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Monday, May 31, 2010

What I Need To Know In Life I Learned In Movies

Animated films to be exact.

As a child, I wasn't brought up watching cartoons or animated movies. I grew up with basketball, boxing, wrestling and action films on the boob tube. My only chance to watch a non-violent movie is when my father is not in the mood to watch Hulk Hogan slams Undertaker.

It's when I grew older when I began to appreciate animated films in their wondrous cinematography and dazzling cinema effects. There is something magical in it that entice both young and old to take on its wild, wind in your hair adventure.

Apart from the tummy-aching laughs, most animated movies I've seen pitched some moral lessons I learn to value over the years.

Last Saturday (my usual movie day) I watched How To Train Your Dragon in DVD. I'm not sure if that movie has been released here in the Philippines. Coz if it was, and I wasn't able to catch, then I really hate myself for missing it on 3D.

It all started in a village lived by sturdy, ass-kicking Vikings and a nerdy kid named Hiccup. They're at war, pretty much all the time, with fire-spitting dragons who raid their homes, snatch their livestock and leave anything in sight on fire.

Hiccup is the son of a Viking leader who has no fervor in slaying dragons. When he found a wounded dragon in the woods, whom he named Toothless afterwards, he befriended it, healed it, fed it and learned to fly with it.

The movie is packed with terrific flying sequences. It serves a  moral lesson that revolves around ignorance, of the two species that truly hate each other without knowing fully why. It is a heartwarming story of courage, friendship, overcoming ignorance and hatred. It is about peace, of how two different species come together. 

One thing I like about this film is that it captures your imagination and makes you feel whatever you're feeling. But in the end, it gives you a happy glow and makes you delightfully satisfied.

*******

Come Sunday....

After debating over Shrek or Prince of Persia, I finally came to a concerted decision...

Shrek!

Yes. Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots win all the time. I just loooove this trio that I can't trade the final chapter for Prince of Persia or Robinhood.

 In this sequel, Shrek is feeling bored and over domesticated. He misses his roar, those times when the villagers were afraid of him, those mud-dipping and all those ogre mojo stuff.

So he signed a deal with Rumpelstiltskin for a day to become a real ogre. As expected, the pact goes awry and Shrek is confronted with what life would be in Far Far Away if he had never existed.

Okay.

I'm not going to talk about moral of the story here. I just figured that ogres too go through midlife or quarterlife crisis like most of us do hahaha! Seriously, there are times when we silently wished we could have taken a different turn and wondered what life would like be. Sometimes we felt trapped and bored in our present situation that we wished to go back to those times when everything in the world makes sense (the last 6 words I got from the movie).

And when we get that chance to go in that direction, to do what we thought we like to do, to finally have that moment we've been waiting for... Bang! It hit us. It hit us like roaring thunder that everything we wanted to have, everything we wanted to feel was there all along. We already have it but we refuse to see. We refuse to acknowledge coz we keep on looking back thus we fail to value what is right there in front of us. It would take a single twist of fate before we come to realize that we are complete.

We just have to learn to be grateful. Welcome change like welcoming a brand new day. Appreciation is all it takes.

The movie was not after all uber hilarious unlike the previous sequels. But somewhere in the twisted life of the characters you can see a faint reflection of yourself.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I want to watch those movies too! That's the magic of animated movies, it teach us lessons in the most simplest way.

i'm no miss said...

I'm looking forward to watching Shrek too, soon!

These are interesting reviews, btw :)

The Girl Who Loves to Whine said...

Ok so up until a few weeks ago I never even knew either of these movies existed. I don't have any cable whatsoever (as in not even channel 2 news) so I'm a little farther behind the 8 ball than the rest of the world. "How to Train Your Dragon" totally ended up in my "Effed Up Google Search" list. Then my brother read the list and he said... "How to Train Your Dragon" is a movie you idiot. And I was like... "Oh..." Anyway I'll have to check them out.

Gnetch said...

Sometimes, I wonder if there's something wrong with me not wanting to go to the movies at all. I always wait for it on cable or get a DVD copy and watch movies at home. I just find it more convenient. LOL

But your views are rather interesting. So I guess I'll have to go watch Shrek. (on DVD?) haha. :)

janjan said...

Mishieru - exactly mitch! apart from the funny lines and brilliant effects, lie some of life's lesson.

i'm no miss - thanks! glad you love my sorta movie review hehehe..

The Girl Who Loves To Whine - hahaha! I understand when How To Train Your Dragon ended up in your Google Search coz it's unlikely a movie title for me too.

Gnetch - there's nothing wrong with you girl, maybe you're just not into movie-going. and you're right it's more comfortable to watch movies at home and saves you a lotta money.

Rathi said...

I love animation movies..... I ave learnt so many things from them and they will be a part of my life even later...

janjan said...

Ratz - exactly!

Beth - Hi there! thanks for following. Will check your blog now. :)

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Sey said...

I agree with you that some lessons in life are learned through movies

I watched Shrek with my friends and would you believe that she cried?

As far as I know the movie "How to Train your Dragon was released on Philippine Cinemas a month ago.

Unknown said...

I love watching animated movies. people who think its childish havent probably watched mushc variety. I look forward to watching Shrek.

talking about beautiful and good moral movies, check out "Up". I just loved it.

Mass Hole Mommy said...

I took my 5 yr old to see How to Train A Dragon and he got scared towards the end (when the father viking was about to enter the volcano with the big dragon leader) and we left, so I don't know how it ended. Sigh.

janjan said...

Vernz, Traci66, Kim, Simply Stacie, Sarah, J.Anderson, Deb K - hey guys! thanks for dropping by and for following my blog. I'm checking out yours too now.

Sey - haha! I can't believe she cried. coz me and my friend were laughing so hard.

Meg - I haven't seen "Up" yet. they say the movie is really good.

Mass Hole Mommy - ohhh..most kids are really afraid of dragons. the end part is amazing and cute.

 

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