Childhood movies help shape who we become

BY Spencer Massicot

In my ASB class at Elsinore High School, I have recently been asked the question: “What was your favorite childhood movie.”

As simple as this question may seem, I have been informed that things you like as a child reflect things about you and they influence you in a way.

You may be thinking, “How does ‘The Little Mermaid’ or ‘Aladdin’ reveal something about me? I don’t ride on a magic carpet” or “I’m not a mermaid.”

It may not be the main plot of the movie that you relate to, but if you look deeper into the characters and the plot line, you will see a lot more than what meets the eye.

For example, Aladdin is a “street rat” who loves getting away with doing bad things. He is reluctant at first, but dives in at the idea of meeting a princess, and becoming rich and royal.

A lot of us have an adventurous side but are sometimes afraid to use it, like Aladdin.

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel is a mermaid who is nervous and uneducated when put into a new environment. She always wants to learn about new things, however, and will take whatever chance she can get to escape from the controlling clutches of her father. She offers her voice for the chance to walk on two feet and be part of the world she has always wanted to be in.

A lot of people are excited for new opportunities to learn and grow, and they have high hopes to escape from control over them, to become their own person.

My ASB teacher told us that, while the underlying stories in movies are not evident to us as little kids, they still affected us in becoming who we are today.

Television shows that we used to love on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel also affected us. Shows that people watch as kids give them ideas and help their imaginations grow.

In ASB we watch several movies that our teacher believes will help us figure out what we want to do in our lives. All of the movies we watch inspire us in different ways.

We recently watched a movie called “Finding Joe” that follows the thoughts of a writer named Joseph Campbell.

The movie was about Campbell’s belief that every story ever told is alike in the simplest form. Every story follows a hero’s journey, where the main character, no matter how big or small, finds a treasure in some way. The movie featured several celebrities and writers that can relate to the thought process of Joseph Campbell.

The movie was an inspiring tale about how slight changes to your day can make your journey so much different.

In our lives, we are our own heroes and can shape our story to be whatever we want it to be. Taking a different path or talking with someone new can mean completely different changes to your story.

In the movie, I liked how the narrator presented the idea that when a hero seems to be at the end of their story and cannot find a way, a door will present itself to lead the hero to their treasure, or their goal in life, only if the hero is willing to open the door.

When our goals are accomplished, we will find our treasure. In our lives, we have to make sure to take advantage of every opportunity we have to complete our full hero’s journey.

The beginning of high school’s second semester has been really exciting. We started off the new year in ASB with a movie to inspire us and get us ready for what is to come this year.

At Elsinore, the cheering section for the basketball games is called “the jungle.” In the jungle, everybody wears costumes and there is a DJ playing music throughout the game.

The ASB students are supposed to be role models for school spirit at Elsinore. Watching a movie about finding ourselves and taking every opportunity we can get will help us in becoming more and more spirited as the semester goes on.

Coming up soon is “Paint the Campus Purple Week.” It is for cancer awareness and every day of the week is a different dress-up day, ending on Friday when everyone dresses up in purple. The dress-up days are meant to bring everyone back together for the second semester and to lead up to the major dress-up day on Friday.

So far this semester I have learned that all of the movies I loved as a little kid helped shaped me to who I am today. I hope to participate in every activity at school this semester so I can open up to my full hero’s journey for this part of my life.