10 childhood movies you shouldn’t forget

This day and age is full of the idea that “newer is better.” And sadly, so many great movies are being forgotten about! This is a list of 10 movies that still have my heart, even if they aren’t as popular as they used to be. Keep in mind the list that I originally made had 40-50 movies on it and it physically hurt to cut the list down to 10, so this is in no way all the great movies that deserve to be mentioned. So without further adieu here are 10 childhood movies that shouldn’t be forgotten:

10. The Road to El Dorado (2000)

I actually did not see this movie until I got to college, but it instantly become one of my favorites! The basic story line is the two guys in the picture (Miguel and Tulio) are thieves who win a map in a gamble. The map is to El Dorado, the city of gold. This takes them on a journey in search of the treasure of their wildest dreams! I can’t say much else without spoiling stuff…I recommend this movie for anytime you want to watch something funny with a sense of adventure.

Rotten Tomato Scores:   Tomato Meter: 48%      Audience Score: 68%

9. The Black Cauldron (1985)

The Black Cauldron is a little darker than your every day children’s movie, but I love it. It is kinda weird, but I can honestly say I have never seen another movie like it and I think that’s a good thing! Basically, there is a pig that can tell prophecies (yes, i know that’s strange) and this evil guy named The Horned King steals him. Taran, the red head in the middle of the picture, is the pig herder and goes on a hunt to find his pig before The Horned King can raise his undead army. This movie has definitely been forgotten about, but I still watch it!

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 55%     Audience Score: 48%

8. The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant is one of those wholesome movies about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. It has a similar plot to the movies like E.T. or Earth to Echo. An alien crash lands on earth and a young kid befriends it and becomes its protector and helps it figure out a way home. Meanwhile, they’re trying to stay hidden from the government officials who just never seem to understand that aliens are the good guys.

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 96%     Audience Score: 89%

7. The Goonies (1985)

I mean, what can I say about this movie…I think it’s my favorite on the list. The Goonies is a classic! This movie has every great aspect of a movie that you can think of! Bravery, adventure, friendship, sacrifice…ugh I could go on about this movie. So, this movie is about a group of kids who all live in a neighborhood that is being torn down. While exploring the attic of one of their houses they encounter a map leading to a pirate’s treasure. They set off in search of the treasure to acquire the money they need to save their homes. I recommend this movie to everyone! WARNING: This movie curses a lot so if that kind of thing offends you, be warned.

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 69%     Audience Score 91%

6. Annie (1982)

Not the remake made in 1999, or the remake made in 2014, but the remake of Annie made in 1982 (there is also one from 1932, a musical, and a radio program, but we aren’t focusing on those haha). For those of you who didn’t know, this movie is based off of the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” that started in 1924 and ended in 2010. This is the story of an adorable, mischievous orphan who never doubts that something amazing is coming around the corner. When a wealthy man takes her under her wing, she may have just found the family she always dreamed of. *Random fun fact: When Annie first came out as a Broadway play, it was the most expensive play of its time*

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 50%     Audience Score: 69%

5. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

For all of you Sherlock fans out there, this is the childhood movie you should never forget! The Great Mouse detective follows a mouse named Olivia (the tiny mouse in the middle) whose dad was kidnapped by an evil rat, Ratigan (clever name, I know 😉). Olivia implored the help of detective Basil of Baker Street, who takes the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes, to help her find her father. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery should never forget this movie!

Rotten Tomato Score: Tomato Meter: 81%     Audience Score: 79%

4. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

This is one of those movies that seriously confused the crap out of me as a child, but for some reason I still loved it! The story follows the dog in middle, Charlie, who owns a casino, but is killed by a gambler named Carface. However, Charlie has this magic watch and comes back to life to have his revenge. He uses the little girl in the picture, Anne-Marie, to get to Carface. But, like everyone knows the powers of friendship are a powerful things and Charlie begins to care for Anne-Marie. Will he choose to act out his revenge? Or will he choose to help Anne-Marie, who is also being used by Carface?

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 50%     Audience Score: 63%

3. Treasure Planet (2002)

Treasure Planet is about a boy, Jim, who grows up hearing a legend about a planet filled with treasure…haha never would’ve guessed right? Well, the little boy dreaming of the adventure of finding the planet grows up and gets his wish when an alien crash lands at his house with a map to the treasure (that seems to happen a lot in this list). Anyway, Jim leaves on a journey in attempt to discover if the planet is real, but he leaves with a rather suspicious crew aboard the ship in the picture above.

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 69%     Audience Score: 70%

2. The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

I have to be honest…I have never actually seen this movie. I KNOW. I know. I shouldn’t be putting this on my list if I haven’t even seen it, but while I was making this all of my friends bragged on how good it was and went on about it deserved to be on here. So here it is! From what I have gathered, this movie is about the five appliances in the picture and they all live in a cabin together. The all start to get lonely because their owner hasn’t been to cabin in a while and they go on a search to find him in the big city. It sound like a really great movie and everyone talks about how cute it is, so I’ll have to watch it.

