Quintessential Kid Films from the 80's

n

nHello kids! Considering how I am currently in an 80’s statenof mind, today I offer you this list of Quintessential Kid Films from the 80’s.nThese are a special group of films for me because, me being an 80’s child well,nI grew up watching these movies, they hold a special place in my heart andnremind me of a time when things were simpler and life still had some magic andnmystery to it. Let’s face it, once we “grow up” it’s easy to lose that sense ofnwonder, but the good thing is we can always go back to our childhood films tonremember it. The films on this list never fail to bring back that old feeling becausenlet’s face it, these films from the 80’s had a special kind of magic to themnthat many of todays modern fantasy films just don’t have, is it that I got old?nOr is it that these films from the 80’s had something truly special to them?nWhatever the case maybe, all I know is that this unique ‘80’s magic’ is whatnkeeps me revisiting them. Whenever I feel there’s no more magic and wonder, I watchnone of these and I’m instantly 12 years old again. So sit back and relax, takena trip down memory lane and enjoy this list of Quintessential Kid Movies fromnthe 80’s Part I, and if you enjoy this article, dont forget to check out this link for: the second installment! There’s more where these came from!  

n

n

nTitle: The Goonies (1985)

n

nComments: Well, this for me is the king of all kid moviesnfrom the 80’s. It’s got this magical thing about it that stays with me, whennpeople say that movies from the 80’s have a special magic to them, this is whatnthey mean. No matter how many times I see it, I still love it. I think it’s thenfact that I identified with these misfit kids, trying to survive in a worldnthat seems to spiral out of their control. I loved that sleepy suburban town ofnAurora. It just looked so homey, I wanted to live there. Which is why whennthese rich dudes threatened to tear it down so they could build a golf coursenover it, they were instantly my enemies. But hey, The Goonies aren’t giving upnthe fight because “Goonies never say die!” The Goonies is basically the kidnversion of an Indiana Jones film. It’s filled with booby traps, sunken piratenships and hidden treasures, but it never gets too scary of graphic like thenIndiana Jones movies sometimes got. The entire cast is extremely likable andnmany of these kids went on to have long fruitful cinematic careers. Every kidnin the movie is a character all its own. Let’s see, we have an extremely youngnJosh Brolin playing the oldest of the kids; we have Sean Astin playing ‘Mikey’nthe heart and soul of the Goonies and Corey Feldman playing the sleazy ‘Mouth’.nJoey Pantoliano plays one of the villainous “Fratelli Brothers”, who are alsonafter the treasure. The late great Anne Ramsey plays their crazy mom. It allncomes together under the direction of Richard Donner and producer StevennSpielberg who specialized in making films of this nature. To top things of, wenhave Cindy Lauper singing “It’s Good Enough” in the extremely memorablensoundtrack. A true gem of the 80’s, if you haven’t seen it what are you waitingnfor?    

n

nQuote: “Follow them size fives!”

n

n

nTitle: Explorers (1985)

n

nComments: So when I say that Spielberg specialized in producing filmsnfor kids, this is what I mean. In 1985, Spielberg went on to produce variousnadventure films aimed at the pre-teen target audience. Explorers was one ofnthem.  Explorer’s is basically director JoenDante’s version of The Goonies, but with a sci-fi angle. It was released just onenmonth after The Goonies premiered in June 1985; so I guess 1985 was the summernof adventurous kids. Films of this nature where hot back in those days, it wasnall about that magical, whimsical feeling of amazement we all had at that age, whereneverything is amazing and new and magical. Some of us are still lucky enough tonretain it, I know I don’t ever want to let go of that feeling of wonderment,nwhich is why I keep revisiting these movies. Explorers tells the tale of threenfriends who are all dreaming the same thing, in the message they see a pattern,na message from space. What is it? Are they being contacted by alien beings fromnanother world? Of course they end up doing what any group of 10 years would do,nthey build their own spaceship and call it “The Thunder Road!” So basically,nthis movie has that goofy Looney Tunes sense of humor that Joe Dante alwaysninfuses his movies with, but also that sense of wonderment and adventure seennin films like The Goonies. The three kids in Explorers are again, same as ThenGoonies, outcasts that don’t really fit into society, but together, they end upndoing something amazing. The film was directed by Joe Dante, the guy behindnGremlins (1984), The Burbs (1989) and many other cool movies from the 80’s. Itnalso stars the great Robert Picardo, but I won’t tell you who he plays. Thenmakeup effects are great on this one, they were done by the great Rob Bottin,nwho is a personal hero of mine, the guy has created some of the coolestnmonsters in movie history. The film also stars River Phoenix and Ethan Hawkenwhen they were just kids. Highly recommend this fun and criminally underratednsci-fi flick!

