If you’ve ever been around small children for any length of time, you might have noticed that they thrive with routine and familiar surroundings. So you may be able to weigh in here when I go over a few movies that parents wish had never come into their lives.
It’s different for each child, and some children may not even find a movie to watch on repeat, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most do. Here are a few of the movies that popped up after a quick poll I took.
Rockadoodle
Rock-a-doodle (1991)
I was eleven when this film was released, and I remember enjoying it. However, after one person mentioned driving her mother nuts watching it over and over, a few more parents chimed in with the same feelings.
Maybe adults just couldn’t get on board with Edmund, a boy turned into a cat by the Grand Duke of Owls, and the misfit group of animals he goes on an adventure with to find Chanticleer, the rooster who makes the sun rise. “Rock-a-doodle” is one of those cartoons I tried to get my own kids to watch. I had no success, but one of my peers did manage to get her daughter obsessing over it.
Also, I’m pretty sure the Grand Duke of Owls is making a cameo from “The Secret of NIMH.”
LandBeforeTime
The Land Before Time Sequels
Kids of the 80s remember Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, and Cera and the adventure they went on to find their families in the Great Valley during “The Land Before Time” original. We all shed a tear when Littlefoot’s mom died in the beginning of the film, and cheered on those little dinos as they figured out how to work together to survive.
Then came the sequels, and headaches for parents everywhere. One mom told me, “They all have musical numbers that are annoying and get stuck in your head.” There are now fifteen Land Before Time movies altogether, with “The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Heart” being released later this year.
Cars2
Cars 2 (2011)
This one is on my personal list, as well as some of the other parents who shared their movie frustrations with me. My youngest son will watch this one all day, every day. One can only listen to Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) fumble, as he accidentally gets thrown into the world of international espionage, for so long. After a while you just want to bang your head on the wall because the British cars, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, never catch on that Mater is not a professional. And don’t forget the B-story! McQueen participating in races around the world… he wins some, he loses some. All is well in the end. Because it has to be, Cars 3 is currently in development.
Children’s movies on repeat: bringing parents and other family members together over shared irritation. What movie is on your list?