Old Kids Movies Are RANDOM!

A few weeks ago we had a friend over and were watching movies, and for some reason I convinced them to put on Pete's Dragon (there may have been alcohol involved . . . ) I hadn't seen that movie in at least 15 years (if not longer!) and it was so much fun to watch it again and realize I still knew some of the songs and characters (and that movie had some of the BEST songs! Oh man, I've been singing them for weeks now!)

That movie led me to start thinking about old kids movies, and how they would never in a million years get by today. Pete's Dragon has a whole scene in a bar, where you realize that Mickey Rooney is known about town for being a ridiculous drunk, and later, when he and his pal get scared, they start taking swigs from a flask. Then they share some of their drink with the dragon, who gets drunk and starts seeing double! WTF! Can you imagine any new movie coming to the theaters with a scene like that?

Nevertheless, it also got me on an "old fashioned, part-animation-part live-action" movie kick! And what we started realizing once we got started was that although the themes of some of the movies were questionable, gosh darn it, people in movies back in the day were TALENTED! You couldn't land a leading role unless you could sing, dance, and act. It's rare today to find a famous person who can do more than one of those things even adequately (and sometimes they aren't even good at whatever it is they're famous for in the first place!) I have such respect for all of those actors whose names I don't even know, but who can clearly kick butt right and left as an entertainer and performer.

Anyhow, after the first two that we watched I started asking people on Facebook for suggestions of similar movies, and it got so fun that I thought I'd post it here for everyone to see in one place :) Here is what we've done so far!


Pete's Dragon (as previously mentioned)
I really love the songs in this movie (have I mentioned that people in old movies can sing really well?) but in addition to the beer scenes I'd apparently also forgotten how really frightening the villains are! Talk about stranger danger! But all the same, this movie never struck me as odd or inappropriate as a child, and to be honest, maybe parents these days are too sensitive to things that end up going over kids' heads anyhow. (But I'm not a parent yet, so I reserve the right to change my mind in the future!)




Bedknobs and Broomsticks 
Again with the fantastic songs! Who knew that Angela Lansbury, from Murder, She Wrote could hold a tune! I sure didn't! (Until I looked up her filmography, that is, and realized that she was Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. Mrs. Potts has the best singing voice of any teapot I've ever heard!) It's funny how I went so many years without having watched any of these movies, but the moment the tune kicked in, I started humming along! Such a weird plot in concept, and boy were the special effects awful, but it's still such a classic!
 



Mary Poppins 
Okay, now we're really talking classics! Everyone's seen it and everyone knows it, so I was surprised to realize how much of it I had forgotten! Julie Andrews was absolutely amazing, talk about a triple threat! There's really nothing more I can say about it, except that if you haven't seen it in a long time, it is worth another viewing!







Reader Suggestions
I actually got quite a few suggestions from people who apparently don't read too closely, because when I went to investigate their movies for this post, I found that they had recommended old movies. Period. None that incorporated animation, like I was looking for. What a disappointment! But I do have some astute friends, and here is what they came up with!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Holy moly, I can't believe I hadn't remembered this one when I was making my original list! It was epic in terms of merging animation with live action, and I haven't seen it since I was a kid (that scene where the man is melted in the acid stuff and only his eyeballs remain has haunted me my entire life, though! I think I can handle it since I'm a big girl now, but still, whoa!) This one might also be a fun one to watch with some adult beverages, because I'm pretty sure it had more adult-themed moments in it than Pete's Dragon did!




The Incredible Mr. Limpit
We actually watched this movie a few weeks before I got started on this kick, and when I say "we" watched it, I mean J put it on and laughed hysterically while I did the dishes, folded laundry, and then took a bubble bath (I was that disinterested in it!) Now, some of the parts I did see were actually rather funny, but apparently J grew up watching it, so I think he had a greater personal connection to it than I did. But this one did get a vote from someone I went to high school with (hi Chris!) so it's not only old people like J who enjoy this one! ;)




The Three Caballeros
I VERY vaguely remember this one from my childhood (I think it was one of the first movies we had on VHS instead of beta, and I still sing the title song in my head from time to time!) I didn't remember it having real people in it, but I checked after it was suggested, and Wikipedia says it's the truth! So I guess I need to go back and watch it again!






Song of the South
How could I forget this one! "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah . . . " I don't know that I've ever watched this movie for real, so I guess now I have to!









So that's what I've gotten from everyone else, but I love hearing what other people have to suggest! I'm always open to watching new movies, and I love hearing about the ones I've forgotten, also! Tonight we're having a Will Ferrell marathon, though, so I'm off to watch that ;) But keep the ideas coming, and I'll get to those ones too!

 

 

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