When I was a kid, my friends and brothers and I would pretend we were Jedi fighting for Middle-earth blissfully unaware of how difficult it is to meld those two story lines together, but we entered those worlds simultaneously loving every second of it. I still have my lightsaber, it's scuffed up, well used, it saved me in many a dual, was my trusty companion for years. I wanted to have hobbit feet, I was tired of the hassle of shoes, and envied my literary companions their good luck.
Stories shape a child's outlook, how they play, what interests them. Written stories as well as those on the big screen. Growing up the rule was always, if there is a book to the movie, you read the book first, then you can watch the movie. A rule like this creates a deeper dimension to the story that just enjoying one medium that any story is told through is capable of portraying. To be effective it had to be relatable, connecting with the reader or viewer, giving them some legitimate reason why they should stick around. When finished it should leave you with that feeling that you have lost a good friend.
Today I went and saw the new Pete's Dragon in theater, in between classes, and I cried. Through the whole thing. Not even kidding. Don't worry I won't give anything away, there's power in experiencing a story for the first time, that includes remakes. It starts out hitting you with some intense emotions, then gives you a little bit of a break, pulling out a few tears hear and there, then WHAM! right in the middle started the onslaught of feels. I could not stop crying. The screenwriters were kind enough to let me come up for air a few times, but they weren't big swallows, just enough. I will allow that I was feeling a tad bit emotional before starting the movie, and had already cried outside of the movie, so it could've been that the movie was the icing on the cake. I was just just glad I was in that theater by myself. It was almost as bad as my viewings of War Horse, that is a story for another time. What I loved most was how Elliott took care of Pete. He was a true friend, making sure that Pete knew he was loved, that he had worth and that his voice counted for something. And to top of this undivided care and love for Pete, Elliot extended the same love to the other children, giving them the not so quite gift of undivided attention, letting them know that they are valuable. He even extended that gift to the adults who were willing to receive that gift and pay it forward. Included in this fierce love of his was this desire to protect those whom he loved with his life.
Having the whole theater to myself I was able to interact with the film in the moment. I was cheering characters on, telling them when what they were doing was a bad idea, and flinching when bad things happened, and verbally, not just in my head. Yes I cry a lot, but there are very few people whom I will let see a full on cry, which usually entails of all the tears and then some in my tear ducts, which causes my nose to start profusely running and with all this liquid coming out of my face my face to get bright red. I will rewatch a movie so that I can get this and of cry out, cause yes it's therapeutic. With the theater to myself I felt ok with letting the tears and the sounds out.
Elliott was like a giant, green, cow, dog, and cat with wings. His eyes had a depth that went on forever. He was whole-heartedly in the moment, playful, loving, and loyal to a fault. And still had that wild mystery about him that kept you wondering like Lucy of Aslan, "Is he safe?"
One of my favorite violinists made it on the soundtrack for the movie, and the words really caught my ear. The words hit home because they brought home the feeling that not only children feel and express, but that adults feel just as acutely but have a harder time dealing with. I included the lyrics and the video so that you could listen and benefit from it.
You had your maps drawn
You had other plans
To hang your hopes on
Every road they let you down felt so wrong
So you found another way
You had other plans
To hang your hopes on
Every road they let you down felt so wrong
So you found another way
You've got a big heart
The way you see the world
It got you this far
You might have some bruises
And a few of scars
But you know you're gonna be okay
The way you see the world
It got you this far
You might have some bruises
And a few of scars
But you know you're gonna be okay
And even though you're scared
You're stronger than you know
You're stronger than you know
If you're lost out where the lights are blinding
Caught in all, the stars are hiding
That's when something wild calls you home, home
If you face the fear that keeps you frozen
Chase the sky into the ocean
That's when something wild calls you home, home
Caught in all, the stars are hiding
That's when something wild calls you home, home
If you face the fear that keeps you frozen
Chase the sky into the ocean
That's when something wild calls you home, home
Sometimes the past can
Make the ground benneath you feel like a quicksand
You don't have to worry
You reach for my hand
Yeah I know you're gonna be okay
You're gonna be okay
Make the ground benneath you feel like a quicksand
You don't have to worry
You reach for my hand
Yeah I know you're gonna be okay
You're gonna be okay
And even if you're scared
You're stronger than you know
You're stronger than you know
Stories draw us together, giving us that unique connection that few things do. They tug at our hearts, sometimes for reasons we don't quite understand yet, but someday they will come to mind and give us strength. They can inspire us to do things that are bigger then ourselves, knowing that the "folk in those stories had every opportunity of turning back, only they didn't, they kept going, cause they were holding onto something," (Samwise Gamgee)
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