Of Great and the Greatest: Beyond the Laughs

There's really something commendable about the animated movies these days. Now, the formula doesn't only involve comic relief + great visuals = blockbuster hit. Having a big hearty message is added to the mix. There's a great deal of symbolism and even deeper subplots that would seem funny to the kids but would leave more impact on the adults. Take the movies ParaNorman, Kung Fu Panda, Wreck-it Ralph, Lego Movie, and the currently showing How to Train Your Dragon 2 for examples. It's a welcome surprise when you only want to accompany your younger cousin to see a certain movie on theaters but within the plot, you'll stumble upon messages that are more resounding to adults. Here are the reasons for my liking of the previously mentioned animated films, all supported by lifted sentences from each film: maybe it's best to explain ParaNorman's story with the film's protagonist's enlightening statement "sometimes when people get scared, they say and do terrible things". Anything that doesn't fit into our idea of normalcy, we categorically define as wrong; Po's adoptive father said that "to make something special, you just have to believe it's special. There's no secret ingredient". In that sense, the answers that we're looking for are not found anywhere else but inside us. See how powerful our mind is?; I've been struggling with waiting for affirmation from others that would suggest that I'm on the right track, just like Raplh's struggle for validation from the Nicelanders. Innately, there's this need for all of us to feel accepted by everyone. And that when we believe we've done something right, we wait for others' congratulatory nudge. But the concept of 'something right' is relative. Thus the expression we can never please everyone. What's wrong with being who we already are anyway? "I am bad and that is good, I will never be good but that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me."; Aside from its catchy 'Everything is Awesome' song, I absolutely enjoyed its satirical dialogue exchanges. Witty, to say the least. I thrive in subtle personal insults coupled with intentional jabs on real life situations. I guess what it tries to convey to its audiences is that, the more we try to blend in the crowd, the more forgettable we become. We have to embrace our individuality and believe, yet again, that we are as special as anyone else can be; I liked the first installment of How to Train Your Dragon that's why when given the chance, I watched the sequel with my grandmom and brothers. Only a few movies can make an equally impressive sequel and Hiccup's second adventure is an example of how succeeding stories are supposed to progress. There are sacrifices that are too painful but are necessary to promote the common good. And if you're a leader, you'd know that sometimes dreams that would yield personal gains are outweighed by tasks that would bring peace and happiness for many. In general, I think what all these films dealt with was having Fear in the Unknown as an enemy. There's always fear in whatever we do. But these films showed us that we have to move along or else fear will ultimately consume us. Or maybe it's just me as I am an easily impressed person who tries to find reason in whatever she likes to not sound as clueless as she really is. Haha!