Many movies from my childhood have aged incredibly well over time, with the experience of adult life granting a whole new perspective on many of their themes that previously went under the radar. The distinction between movies made for solely for kids and movies that a whole family can enjoy is a very important one. Often, this distinction is made with the inclusion of poignant or relatable adult themes that go over the heads of children, but gain a whole new gravity after being revisited with the hindsight of age.
As a child growing up in the awkward transitional period where Millennials ended and Gen Z began, some of the classics from my childhood may look a little bit different from most. For whatever reason, my household avoided touchstone Disney animated films like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, though Pixar was still very much a trusted name. Beyond the occasional 80s classic, many films from the late 90s and early 2000s take on entirely new meanings when I rewatch them today.
Circumnavigated tough domestic situations with alien activity
Considering Stephen Spielberg’s long-standing fascination with divorce, it’s easy to see where the adult value lies in even a film as whimsical and magical as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Of course, the powerful tale of cross-species friendship is the beating heart that makes the renowned 80s classic work, as Elliot and E.T.’s touching relationship can tug at even the thickest of heart strings. But simmering in the background is an unspoken aspect of the story that’s difficult to notice as a kid.
This makes his friendship with the Wallace children all the more special, but is a crucial aspect to the exasperated mother’s attempts to understand her children while juggling raising them with keeping a job.
Elliot’s mother, Dee Wallace, has her hands more than full as a single mother of three, with E.T. filling in a vacuum of positive influence left in their lives with one parent unaccounted for. This makes his friendship with the Wallace children all the more special, but is a crucial aspect to the exasperated mother’s attempts to understand her children while juggling raising them with keeping a job. It’s here that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial‘s origin as a semi-autobiographical tale about the imaginary friend Spielberg created as a child in the wake of his parent’s divorce truly shines through.
9
The Iron Giant
Proved nuture can triumph over nature
Brad Bird has a particular knack for creating films I adored as a child that only get better with more life experience, always finding ways to incorporate very adult themes into his work. His films will show up a few times on his list, but his first big success and first huge impression on me as a kid was The Iron Giant. As put by Bird himself, the entire concept of the film revolves around the idea of a gun that could take and had feelings, and perhaps didn’t want to be reduced to a simple weapon.
The 50s setting and rich science fiction aesthetics of the era The Iron Giant is steeped in calls into mind the Cold War, with the paranoia of General Rogard regarding the automaton clearly mirroring the Red Scare. But beyond the political connections that went over my head as a kid, The Iron Giant also explores the woes of an expaserated single mother, though this one is a widow rather than a divorcee. The core message of the film is powerful enough to be hard to grasp for a child’s mind as well, though the feelings it inspires are certainly not.
8
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
An underrated masterpiece
While I somehow dodged the popularity of many Disney renaissance films in my childhood, conversely, I was enamored with one of Disney’s most underrated films ever, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. As a child, I was captivated by the stunning art courtesy of Mike Mignola (whose famous comic series Hellboy would become a staple of my young adult life) and the creative dieselpunk worldbuilding, with the action, mystery, and adventure just being icing on the cake. But revisits to the film have unearthed some shockingly adult themes that went overlooked.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire condenses the tragic tale of colonization and exploitation of native peoples by technologically superior invaders far more succinctly and subtly than something like Pochahontas.
Not only that, but the shocking macabre death of villain Rourke and adult humor lost to me as a kid said by the amazing cast of colorful mercenaries all add up to an experience almost more aimed at adults. Perhaps that’s why the film still remains so bitterly underappreciated even all these years later.
7
Ratatouille
Proves that anyone can cook
Another of Brad Bird’s masterpieces, I have to admit that, as a kid, I only thought Ratatouille was okay, and maybe even found it a little bit boring. Years of gaining life experience and a longer attention span do wonders for the enjoyment of the film, which earns a solid spot in Pixar’s Mount Rushmore as far as I’m concerned. Perhaps even more so than Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Ratatouille is a film that only appeals to kids as a function of being animated and having no overt swearing or imagery younger viewers need to be shielded from.
The film’s central theme of anyone being able to rise above their ratings and claim their own talents is an easy one for kids to resonate with, but many of the circumstances can only be appreciated as an adult. From the brief beats in which Linguini seems to be speaking about or to something other than a rat to the whole political intrigue of his status as Chef Gusteau’s long-lost son, there’s a lot about Ratatouille that kids will gloss over, but adults will be hooked on. A strangely subtle film for Pixar, it only ages like a fine wine.
6
The Cat In The Hat
Is more preoccupied with entertaining kids than parents
I’ve been on an interesting journey with the early 2000s live action The Cat in the Hat movie. As a child, it was a sufficiently loud and colorful collection of stimuli to hypnotize me in place for 90 minutes. As a teenager and young adult, I bemoaned the film’s cheap sense of humor and distaste with which it besmirched the good name of Dr. Seuss, famously leading to Suess’ widow canceling all further live-action adaptations of her late husband’s work.
