As the only TMB member with kids underfoot, a typical quiet Sunday afternoon is spent around Casa Rodney is spent cleaning up their messes or taking on that last little renovations project we started. This usually means that my boys (5 and 10) are likely watching movies or playing the Wii. So what do they choose to watch? Some of it is what I have bought for myself that they like (boys like to be into what their daddy likes) and some of it I bought specifically for them.
This makes my DVD collection a wide variety of films, many of which get badmouthed on this site. Kids will watch the same movie 15 times in a row if you let them. Many of the ones that are repeat worthy for my boys fall on this list.
Garfield This and its sequel (Tale of two Kitties) were must buys in my house. The kids love it. Seeing Garfield whack Odie off the couch or watching him dance to Black Eyed Peas just has my kids grinning and sucked into the tv. Never underestimate the power of a talking animal movie. My youngest especially will get right off his seat and dance along when the music starts. If he hears that Black Eyed Peas song on the radio he says it is the Garfield Song.
Scooby DooAnother double whammy here. Scooby Doo and ScoobyDoo2 are heavy repeat offenders on my DVD player. Its goofy and silly, filled with bright colours and wacky antics. Scooby is a little odd placed as the only CGI character, but the kids love him anyways. This pays a LOT of tribute to the original cartoon series which still holds up today. Some of the lines are pretty funny but they are isolated. The good news is, they have cookies. You would have to watch it to feel out the perfect timing on that line. It is very clever.
I, Robot This one is my fault. I was a fan of the book so I picked up the movie when I saw in cheap in the Wallmart bin. Yeah, its not much at all like the book, but its a decent Will Smith action flick that isnt too adult for the kids to watch. My youngest was fascinated with the robot characters and the cool futuristic cars. Unlike some of the other movies that gets them up and excited (even after repeated viewings) this one keeps them in their seats. It got its share of wear in the player.
Alvin and the Chipmunks This movie may have earned a spot on John’s Worst movies of 2007 and one of his lowest ratings ever. The one quality he did give it was that the Chimpmunks are cute. And that seems to be enough. The music is catchy and has my kids bursting with energy each time they hear it. The remake of Witch Doctor was actually pretty decent all things considered. Again, the mighty talking animal reigns supreme. This movie may not have been great but the line “Dave, we are talking Chipmunks, we can get out of a Cat Carrier” made me laugh.
My Neighbor Totoro After seeing my children’s distructive habits and hoping to derail their repeat viewings I picked up this family friendly Studio Ghibli peice. Its so silly and ripped clean from a kid’s imagination. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, but it sure captures the kidlets in its grasp. This is my least favourite of the Ghibli library but the kids are absorbed and I can feel good about them watching something with quality. At least by my standards.
Nausicaa So imagine my surprise after giving them Totoro, that they fell in love with Nausicaa as well. This is by far my most favourite of Hayao Miyazaki’s works. I was likewise obsessed with this film when it made its first North American release as “Warriors of the Wind” and though it differs from the epic story found in the graphic novels and was cut to be more “American Friendly”. I would love to see an uncut of this. So would my kids. They are so captivated in this world and love the giant bugs. You can ask them, the bugs are not the badguys. They really watch this A LOT.
Goonies Now this title was another effort of mine to bring some of the solid nostalgia from my youth and expose them to it. Goonies is a classic. Boys their age NEED to see a movie like this. And they love it. Too much. The Cindy Lauper theme song became an ear worm for me for months. I couldn’t get it out of my head. Te boys certainly liked Sloth, and they still jump at the same parts. However, they played it so many times I don’t think I like it anymore. Its still a fond memory from my youth, but I will intercept them on the way to the dvd player with this one.
Of course there are others they love that are fun to watch. Pixar and Disney films top that list as well as some others.
So when you are asking yourself, HOW DID SCOOBY DOO GET A SEQUEL?? I can tell you why.
