Sometimes we just need ideas that are so far out of the box, so unexpected, that our eyes widen enough to see a bigger picture. One of my favorite things about teaching was the random and wonderful thoughts kids share at any given time.
Back in the 19s
I recently overheard a ten year old talking about something that happened back in the 19s. The 19s? After a moment I realized he was talking about a time that was very long ago. Almost the 1900s. When I say the 70s, 80s, etc, he thinks, “oh, back in the 19s.” Its so mind boggling to me, but this is what I mean. We need more of this kind of thinking.
Pixar storytellers use “what if” as the seed for growing awesome stories. A previous post explains how teaching creative writing in this way made writing stories less stressful, and way more fun for the kids. Most fictional stories can be simplified into a single what if sentence. Think of your favorite movie and try to explain it in one sentence beginning with What if.
The following is a list of wacky ‘what if’ story lines that were made into movies.Not only are the story lines attention grabbing, the characters and special effects in these movies are truly “special,” and they are all from the 19s.
The Dirt Bike Kid 1985
What if there was a motorcycle who wanted to help a boy save a hot dog stand from a mean old tycoon who is going to tear it down? The Dirt Bike Kid is a little known action adventure flick that is nothing short of fantastic. This motorcycle has an attitude problem, but a big heart. Just as you would expect, the motorcycle gets into trouble and gets arrested. As in, the officer actually places handcuffs on the handlebars. You’ll just have to see it to believe it.
Lots of great movies, great music, and well, great everything came out of the 80’s. I thank my lucky stars to have grown up with no internet, no cell phone, and endless hours to watch MacGyver and The Goonies. Angus MacGyver and Mikey Walsh have inspired me to be resourceful, optimistic, and above all, to believe anything is possible.
While The Dirt Bike Kid has nothing on an epic, life changing, timeless story like The Goonies, it resembles it in some ways. The kids are the underdogs, and the heroes.
The Cat From Outer Space 1978
Imagine a movie about a talking magical alien cat. What if there was a planet filled with cats that were so highly intelligent that they moved things with their minds? No need for opposable thumbs!
Disney’s The Cat From Outer Space is “Supurr-natural.” Yes, I am quoting that line from the trailer. The humans in this movie are your typical scientists, not skeptical at all that a cat can talk and move things with its mind. That’s what I love about scientists: they’ll believe anything!
Best of all are the special effects. Sometimes you can’t even see the wires carrying that physicist through the air! And when Jake (the alien cat) uses his powers to freeze bad guys, the pixels get a bit fuzzy, but it takes a ton of talent to stand that still.
Blackbeard’s Ghost 1968
What if the ghost of a pirate could free himself of a curse by helping others? The mostly drunk, but lovable, Blackbeard the Pirate is my favorite ghost of all time. He fights in his sleep, sings all day and night, and behaves a bit like a toddler who doesn’t get what he wants.
Just try not to laugh when you see how confused the mobsters are when the track coach is able to take them out using his hands in the form of a gun while saying “pow pow.” I would have loved to be in the room when the writers and actors were thinking up this scene.
I need a break from realistic. These quirky and of off-the-wall ideas remind me to be more playful, laugh at silliness, and take myself, and others, a lot less seriously. Some would say life is so confusing as it is, and I agree. Lets stop trying to figure everything out and think of some fun stories to tell instead.
What are some of your favorite story lines? Leave a comment and we could try to guess the movie!