Saturday, July 2, 2011

Bloglet: Traumatizing Childhood Movies

I thoroughly enjoy watching movies from my childhood.

I was an 80’s kid, and I lapped up all of the great 80’s movies. Including ones I never should’ve watched at that age (Sixteen Candles, anyone?)

There are some truly traumatizing children’s movies. I mean, have you seen Old Yeller? Bambi? Even E.T., with it’s cute short little alien with the extendable neck. Go re-watch the scene where he’s white and dying. Last time I managed to make it to that part, I was sobbing so hard I was hyperventilating. That was in my 20’s.

But the most traumatizing movie scene is one that is very rarely mentioned when you talk about upsetting movies. And it shocks me, because I was so upset by it as a child. It broke my then-fully-intact heart.

shoe1a

The Red Shoe - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

I don’t believe any one scene from a supposedly children’s movie has ever upset me as much as this scene did. And I am a soft-hearted freak. I ran over a rat the other night and was in near hysterics.

First of all, shoes come in pairs. They’re partners. Friends. Compatriots. Lovers.

(Don’t think of your shoes being lovers, it’ll freak you out.)

So, this poor little shoe’s partner? Is now alone. What’s that shoe going to do? It can’t find a new partner, all the other shoes are already paired! Plus those sassy purple heeled boots look like bitches.

Find a cartoon with a peg leg, who only needs one shoe? Well, yes, he could do that, but all his life, he would feel the emptiness of his missing partner.

Did you see the eyes on that shoe as he was put into the dip? Ignore the cartoon open mouthed screen. Look at the third screenshot. That is a broken shoe. That looks painful. And he screams.

Seriously, I think of this scene and it upsets me, and I really love this movie.

This is, by far, the most traumatizing moment from a children’s movie. Ever.

4 comments:

  1. You know, I DO remember being really upset by that scene (though I thought it was a horn for some reason, but in the screenshot, yes, it's obviously a shoe).

    However... Artex.

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  2. I am in total agreement with this. By far the most upsetting scene in a movie.

    However, the movie that broke me was The Neverending Story when Artax sank into the Swamps of Sadness. My mom had to take me out of the theater because I was a sobbing mess. It took me years and someone telling me that Artax comes back to live at the end before I could watch it again. (I'm pretty sure I was in college)

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  3. Okay, I must have blocked that scene from my mind, or that version I saw ages ago didn't have it, but I honestly can't remember this. With that said THAT SOUNDS UTTERLY DEPRESSING AND TRAUMATIZING. WHAT?

    Also I hate y'all for bringing up Artax. WTH. Also My Dog Skip. Sigh.

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  4. OMG SCREW ALL OF YA'LL FOR BRINGING UP ARTEX I HATE YOU.

    ReplyDelete