n

nQuote: “If this is all a dream, what’s going to happen whennwe wake up?” 

n

n

nTitle: Monster Squad (1987)

n

nComments: Monster Squad is one of the most misunderstoodnmovies in cinematic history. Too scary for kids and too silly for adults, itnfound no middle ground and died a quick death a the box office. It stirred up somencontroversy because it had kids using foul language (as if that didn’t happen!)nand kids shooting  guns! But since goodnmovies always find their audience, The Monster Squad was later discovered bynits legions of rabid fans! I know you are all out there, gimme a holla whyndon’t ya? Monster Squad tells the story of a mystical amulet that can send allnevil into another dimension. Where does that black hole lead? Who the hellnknows! But it sucks away the bad guys Evil Dead style! So anyhow, Dracula knowsnthat this magical amulet is the only thing that can stop him from ruling thenworld so he is in the hunt for it, unfortunately, it rests in the hands of thisngroup of kids that call themselves The Monster Squad! Monster Squad rules fornmany reasons, number one it reunites all these classical monsters: The Mummy,nDracula, Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman! Allnin the same movie! We even get some of Dracula’s vampire brides! The monsterneffects were done by none other than the legendary Stan Winston, which isnprobably the reason why these monsters look so freaking cool! If The Gooniesnwas a take on The Hardy Boys, and Explorers was the sci-fi version of ThenGoonies, then Monster Squad is the horror version of The Goonies! Still notnconvinced? The Monster Squad was also directed by the same director who madenNight of the Creeps (1986)! There, that should be enough to convince ya.

n

nQuote: “If we pull this off, I’m gonna shit!” 

n

n

n Title: Labyrinth (1986)

n

nComments: I can’t imagine any list of 80’s children’s filmsnwithout Labyrinth in it. I simply can’t! This is one of the films that I havenseen the most in my whole life, along with Robocop, Big Trouble in Little Chinanand Aliens. What do I love so much about this here film? Well, it’s got thatnspecial magic that only Jim Henson the creator of The Muppets, Frank Oz thenvoice of Kermit the Frog, George Lucas producer extraordinaire, conceptualnartist Brian Froud and  Monty Pythonnalumni Terry Jones could conjure up. To top things off, David Bowie plays ThenGoblin King and Jennifer Connely plays Sarah, the teen that takes everythingnfor granted! Sarah complains about everything, but soon learns that life isnabout making choices and getting things done and not about complaining. Itnteaches kids actions bring forth results and that there comes a time when wenneed to leave behind child like things and face the responsibilities ofnadulthood head on. But aside from all that, it’s filled with some truly amazingncreatures which were brought to life by Jim Henson’s creature shop. You’ll benamazed at all the different beings that were hand crafted for this picture. Andnthe cherry on the cake is Bowie taking care of the films entire soundtrack,neach song, a gem.

n

nQuote: “Your eyes can be so cruel…just as I can be so cruel.nYes I do believe in you…”

n

n

nFilm: The Dark Crystal (1982)

n

nComments: The Dark Crystal was Jim Henson’s first attempt atnmaking a film entirely populated by puppets. Not a single human is seen onnscreen throughout the whole movie, it’s all puppets, which of course gives thenfilm a fantastical otherworldly feeling. On The Dark Crystal we follow an‘Gelflyn’ by the name of Jen, who must find a crystal shard that will unite hisnworld, if he doesn’t find it before the prophesized eclipse, his world willnforever fall under the dark rule of the evil ‘Skeksis’. In this coming of agenstory, Jen must become an adult and venture into the real world all on his own,nleaving behind those that brought him up. This film is a work of art to me,neverything is amazing, the art direction, the matte paintings, the puppets andnthe sets are all of the highest quality. You can really get lost in this richnand complex fantasy world.  

