Movie Chronicles
A venture into how my favorite movie themes, fandoms, and messages influenced who I am through a conversation with my best friend Alina.
The Lion King
Released in 1994, The Lion King was directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers under the production company Walk Disney Pictures. The movie's most prominent actors include Matthew Broderick, Jermy Irons, James Earl Jones, and Whoopi Goldberg. Due to its upbeat songs and adventurous storyline, the film quickly became a favorite of young children. Within its first few months of release, the film accumulated $763,455,561 worldwide.
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I don’t exactly remember how I was first introduced to the film, so it’s safe to assume my mom just happened to put it on to distract me from mischief when I was little. All I remember is from the minute I saw it, I was immediately obsessed. To this day, the film is still one of my favorites. While unfortunately, Alina was not in my life when I was four years old, we still discussed The Lion King in terms of the nostalgia it brings us. Similar to the other movies I have on this list, I believe that I’m still influenced by this film because of how much comfort it brings me. When I watch it, I feel like I’m connecting with my younger self again.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the first movies released that introduced Disney’s Marvel Studios, and what would later become The Avengers empire. Released in 2011, it follows the story of a young and scrawny Steve Roger’s pursuit to become the first Avenger, Captain America. Its actors include Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Colbie Smulders. While the movie isn’t Disney or Marvel’s biggest hit, it grossed over $370,000,000 worldwide.
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This movie was the catalyst to my deep obsession with Marvel content, which arguably lasted way longer than it should’ve. I specifically remember going to the movies with my dad and brother within the first few weeks of its release. The minute I saw Steve Rogers step out of the enhancement machine illuminated by steam, on the big screen, I was hooked. I quickly found comfort in how Marvel portrayed these “ordinary” people into someone spectacular. These movies empowered my teenage self to be the best version of myself and to help others whenever I could.
Avengers: Endgame
As Captain America: The First Avenger was the start of my Marvel obsession, Avengers: Endgame was the beginning of my descent from Marvel content. Released in 2019 by Marvel Studios, this three-hour movie brings together over 30 of Marvel’s most popular superheroes to mark the end of what is known as “Phase Three” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Disney film, directed by the Russo brothers, is arguably one of the most popular films of all time, as it placed second in the “highest-grossing movies of all time”, ranking in over $2 billion in global sales.
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As previously mentioned, the film closes the storylines of the “original six” Avengers; Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Iron Man. Each of these characters storyline spans over 11 films over a decade of content. It wasn’t until I watched this movie that I realized that my obsession with Marvel was not a singular experience. In fact, there were entire fandoms made up of millions of people who had the same love for the movies as I did, Alina included. Alina and I both recognized in our conversation that the beginnings of our friendship were built off of our shared love for the MCU, and that’s a powerful thing.
Marvel fans pictured at Comic-Con
Cars
The Cars franchise began in 2006 when Pixar and Disney Studios released the first movie introducing the infamous character Lightning McQueen. Directed by John Lasseter, the film tells the story of a young racecar, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), paving his way to stardom within the racing world with the help of new friends and family. Grossing $462 million worldwide at the box office, this movie stars actors like Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy, and Tony Shalhoub.
My attachment to this movie stems from my competitive swim season in my senior year of high school. As Alina and I recalled, at the time I was not the most confident athlete in the world, that is until we adopted the mindset of Lightning McQueen. I’m not joking when I say that I have to attribute my silly and confident attitude to the Cars movie. Throughout my high school career, we would simply quote McQueen’s inner monologue that’s at the beginning of the movie. In a conversation, Alina and I dissected how powerful it is that a message from a children's movie influenced my confidence as an 18-year-old. “As silly as it sounds, I’m glad we joked about the Cars ‘I don’t lose’ mindset. Because now we truly believe it about ourselves, and that's important” she said.
Lala Land
Directed and written by Damien Chazelle, Lala Land earned its fair share of awards. After its release in 2016, the musical romance film received seven Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and five BAFTA awards. This comes as no surprise once you learn that the movie grossed $472 million worldwide. The film follows the story of two characters (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) falling in love while simultaneously trying to pursue their dreams of fame in Hollywood.
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This movie holds a special place in my heart because I share my obsession with it with one of my closest friends, Alina. Since the beginning of our friendship five years ago, we have re-watched and dissected this movie over a million times. Some of my best memories with her revolve around us watching, and crying to this movie together. While interviewing her we deciphered why we like this movie so much, and how it influences our relationship. We decided that we love it so much because we find the storyline so fascinating, where both the characters are trying to manage their own goals and aspirations in life along with their love for each other. This film begs the philosophical question “Would you sacrifice who you are, for the person that you love?” This message is something that Alina and I have adopted into our everyday life and so now in our current romantic relationships, it is something we’re always aware of.
Refrences
“(…).” (…) - Wiktionary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSOMPH85zvQ&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqquHrgwu_gjlQ4B-QXugFTR&index=7. Accessed 8 September 2023.
“Cars (2006).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/. Accessed 8 September 2023.
EDITH, Dj. “Cars I am Speed (2006) HD [McQueen's First Race].” YouTube, 13 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIWvRCSjWM. Accessed 8 September 2023.
“La La Land (2016).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3783958/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2. Accessed 8 September 2023.
“Matthew Broderick in The Lion King (1994).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_the%2520lion%2520. Accessed 8 September 2023.
Menken, Alan. “Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_captain%2520ameri. Accessed 8 September 2023.
Winwood, Steve, et al. “Avengers: Endgame (2019).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_avengers. Accessed 8 September 2023.