The Cat in the Hat‘s jokes are shockingly adult and downright mean, which is only funnier with a more jaded adult perspective.
Now, I can appreciate The Cat in the Hat for what it is – One of Michael Myer’s funniest performances in an astoundingly hilarious career. The Cat in the Hat‘s jokes are shockingly adult and downright mean, which is only funnier with a more jaded adult perspective. Myers ogles the kids’ mom like she’s a pin-up model and threatens to murder his duplicate selves in ways that look like accidents. Maybe it’s the pastel nightmare of a set or the presence of a barely-contained Alec Baldwin, but the monstrosity of a film somehow grew on me.
5
The Incredibles
Lives up to its name for kid and adults alike
The last of Brad Bird’s masterpieces to be worth mentioning in this particular category, The Incredibles might be my favorite animated film of all time. It’s hard to say that I didn’t truly appreciate the film as a child, as it became a worn-out staple of my family’s DVD collection, with even the special bonus features and deleted scenes all getting multiple watches. But as an adult, many of the themes and situations of the movie hit all the harder.
Only with the benefit of more life experience can a viewer pick up on the fact that Elastigirl suspects her husband of cheating on her when he’s really going out on missions, or the civil rights-coded treatment of superpowered individuals by the public and government, which lines up with the 60s art deco direction. That’s not even to mention the seriousness with which the villains are treated, as Elastigirl makes it clear to her kids that their lives are in danger. Every time I rewatch The Incredibles, there’s some new brilliant detail to pick up on.
4
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Oozes adult-oriented grime
Despite having an almost polar opposite tone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit has similar strengths to The Incredibles that only adults can appreciate. The film is oozing with late 80s grime, with the presence of cartoon characters hearkening back to the original cartoons of the 30s, which could often be shockingly dark. The dour attitude with which the film approached me as a kid and the presence of the frightening Judge Doom meant I could only ever watch it between the slits of my fingers as I covered my eyes with my hands.
Once again, Who Framed Roger Rabbit presents questions about cartoon infidelity that I didn’t catch as a kid. Though Jessica Rabbit certainly awakened some strange new feelings in me, I didn’t understand the implications of her playing “patty cake” with another man. More seriously, the film’s treatment of cartoon characters as second-class citizens only accepted in “polite” society as entertainers also echoes some poignant real-world topics.
3
A Bug’s Life
Resonates much harder with adults
A Bug’s Life was another one of those movies I only thought was okay as a kid, nothing I’d object to watching to pass an afternoon but nothing I’d become obsessed with, either. However, one of Pixar’s earliest animated ventures is also one of its strongest when looked back on with adult eyes, for several reasons. Mostly, the politically-charged messaging of the ants’ labor being exploited by a powerful minority.
Hopper’s speech on keeping the ants in line hits differently in the wake of my own personal political journey, especially in light of recent events. It makes it all the easier to root for the plucky ants and their circus friends in the otherwise lighthearted cartoon. It’s also worth noting that A Bug’s LIfe is basically a beat-for-beat remake of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, knowledge which has also only deepened my appreciation of it over time.
2
Lilo & Stitch
Toys with the gravity of a broken family
Lilo & Stitch is fascinating in how it splits its appeal between kids and adults between its two storylines. As a child, I was far more captivated by the story of Stitch himself, and the creative alien species and technology coming to Earth alongside him in an effort to capture the chaotic experiment. But as an adult, I’m far more drawn to the bittersweet story of Lilo and Nani as a young adult struggles to raise her unruly sister without the guidance of her parents.
That’s not to say that the outer space adventure aspect of the film is bad, or even that it’s distracting. But it’s impossible to truly appreciate small details, like the presence of Nami’s surfing trophies, which silently indicate a passion that was sacrificed so she could focus on raising Lilo, when being too enamored with Stitch’s funny voice or the bumbling antics of Pleakley and Jumba. It’s no wonder Lilo & Stitch is still influential enough to be warranting a live-action remake.
1
Home Alone
Only gets more entertaining when the grave implications of the premise are considered
A lot of the time, I was willing to gloss over many details when watching a film as a kid, as children are more liable to simply accept absurd situations. Home Alone weaponizes this by exploring the idea of child abandonment from multiple angles. As a kid, it’s easy to relate to the freedom Kevin suddenly finds himself with, jumping on the bed and eating junk food in defiance of his missing guardians. As an adult, however, the horror of just how bad it is to make it all the way to an airplane while missing a child sinks in.
Then, there’s the fact that Kevin McCallister’s traps are incredibly deadly, likely delivering lethal force to the very real criminals casing his house. Kids might not realize just how much danger Kevin would realistically be in, but I’m grimly aware of the film’s harrowing reality as an adult viewer. Still a reliable Christmastime touchstone, Home Alone is one movie that almost changes genres depending on the age one views it at.