Cha Mae Ri

February 13, 2012

Day 07: A movie from your childhood.

The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986/1989)

Sheesh, another eighties movie. I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.

There are so many I could have picked for this question, but I ended up going with Milo and Otis because it’s a film from my childhood that has pretty much stayed in my childhood. I don’t rewatch it often (I can’t even remember the last time I did), and yet I remember it quite vividly. I remember especially that it always elicited a very strong emotional response from me as a kid, although I didn’t always quite understand why.

Although it’s an animal movie, I’ve never thought of it as a cutesy wutesy sort of film. I’ve actually always found it rather wistful and melancholic. There’s just something so arresting about two children (well, a kitten and a puppy) being swept away from their home through one simple mistake and not being able to find their way back for a long time. Throughout the course of their adventure they are separated then reunited, then separated again. They each grow up, while always chasing the dream of one day returning home, a dream that almost seems to get further and further out of reach as time passes. We never actually see them return, although the ending implies they do eventually find their way back. And yet they are not the same people (animals) who left it so long ago, and it’s probably not the same place they left either. Something has been lost along the way, and although much has been gained as well that always seemed so sad to me.

Which is why this is the perfect choice for “movie from your childhood” for me, because if I were to watch it again it would be kind of like going home in a way. But I’m not the same person anymore either. I’ve also grown up and changed, and some things can never be the same again.

Day 06: Best love story in film: Jane Eyre (2011)

Day 05: A movie sequel you’d like to see made someday: Peking Opera Blues (1986)

Day 04: A movie you’re embarrassed to admit you like: Underworld (2003)

Day 03: A movie you wish more people had seen: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Day 02: A movie you can recite word for word: Victor Victoria (1982)

Day 01: The first movie you remember seeing: Aladdin (1992)

12:09pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZYjARxGMRlTr

(Notes: 20)