When I began reading C&H, I fully identified with Calvin. Now I fully identify with his parents and it has become an entirely different body of work.
Hat's off to Bill. That was really something.
Hat's off to Bill. That was really something.
I watched it when it came out, and Red seemed like needlessly cranky, always angry single-dimensional antagonist.
I rewatched first few seasons on Netflix and... man, he's just always right, and those kids need to get into shape and SMARTEN UP...
(not claiming "That 70's show" is great literature, note; but the perspective shift is stunning, given our internal narrative tends to be that we are not changing radically as human beings most of the time)
It also really helps that all the actors were obviously having a blast making the show.
I'm not much of a TV watcher but the "wise/understanding/caring adults" on TV were not my experience growing up in the 70s and early 80s. We feared the adults, and we knew they didn't get us but also they weren't completely stupid.
I watched as an adult a couple years ago and my eyes were opened. I use to love the kid Simba, but I can see him almost like a spoiled brat. I understood why adult Simba was so unsure of himself even though he was bigger and stronger. Why Mufasa was so forgiving of his son even though he starts so much trouble.
I may have to check out the C&H comics again. Yukon Ho was the best!
I know that Disney had moved toward reaching out to groups that had not been represented in movies and this is a good thing. Then they trot out a movie of inclusion with a theme of being born to your station and any attempt to rise will be squashed. I get that everyone is suppose to empathize with being the special child, but if he's special and locked into his role, what about everyone else?
tl;dnr -- I don't like musicals :)
Bah! The best song in The Lion King is "Be Prepared"
I never fully realized it until you said it just now but as a father of a two year old I often find myself thinking back to Calvin's parents, after spending my childhood identifying with Calvin.
In the 80s, it was just a daily life comic, Parents with young kids, more from the parents perspective. As their kids [comic] grew older, so did I and my siblings [real world]. The comic progressed to show when their kids had kids [comic ]--in the 90s. My parents were also grandparents at the time, and they would smile and giggle as they shared the Sunday comics.
Being old enough to witness those moments were really touching to me. Made me have an even deeper appreciation for a story that evolved, but also watching my parents grow and change --not just "grow older".