Rotten Tomato Scores: Tomato Meter: 75%     Audience Score: 81%

1. The Rescuers (1977)

The movie that I picked to be the top movie that shouldn’t be forgotten is The Rescuers. I didn’t choose it because it’s the most action packed, the one with best sense of adventure, or the best message. I picked this movie because I think it has the best balance of the qualities that are present in all of the movies on this list. This movie is seriously just a great all around movie! It has action. It has treasure. It has a great storyline! This is the story of two brave mice who go to save a little girl who is being held captive by the evil Medusa. Medusa is using Penny (the little girl in the picture) to get into a small cave in the ground that is said to be the holding place of the world’s largest diamond, The Devil’s Eye. The cave is too small for Medusa to fit through, so she kidnapped Penny from the orphanage and is holding her until she retrieves the diamond. This movie is awesome and should never EVER be forgotten. I mean, it’s two mice rescuing a human from another evil human…what’s not to love? This is a happy movie that is good for any night when you want to revisit your childhood.

This list is the perfect movie list for anytime you have insomnia and its its 3 in the morning and you can’t sleep (a.k.a. every single night in college). I was looking at the new Disney movies and all the new stuff was coming out and it spurred a moment of nostalgia. So, here’s to the people who still watch the old stuff along with the new movies!

I love you all. Be adventurous. Chérir la vie.

Ellie X.

 

finding yourself

I was always told “Don’t be afraid to be yourself!” However, I found it really difficult to follow through with that in high school. I grew up in a very small school where everyone knew each other which made the whole popularity game ridiculous (i’m a bottom of the food chain survivor haha). So, this post is going to be strongly influenced by growing up in that environment. Around my sophomore year at Briarwood, my school, my grade and the grades around us starting developing into this mindset that friend groups claimed activities. For some reason “hipster” became this huge trend and everyone wanted to be “artsy” and “musical” and “retro” and whatnot. There was a group of about 10 kids who started taking pictures (and don’t get me wrong they take beautiful pictures) and there was this sense that because they were the photographers, no one else could be. They had claimed the photography hobby. Then you have the partiers. Ya know, the ones who flaunt their shenanigans all over the internet? Those. There was a group for that, so if you weren’t already in their friend group you’re out of luck, sorry. Or the athletic ones. The musical ones (not the band, the people who are in professional theater and take singing and acting lessons). The loners. After a while I felt like I was in the movie Mean Girls trying to find a table to sit at. It became hard to express who I was because if I shared a trait as someone else it felt like I couldn’t show it because that person had already claimed it. Some of you may be laughing and I know, I know it sounds petty, but really it was frustrating as hell! Anyway I got fed up with it by the time I hit senior year and graduated.

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss

I quit trying to scavenge through pieces left behind by other people to fit to me and now that I’m in college I have never felt more free to be myself. I don’t worry about what someone is going to think of me if I choose to do something I’ve never done before. I’ve started asking myself this question before I do anything “Would I have done it in high school?” if I answer no, I do it. Don’t think this is me telling you to go crazy in college…like if someone asks you if you want to do meth obviously do not follow my rule. But asking myself that question has pushed me to do things I never thought I would do. For example, a couple months ago two girls in my class asked me if I wanted to go to a music festival with them in Miami. In high school, I would have said no because I did not know these girls super well, but that proved that I had to go. That ended up being on of the greatest weekends of my life! 

This post kind of rambled, but the point I’m trying to get across is that I spent way too much time caring about what people thought of me in high school. I feel more like myself now and I encourage everyone reading this to be true to yourself. Explore what’s out there and find yourself.

I love you all. Be adventurous. Chérir la vie.

Ellie X.

this is real. this is me.

Hello you! My name is Ellie X. My family constantly tells me I have an old soul trapped in a young body. I’m probably one of the most strange people you’ll ever encounter. Thanks for reading my blog and I really hope you enjoy it!     I’m a 19-year-old freshman in college that was born and raised in the South. I’m currently studying Strategic Communications (if you know what Public Relations is…same thing), but honestly I have no idea what I’m doing with my life yet! So, shout out to all the other people who don’t know what they are doing yet. I’m there with you 🙂

• Some random facts about me:
  • I. Love. Mac N Cheese.
  • My favorite show is Scooby-Doo, but Game of Thrones & TVD (Vampire Diaries for you non-fans) are tied at a close second.
  • I took calligraphy classes and I LOVED IT…then they had to cancel the class because I was the only one who kept showing up.  I’m still bitter.
  • I love to read poetry and sit with people and talk about life, feelings, and what we think about the world.
  • I’m a Kappa Delta
  • I really like choir and band ’cause I’m a nerd.
  • I hate Cheez-its. I don’t know why, but I do.
  • One time I made it to the spelling bee in 1st grade and got out on the word “pencil.” I spelled it “pencel.”
  • I like to take pictures and call myself a photographer.
  • I can put hot sauce on literally everything.

Those are some random facts about me and you’ll learn a lot more through posts. I started this blog because I love writing, but I feel like I get way too distracted to ever write a novel or anything. I’m going to try and share things I’ve learned in my short 19 years that maybe can help out other people that are going through the same things. Or, maybe some of you will just want to hear crazy stories about my day. Stick around. I do some pretty embarrassing things.

I love you all. Be adventurous.

Ellie X.

P.S. If you caught the Camp Rock reference in the title, you’re automatically my best friend.