump thing.  If I were Charlie's mom, I'd be like, "What the ---?!"

Just because someone looks and acts creepy and has a horrible name like "Slugworth" doesn't mean they are actually a bad person.  Self-explanatory.  (This little nugget came from my little brother.)

Be happy now, don't wait for a Golden Ticket.  I don't think this is a lesson the movie intended, but Uchtdorf was clever enough to come up with it.  Everyone was so busy looking for the golden tickets, they forgot to enjoy the candy bars.  If we are sad, mopey, and in serious need of a haircut like Charlie (sorry Char) while waiting on whatever our "golden ticket" is- finding the one, getting things, accomplishing something big, making a lot of money... we are missing out on the happiness available to us now.  Food for thought.

     Small gestures can have big consequences.             Charlie just got chewed out by Wonka, and he thinks       he's lost the contest- a lifetime supply of chocolate.         But at the last minute he leaves the everlasting                 gobstopper (which for all he knows he could have             given to Slugworth for a ton of money) and that one         small act changes everything.  It impresses Wonka so     much that not only does he win the lifetime supply of       chocolate and an awesome ride in the wonkavator,           but he and his family get to move in, be taken care of       for life, and take over the factory.  We never know             what small act of kindness, honesty, or integrity will         bring us unimaginable blessings.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

So, Chitty used to be an awesome grand prix racing car, traveling all over the world and winning awards.  But after an accident put her out of commission, she ended up rusting away in Mr. Coggins' yard.  Two children who are in love with the car pester him to rescue it, and after a couple calamitous shenanigans, he finally does.  Not only does it run, but it is GORGEOUS, and makes a quirky noise (chitty chitty bang bang).  They go for a drive to the beach for a picnic and are joined by Truly Scrumptious (who almost ran them over and then snitched on them for skipping school... Truly lame).  This is where things get trippy, because their father, Caractacus, starts telling a story that involves car-thieving pirates and the evil Baron Bomburst, who bares a remarkable resemblance to Captain Crunch.

The best scenes are all in the second half- where the story he was telling them becomes real!  The bad guys abduct Grandpa, who they mistake for Caractacus, the inventor.  The real Caractacus, accompanied by Truly, Jeremy, Jemima, take off to rescue him in hot pursuit.  They accidentally drive right off a cliff, so it's a good thing Chitty can fly.  They follow them to Vulgaria, a strange kingdom where the Baron gets to live like a spoiled child, while making actual children illegal.  They are captured by the "Child Catcher," who is so hot I can't think straight. (see image below :)


There are many life lessons to be learned from this film, such as:

Anything (or anyone) can be redeemed.  Just like Chitty, who through the help of Caractus is reborn shiny and new, and is pretty much the hero of the film.

From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success.  This is illustrated in a very true yet slightly disturbing song sung by a bunch of creepy old men.

The child-catcher is Satan.  No really... he is.  Just like the child-catcher dresses up and makes a lot of tempting promises to lure the children into a cage and cart them off to the dungeon, Satan disguises evil and temptation at every turn to trap us.

Just because you're married to someone doesn't mean you won't try to kill them 3 times in one musical number.  Children are illegal because the baroness hates them, and yet she's married to one.  Ironic.  I'm not sure what his big objection to her is, besides the fact that she's a blithering idiot.  She's definitely prettier than he is, and she has really nice legs.  Whatever.


Last but not least... It's good to have dreams, but you have to put them to some practical use.  Caractacus is a genius throughout the movie, but until he creates an invention that actually makes money, he is pretty much a failure.  It's not something I like to admit, being a creative person myself, but even dreams need to have purpose.

The Adventures of Milo and Otis

This is probably one of the cutest movies of all time.  Last time I watched it, I noticed a lot of Asian names in the credits.  Turns out this was a Japanese live-action film that came out in 1986.  Capturing it took about 400,000 feet of film (which is about 40 hours) shot over a period of 4 years.  The English version, narrated by Dudley Moore, came out in 1989, when I was five years old.

At some point in my childhood it became a favorite of me and my sisters, and we had every word memorized.  Then years passed by where I didn't even think about it until I was grown and saw it on dvd and had to buy it for my collection.

So what have I learned from this movie?  I'm not sure.

I'm sure there's some kind of symbolism to be found in the perils of each friend.  Milo faces 3 attacks by the same bear, falls off a waterfall, crosses a burning valley, nearly gets hit by a train, gets pecked by seagulls, escapes a snake, and falls in a pit.  Otis fared slightly better as his only peril was being stranded at sea and he probably could have swam to shore.  Maybe he would have gotten eaten by sharks or his wee legs wouldn't have made it all the way to shore.  Sadly we will never know because that cranky turtle came and saved him.  Anyway, despite traveling totally different paths, Milo and Otis are reunited.

However, this only lasts about a minute because then Joyce appears- a seductive feline that lures Milo into an obsessive relationship that slowly distances Milo and Otis until he decides to go off on his own, into the wilderness.  Amazingly, it is there that Otis meets Sondra, who is not only a female dog but is even the exact same breed as Otis.  Clearly, this is fate.  Otis does endure one more trial as he trudges out into the winter storms to secure food for him and his new family.  And who should come to his rescue but Milo, who is living with his family in a barn.  In the spring all the animals emerge from their dens and engage in frolicking cuteness.  And then they all embark together down "the road that would take them to the place their lives had begun, the road that would take them... home."

     Moral of the story: Once your friends start hooking      
     up, they will forget all about you.  Just kidding ;)

     This movie is perhaps to blame for my adventurous
     spirit.  Like Milo, I have often followed a road just to
     see where it would lead, and they have led to some
     beautiful things.  It also illustrates that just because
     two creatures (or people) are very different, doesn't
     mean they can't be friends, even best friends.  In fact,
     sometimes it is our differences which bring us closer
     together.