n

nQuote: “Hold her to you, for she is a part of you, as we arenall part of each other”  

n

n   

nFilm: Gremlins (1984)

n

nComments: Another Joe Dante film has made it onto my “topnchildren’s films from the 80’s” list, but that’s because this is precisely thenkind of film Dante specialized in making, films aimed at the pre-teen audience.nA quick glance through his repertoire will prove this to you. I mean, he’snstill making these type of films! His latest one is called The Hole (2009) andnit deals with a family moving into a house that has a gate to hell in thenbasement! Gremlins was a mix between children’s film and horror film, and evennthough that sounds like an unlikely alliance (and it is) it mixed both genresneffectively. On Gremlins a pair of teenagers must stop a breed of monsters fromntaking over and destroying their entire town! And on Christmas Eve no less!nThis movie is an achievement because it was made before the advent of computernanimation, so every single one of the Gremlins you see on screen is handled byna puppeteer, meaning there were hundreds of puppeteers at a given time onnscreen, no small feat. To mix a kids film with a horror film and then have thenfilm become a smash hit was a real achievement. Interesting side note: Gremlins,nalong with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were two of the filmsnresponsible for creating the ‘PG-13’ rating, so thanks a lot Mr. Spielberg, forngiving Hollywood the keys to watering down every single genre!

n

nQuote: “Tell me something Billy, how come a cute little guynlike this can turn into a thousand ugly monsters?”  

n

n

nFilm: Annie (1982)

n

nComments: When I was about six, and saw this version ofnAnnie, it made me cry like the baby I was. I couldn’t believe these adultsnactually wanted to kill little Orphan Annie, she’s so freaking adorable! Thisnmovie makes it really damn difficult not to feel empathy for this orphan girl;nshe’s kind of like the female version of Oliver! (1968) but with red curls andna shinning personality. Trust me, it will be difficult for you not to likenlittle Annie. The villains of the film are played by Tim Curry and Carol Burnett,nyou’ll grow to hate this really despicable duo, they play their villainousnroles to perfection. The songs in Annie are ultra catchy, I assure you, younwill be singing “Tomorrow” and “It’s a hard knock life” for days after you seenthis one. Annie is a film that spans all matter of feelings; you’ll feelnempathy, sadness and complete happiness as well. This is a true classic ofnchildren’s cinema!

n

nQuote: “You love money and power and capitalism? You know,nthey are never going to love you back…”

n

n   

nFilm: The Last Starfighter (1984)

n

nComments: The Last Starfighter is important in film historynbecause it’s one of the first films to use computer animation extendedly. Allnthe scenes that take place in space are computer animated, something unheard ofnat the time, so in its own way, The Last Starfighter is groundbreaking. At thensame time, it’s a story about a teenager who is trying to pursue his dreams,nbut just can’t seem to quite make it. He’s just been rejected from the collegenhe wanted to go to, so basically, his dreams have just been cut short. Or haventhey? One day, as he is playing his favorite arcade (called The LastnStarfighter) a strange car stops by and tells him to hop in. When he does, henlearns that the car isn’t only a car, it’s also a spaceship! And the video gamenwasn’t just a game, it was a test! Soon, Alex Rogan finds himself soaringnthrough the galaxy becoming a part of the Star League and fighting in the warnagainst Xur and his Codan Armada. The Last Starfighter offers us imaginativeneffects, likable characters and even a little bit of comedy. The tone of thenfilm is lighthearted and adventurous. As I mentioned before, this film alongnwith The Adventures of Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) and Willow (1988) representnthe birth of computer animation, see it, and marvel at how it all began.  

n

nQuote: “You might have thought it was a game. But it was alsona test. Aha! A test; sent out across the universe to find those with the giftnto be starfighters. And here you are my boy! Here you are!”

n

n

nFilm: The Never Ending Story (1984)

n

nComments: This is one of my personal favorite because it’s anfantasy film through and through, a film that celebrates escapism andnimagination. This is the story of Balthazar Sebastian Bux, a little boy who hasntrouble living in the real world. He likes drawing unicorns in class andnescaping to the worlds in his fantasy novels. One particularly nasty day whennhe’s running away from a group of bullies, Balthazar decides to hide in a booknshop where he encounters a special book, a book that when read, makes you anpart of its story, and so, when Bastian begins reading The Never Ending Story,nhe is whisked away to Fantasia, a land filled with Rock Eaters, Flying LucknDragons and Purple Buffalo. What I love about this movie is that it challengesnyou to know yourself and face your fears. Also, it speaks about not giving intondespair when things get ugly; there just might be a luck dragon up ahead tonlighten up your day. Basically, I just think this is a movie that sends out manynpositive messages, which I think is a great thing, especially when we considernhow movies can influence the way we see things for the rest of our lives. Tillnthis day I try my hardest not to let my imagination die, and it’s all becausenof this film.

