Childhood movies cause nostalgia

Back in elementary school when we were boisterous and under 5 feet tall, after-school Clubhouse daycare was the highlight of our days, on Fridays especially because we got to jump into a magical fantasy world full of talking fish, flying carpets and song and dance through many Disney classics. 

One movie that really enhanced our childhood imaginations was “The Lion King.” From Simba’s grandiose entrance to the animal kingdom in the beginning to the gut-wrenching scene when Mufasa dies to the light-hearted song and dance segments, “The Lion King” displayed a perfect balance of jubilation and intensity. 

As kids, we were thrilled by the humor interspersed throughout the movie and the upbeat musical numbers that prompted us to get up and sing along. No matter how grown up we may pretend to be, the words of Timon and Pumbaa will constantly ring in our heads. “Hakuna Matata” tends to be our philosophy these days as our stress levels increase exponentially due to the heavy workload, AP classes and college applications. These wise words from “The Lion King” will continue to be our guide, regardless of our age. 

Another Disney favorite was the childhood, “Aladdin.” This exotic thriller allowed us escape to a life with no rules, no parents and no money. This was one of the first times we were exposed to the rags-to-riches miracle that magically transformed Aladdin, the “street rat,” into a handsome prince that amazed audiences with his 75 gold camels and 53 purple peacocks. 

Just like Aladdin, when we were little we used to climb structures, jump off railings and have epic experiences on the Clubhouse swings, so we found this movie extremely special. As two lively boys, we always wanted to have intense sword battles and go on crazy adventures like Aladdin, and each time we watch this classic, a sense of nostalgia overcomes us as we reflect on our reckless childhoods. Those days are long gone, and “Aladdin” helps us relive the good times when we could be as daring as we wanted.  

Swimming along with Marlin, the overprotective clownfish, in his pursuit to find his son Nemo in the Pixar masterpiece “Finding Nemo” was equally engaging.  We didn’t understand the term “irony” at the time, but we found it odd that Marlin was solemn in nature while the name clownfish implied that he would be funny.   

Whenever one of our friends displayed a small attention span, we always joked that he or she was Dory, the blue fish with short-term memory and quirkiness who attempted to assist Marlin in his journey. Who could possibly forget Dory repeatedly reciting, “P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney,” when attempting to to memorize the address written on the scuba diver’s goggles? 

We were startled but relieved by Dory’s ability to identify Nemo as Marlin’s son and reconnect the two clown fish at the end of the movie; it touched our little souls to see the father and son reunite. So whenever we feel below average or incompetent amid the intense competition in high school, we recall the inspirational story of how Dory was always doubted throughout the movie, but pulled through to make a huge accomplishment of reconvening Marlin with Nemo at the end.  

Reminiscing about these classic childhood movies removed us from the stress of college applications and senior year, and placed us back in Clubhouse, where we first experienced the joy of Disney movies.