Films That Transport

Peter Pan

Words by: Kavita Patel

Peter Pan has always been a huge inspiration to me while growing up. The sense of adventure and imagination always comforted and encouraged my urge to explore. Whilst growing up after having watched Peter Pan, exploring the playground was always a walk in the park. Monkey bars, climbing frames and huge slides were nothing compared to the adventures Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. They were a leading role model to my younger self, encouraging me to pursue my dreams and believe in myself, no matter what I faced.

Furthermore, Peter Pan has become a cultural icon in symbolising youthful innocence and scapism, these are crucial elements for a child growing up. The novel shows the reader that we cannot stay young forever, and for or my younger self, it allowed me to approach getting older as a new adventure. Rather than feeling frightened and anxious approaching change, I was able to embrace opportunity and plummet into whatever life threw at me. There is an array of guidance throughout the film, acts of perseverance and an explicit display of friendship. The film spoke out to me as an indication to take time choosing and building relationships, whether it be friends or love interests. However, the distinguishing factor to my younger self will always be entering Neverland and discovering a new world. I believe it’s what sparked my creative interest as a child, entering a world where you can fly, and fairies exist. This creative pathway has stuck with me throughout and held a significant impact on further decisions such as studying Creative Writing at University and exploring the adventure/fantasy genre.

Whilst Peter Pan was an inspiring children’s novel to my younger self, it is the most important film to me because it illustrates the inevitable act of growing old and leaving childhood behind. It established a realistic view on the world and in this sense differs to other fairy tales. It was always my favourite to watch in comparison to fancy princesses, who needed rescuing. As an adult I still consider it a remarkable film and a life-lesson experience to watch. Peter Pan highlights the necessity independence, braveness and courage that is a strong message throughout the novel to a universal audience. For this reason, it remains to be a nostalgic and sentimental film, transforming me into my childhood continuously whenever I have a chance to relive the fiction film.

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

Words by: Amy Wild

When most people think of nostalgic films, they think of classic children’s films like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory or Alice In Wonderland, especially from someone whose favourite film is About Time. Still, a film that takes me back to my childhood is the original Star Wars trilogy, more specifically, Return Of The Jedi.

I think everyone will agree that the original Star Wars trilogy was groundbreaking in its time and still holds up remarkably well against more recent films. Watching the original trilogy for the first time blew my tenyear-old brain; from then on, it consumed my personality for a couple of years. I particularly liked Return Of The Jedi, but I think this is mainly due to the cute Ewoks.