n

nQuote: “People who have no hopes are easy to control andnwhoever has the control…has the power!”

n

n    n

nFilm: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

n

nComments: This one is Tim Burton’s first full length theatricalnrelease. It’s a film that shows that Burton  was a director with creativity from the verynget go. Any other director might have turned Pee Wee’s first film into a crappynmovie, but in the hands of Burton it ended up being an extremely entertainingnfilm. Wanna see how disastrous a Pee Wee Herman movie can be without Burton? Seenthe sequel to Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Big Top Pee Wee (1988) for proof ofnthis. That terrible sequel  was directednby Randal Kleiser, unfortunately he dropped the ball big time! Big Top Pee Weenhad none of that special Tim Burton magic that the first film had in spades. PeenWee’s Big Adventure is filled with that special brand of wackiness, thatncraziness that has always characterized a Burton film. Things get even craziernbecause of Paul Reuben’s performance as Pee Wee Herman. On the Pee Wee side ofnthings he’ll give us  memorable lines ofndialog like “I know you are but what am I?” and on the Tim Burton side ofnthings we get things like ‘Large Marge’ the ghost of a lady trucker who gives PeenWee a ride down a lonesome spooky rode. Ah the beauties of a Burton/Reubensncollaboration makes me wish they got back together again for that Pee WeenHerman comeback we’re all foaming at the mouths for. At the end of the day, itnwas the joining of these two geniuses that makes Pee Wee’s Big Adventure thengag filled, over the top movie that it is.  

n

nQuote: “We all have a big “but” in our lives Simone; let’sntalk about your big butt”

n

n

nFilm: Flight of the Navigator (1986)

n

nComments:  Funny, Inwas bashing director Randal Kleiser for Big Top Pee Wee (1988) a paragraph ago,nand here I am praising him for Flight of the Navigator. Truth be told, Kleisernhas directed many memorable films, it’s just that Big Top Pee Wee was not onenof them, well, at least not for me. But the rest of his repertoire? Not bad atnall, I mean, this is the guy that made Grease (1978) and Blue Lagoon (1980)! Wencan add Flight of the Navigator to his list of memorable films. It tells thentale of David, a kid who travels to the future on an alien spaceship. He disappearsnon July 4th 1978 then reappears in 1986 and hasn’t aged a day! His littlenbrother is now older than him! His family can’t believe he’s reappeared and ofncourse, the government thinks this needs to be looked into. When David decidesnto escape on the spaceship, a cat and mouse chase ensues. How cool is the premise for this movie? A kid who gets his own spaceship! Awesome!  The voice of thenspaceship was done by Paul Reubens, so it kind of makes sense that Ruebens andnKleiser ended up working together on Big Top Pee Wee. The film also stars anvery young Sarah Jessica Parker.  And yetnanother thing that makes this one stand out is that it was also one of thenfirst few films to continue experimenting with the use of computer animation,nthe alien spaceship in the film was mostly handled through the use of computerngraphics. 

n

nQuote: “Well, that all depends, do you want New Coke,nClassic Coke, Cherry Coke, Diet Coke or Caffeine Free Coke?” 

n

n

nFilm: The Karate Kid (1984)

n

nComments:  If you werena kid during the 80’s and grew up seeing this movie (the way I did) thennchances are you probably acted out the “wax on, wax off” scene and at the verynleast tried to duplicate Daniel San’s final flying kick, I know I did. But younknow what? Of course I tried doing that kick, that moment in the film really getsnto you. And why does it get to you? Because this is a film about people, thisnis a film where we care about these characters and the situations they arenliving in, this was something that in my opinion was missing from the remakenstarring Will Smith’s kid. I never really connected with the kid the way I didnwith Daniel San in the original film. To me it was lacking the emotion. YeahnJackie Chan did a great job, but Hayden Smith just didn’t make me like him. Henhad too much of an attitude, he was too cocky and what we needed was a youngnman who was vulnerable, something that Ralph Machio delivers perfectly in thenoriginal film. What works best is the chemistry between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi,nhis landlord and karate trainer. Midway through the movie we learn that it’snnot only Daniel San who needs Mr. Miyagi. The old wise man also needs someonento light up his life, the friendship they develop is the glue that holds thenfilm together. And it’s this bonding that makes us care for everything else. Antrue underdog story; something that director John G. Avildsen specialized in.

