Movies That Inspired Me

I'm kind of enjoying these listy-type posts. And it's not that they're easy. Sometimes they're not. However, after all the editing I just completed on The False Princess, and revelling in the post submission happiness/panic (Holy crap! Was it really as good as it could have been? I can't believe I used THAT word so many times in a YA book!) I started thinking about what I've been allowing my kids to watch when we have our pyjama parties. Sometimes, before bed, I don't read to them. (GASP!) Instead we watch movies. And as the grand Overlord of the DVD/Bluray player, I get to pick. And what I pick are the films that inspired me as a child to be the giant creative weirdo I am today. So... ON WITH THE LIST!

1. The Last Unicorn (1982)

This movie is so delightfully odd. I remember that I was lying in bed with chickenpox when I first saw it, and proceeded to watch nothing else until I got better and was back in school. This was back in the day when we rented our movies on VHS from the local Jumbo Video. I miss those places.

There was something about the unicorn's quest to see if she was truly the last of her kind that grabbed me. I loved the voice work, and the Red Bull terrified me as a kid, but the film stayed with me, and when I saw it in the bargain bin at Best Buy, I had to have it. There's just something so beautiful in the Rankin/Bass animation, and the music.

2. The Princess Bride (1987)

I can pretty much quote this film verbatim at this point. Watching it, it's almost like you can see the joy of the actors playing these roles shining through the screen and it's beautiful to watch. Now, my kids playact the swordfight between Inigo and the Man in Black, and it's hilarious. Watching this movie helped to cement my love of fairy tales, and of reading to one's kids. If you instil a love of books early on, it will last. I have read my own copy of the novel so many times that it's fallen apart. I'm also on my third copy of the movie. (The VHS wore out, and the dog chewed up the DVD) However, can we take a minute and acknowledge how wonderful the character of Valerie is? I almost feel as if she is the true hero of the piece. Carol Kane is magnificent, and her screaming at Miracle Max is a thing of beauty! (Even if I not so secretly covet Buttercup's entire wardrobe!)


3. The Dark Crystal (1982)

I think that one of my best friends Marilyn and I watched this movie far too many times. The strangeness of the skeksis (mislabelled by us as "sexies" when we were ten) coupled with the mystics was visually arresting, and Kira is still one of my favourite fantasy characters of all time. Watching my daughter Hailey grin from ear to ear upon seeing her wings for the first time thrilled me. It seems like such a simple story of a young gelfling named Jen, trying to piece together an ancient crystal, but its so stunning to watch. The muppets, the settings, its a thing of art. These visuals stuck with me and helped me grow as an artist and a writer. This movie helped me work towards the world building I do today.

The last two movies are important to me due to their characters. They are a large part of the reason that I write the characters I do.

4. The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Good lord, but I adore Mrs. Brisby. She is strong and brave in a way that you don't often see in these sorts of films. As much as I love Buttercup, I want to be like Mrs. Brisby. All she wanted to do was to get her son Timothy some medicine, and wound up on such a journey. It's delightful to watch her grow as she experiences so much. Also, the message against animal testing. Yes. Love it.

And last but certainly not least...

5. Labyrinth (1986)

This movie. This movie was my childhood in so many ways. Marilyn and I quoted this film back and forth to each other, and this plus The Dark Crystal was our idea of a perfect afternoon double bill. The Goblin King's pants had us asking questions that most ten year olds typically don't, but all I knew was that I wanted to BE Sarah. She started off so bratty, but I could relate. having two younger siblings of my own. Yet she stares down Jareth so fiercely, I wanted her courage. Seeing her be so heroic, and so cognizant of her own errors, it was amazing as a young girl. I had no idea how it had stuck with me until I saw it in my own kids. They were amazed at this movie. In fact, it was the first one my squirmy little girl would actually sit through in silence, her eyes glued to the screen. She loves Sarah. She says that some days, she wants me to wish her brothers away to the "fart lake", but she would eventually get them back. Sarah showed her she could. The idea of a normal human girl as a hero against a King like that... Inspiring. And after yesterday's news, I feel as if my childhood died a little. I have to admit it, Jareth was my first crush. And he was the first villain I felt that I could vanquish. And when my daughter asked me who would look after the wished away babies now... I had to cry. She was the one who eventually came up with the answer: "He's still there. He just went home. He's magic. Goblin Kings don't die."

And now, the scene that captured my heart:

The fact that she never lost sight of her quest, even in that dress, and with that song! Love her.