I enjoy being a kid!

As much as I love being a "grown-up", there is something inside me that sometimes wishes I could be a kid again, so I could do all that "little kid" stuff. You know...

Like the ability to crawl through small spaces and on plastic structures or playing out in the yard

getting to wear sunglasses that are much too big for you, and everyone still thinks it's "cute".

having any hair style and a silly face to go along with itOr finding that golden egg in your Christmas gear, and knowing you just got $ to buy something new and freakin' out when mom drove like a maniac (or was that just my mom?)getting buried in the sand and loving every minute of being dirty!
or playing with food and not getting in trouble for it!making snow angels whenever an opportunity presented itself
fishing and camping in cold weather (I actually don't miss that!)
or being an "entertainer" with my brothers through TV/movie lines and poses. (This one happens to be from the Matrix)
and even playing in the rain and stomping through mud puddles.


But since I cannot go back to be a "kid" again, I love re-visiting childhoood memories through pictures. Sometimes I get to go back to those places and do the "kid" stuff. My latest activity has been watching all those cartoon movies I used to love as a kid. And it all started with Beauty and the Beast. I had a sudden urge to watch it one day and when I did, memories came flooding back of all those movies I used to love. As I've watched some of them over the summer, I remembered why I loved some of them, and others left me wondering how the heck I got away with watching them with my mom around! There were others that were just plain cheese-fest, but when you're a kid, cheese sounds and looks great, no matter how truly bad it is.

Take Little Nemo, for example. Has anyone even heard of that one?! Come to find out as an adult that it was all Japanese animated. I remember being absolutely terrified of the "nightmare king", but when I watched it this time, he was only in it for like, 5 minutes. I remember it being so much scarier. My, how growing up really opens your eyes! Although I have to say, I will never forget the magic words of "pajama, pajama, kazaama!"




Quest for Camelot. Now this one is a little more recent. I was an older kid by the time I saw this. Not too much to remember here, but I know that when Ethan was younger, we would recite movie lines together. Mostly from the two-headed dragons. And I loved that one of the heroes was blind. Put a little twist in the "romance" of the story. (Although, they are pretty much kids!) And let me tell ya...I don't know how I got away with this one! The guy here is evil and uses all that magic crap. You know, like when he's singing as he's using the magic? Kinda like Ursula.

Which brings me to The Little Mermaid. I guess it is a Disney classic, but this one's full of crap too! I'm sure most of us thought it would be so cool to be able to swim and sing (and of course, fall in love with a prince), but seriously, what is up with the rebellion? Now don't get me wrong, I loved this just as much as anybody, but being 16 and rebellious is not a great example for kids. Not to mention, all the stuff that the animators snuck in.

All Dogs Go to Heaven. "You can't keep a good dog down...no, no, no, no!" Still love this one. The animation is a little weird, but the story-line (for the most part) is great. And all that stuff I used to be scared of...well, nothing should scare you more than a glimpse of "hell".

Thumbelina. The little girl as big as your thumb. This was one of the cute, but cheesy ones. I remember why I loved it, but it's funny how fast everything happens in this one! It literally turns from fall to winter in a day, maybe two. And of course, Thumbelina falls in love with the prince when she first meets him and then marries him two days later. Ok, so definitely not realistic, but a good one for your imagination.

The Swan Princess. I gotta say, still like this one! The evil really isn't that bad and I love that they were childhood "friends". Plus the singing is acutally good, which says a lot for an animated movie! My favorite of course, is Jean-Bob, played by John Cleese. He pretty much makes the whole movie.

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. All I have to say is, OH MY GOOOOOSH! How I got away with this one...well! After watching this, I had to ask my mom why she let me watch this. We never owned it, and now I know why! She never liked it and no wonder. It's all about the "tree spirits" and the "powerful forces of nature", not to mention, the power of fairies. I found myself laughing though, when I found out that Robin Williams played the voice of "Batty" and that I used to sing his song all the time!

Charlotte's Web. Ok, the animation in this one wasn't great, but the story is timeless. I mean come on, a spider saving a pig? Who-da thought huh? I'm actually afraid to see the new one because this one is so great. Who to play "Charlotte" better than Debbie Reynolds?

And of course, Beauty and the Beast. The movie that started it all. It will forever remain my favorite!