As I took my youngest daughter to see Moana 2 this weekend, I didn’t think I’d leave in tears… Not from any emotion invoked from the movies but the flood of memories from my own childhood and the realisation that the inevitable future will be that my daughter grows up and this moment will just be a memory that I long to relive! Slightly dramatic because hopefully I’ll have a few more trips to the cinema with both of my children before they decide Dad isn’t cool enough anymore!
My cinematic childhood!:
As long as I can remember, movies have been huge in my life; from the Disney movies on VHS, copied DVDs of Jurassic Park 3 in the summer holidays, up to creating a Plex server and copying DVDs to make my own streaming service. I can recall so many core memories just dedicated to the cinema alone:
The Borrowers; released in 1997, I remember vividly being taken by my mother whilst I was poorly. As a 7-year-old (and even watching it today), the props and sets were amazing, and the sense of wonder still makes me think today if little people are really hiding in our homes… as In’ies or out’ies.
Monster Ink; 2001 was a big year for movies in my opinion. This one stands out more for me as again I can remember my mother taking me to Showcase Cinemas. I remember the central stall that sold all the popcorn and the arcade machines that I know my mother would have had pound coins for me to play! This was another wonder of a movie, with Pixar in full swing. Pixar could have a post on its own! Toy Story was another huge movie in my childhood.
Spy Kids; I think as an 11-year-old I was still in the world of wonder where I could still feel the magic of movies and that my imagination was still at a point where anything was possible! For weeks after this movie, I was convinced that I could become a spy, not deterred by the lack of technology around at the time that was the real reason I wanted this vocation so badly, also the reason I’m now a tech YouTuber.
Signs; It’s summer holidays 2002 and the first time where I was hanging around with a different crowd, a slightly more mischievous bunch! I was more of a Digimon, Pokémon kid and this was the first proper sci-fi movie I was going to see in the cinema. I remember the group being a bit more rowdy than I was used to (I like to have silence and be immersed in the cinemas, which is another reason I think I love AirPods at home), but neither the less I still took the movie in, and now I’m not ashamed to admit I did keep the lights on for a few nights following this film! Haha!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; It’s 2005 and I’m going to the movies with my girlfriend and my parents. It’s early in the relationship and I’m sure it was the first night the movie was out (or very close). Whilst the movie was amazing, as a teenager living in the release cycles of the Harry Potter movies. The most lasting memory from the movie was my father’s loud crackling snoring halfway through the movie, I can’t remember my emotion at the time but it’s a sound I long to hear again since he’s passed, and it’s now a happy memory which I wish I could relive!
Frozen 2013; This is the first movie that I can remember taking my eldest daughter to. She was only 3 at the time, and before taking our seats, I could never have known the profound effect this movie would have on her and the general population! It was the first time that she sat still in such a setting; she was glued to the screen! For weeks, we played the movie soundtracks over and over; even today, we still sing “Love is an Open Door” from time to time… and she’s now 14!
Lego Movie 2014; Even to this day, “Everything is Awesome” finds its way into my brain randomly, like the bubble gum jingle in Inside Out! This was another core memory with my eldest daughter; unfortunately, her mother and I had split, and days out to the cinema started to hold deeper meaning to me, trying to catch up for the time lost, trying to build all the memories at home that I was missing. And it has worked; we both talk to each other about some great times we had thanks to the magic of the cinema and movies in general!
Lego Movie 2; 2019 was the start of something that made my heart grow many sizes. My eldest was nine, and my youngest daughter was 4, and we were all into the cinemas; it was one of the best days of my life: the magic of cinema, the popcorn, and ice cream with my gorgeous girls. It was pure happiness; it’s a moment that if I could bottle and sell, I’d be a millionaire! They were both at such an age that sibling fights hadn’t started yet, no teenage mood swings. TAKE. ME. BACK!
There are so many more movies that this might become a series as I remember more and more memories. The beauty of this blog is being able to think back and almost journal backwards, helping me to remember and appreciate the good life we have had! The movies themselves provide emotion, but the company we keep when visiting the cinema is just as important, if not more so, for me.
Next time you’re walking from your seat after the movie, seeing your children walk down the hallway, take a moment to appreciate it. One day they are tiny and full of wonder, and the next they are grown up going without you. As mentioned, I hope I have a few more trips to the cinema with my children, and one day hopefully I can do the same with my grandchildren.
With all this in mind, I think my parents deserve a special mention, especially my mother. They provided me with all these childhood moments, and I now know how they feel, seeing their child grow up and into their own lives, with just the memories and photos to remind them of those times. Mum and Dad, thank you for everything! I love you more than you will ever know!
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