n

nQuote: “Walk on road, hm? nWalk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner ornlater..” (Miyagi makes a squishing gesture)

n

n

n Film: The Karate KidnPart II (1986)

n

nComments: The great thing about Karate Kid Part II is thatnthe whole creative team returns! We get Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki Pat Moritanreprising their roles and we also get director John G. Avildsen back, this isnsomething I like about these first three Karate Kid movies, they were allnhandled by the same director, so they have that continuity to them. In mynopinion, this is that rare sequel that surpasses the original. I mean, it’snmore epic, just the fact that the film is set in Okinawa makes everything waynmore interesting, yet, even though this film is obviously a bit bigger innscope, it still manages to remain its heart, something that I love about thesenmovies. It still has that great relationship between Miyagi and Daniel, and itngives both of them challenges of their own to face in Okinawa. Both of themnfind love and both of them make their own enemies. I remember loving the locationsnwhere they shot the film and those scenes where Daniel falls in love with thenAsian girl and all the rituals they go through, beautiful imagery there. I alsonenjoyed the culture clash Daniel goes through. All in all, a great sequel thatnsurpasses the original in many ways. Highly recommended!

n

nQuote: “Daniel San, never put passion before principal. Evennif win, you lose.”

n

n 

nFilm: Masters of the Universe (1987)

n

nComments:  If you werena kid during the 80’s there were a series of toys you just had to have. Let’snsee, for the boys there was G.I. Joe, Voltron, Transformers and for the girlsnthere was Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony and Strawberry Short Cake. Then80’s was a time when the powers that be made animated television shows thatnserved as half hour commercials for their toys. One of the most prominent onesnwas of course He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Boy did these guys sellntoys! Even though my collection was made up mostly of G.I. Joes (I had a heftyncollection!) I also had my fair share of Masters of the Universe toys. So ofncourse when this film came out I was excited as hell! I was sad to learn thatnthis movie didn’t make much money at the box office because for some reasonnpeople thought it sucked. I didn’t. For me this movie ruled! It was directed byna guy called Gary Goddard, he never directed a film again in his life afternthis one (Hollywood doesn’t forgive!) but he has directed a lot of those moviesnyou see in theme park rides like T-2 3-D Battle Across Time. And that makes anwhole lot of sense because in many ways this film is like an amusement parknride. There are tons of visual effects and some truly beautiful art direction.nDolph Lundgren was awesome as He-Man in my book and Frank Langella deliverednsome awesome lines as Skeletor, he dominates the screen as the villain. Yeah,nalong with everybody else I wish more of the film had taken place in Eternia,nbut that’s only a minor hiccup in my book. The whole story about these musicalnkeys that open up doors to other dimensions was pretty cool. Not as bad as somenmight have you think.

n

nQuote: “Men who crave power look back on the mistakes ofntheir lives, pile them all together and call it…destiny.”  

n

n

nFilm: Invaders from Mars (1986)

n

nComments: This was Tobe Hooper’s remake of the classicnscience fiction film from the 50’s Invaders from Mars (1953). It tells the samenbasic story of Martians landing in David Gardner’s backyard. It has that agenold premise of the kid who knows everything that’s going on in his town, butnnobody believes him. Everyone in town is turning into brainless zombies whonserve the Martians, can David convince the United States Army about theninvasion? Can David trust anyone? I always enjoyed how this film plays withnparanoia, that idea that you can’t trust anybody because everybody has turnednevil. In that sense, this film reminds me a bit of similar fare like Invasionnof the Body Snatchers and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). This particular version ofnInvaders from Mars has in my opinion excellent monster effects, the aliensnembody various forms, one of them is what can only be described as a living,nbreathing brain, the monster effects by the way were handled by make up effectsnlegend Stan Winston, which would explain their awesomeness.  An interesting part of this production is thatnit stars b-movie actress Karen Black, who plays a third grade teacher. And evennmore interesting is that she acted alongside her real life son, Hunter Carson,nwho plays David Gardner.

n

nQuote: “These things! They’re huge, ugly, slimy, giant Mr.nPotato Heads!”

n

nGo to this link for part II of this article! Party on Dudes!

n

n