Inspired by my recent viewing of “The Magic Faraway Tree” (read review here), I have compiled a short list of movies that showcase the gift of childlike wonder. This list is not exhaustive, but it includes movies to consider while instilling wonder in children and helping recapture it in adults.
As Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
What does this mean?
The essence of childlike wonder can be found in a quote from Fr. Mike Schmitz: “The two kinds of people that go around seeing the world as absolutely fascinating are children and saints.”
To see the world as absolutely fascinating is to be open, curious, and aware of the beauty God arrays all around us, ultimately leading us to the marvelous mystery of Himself.
In cinema, childlike wonder is often depicted by exploring the depths of creative imagination through the perspective of a child, accompanied by an enchanting score. These types of movies are not, however, all sunshine and rainbows. They usually start with an encounter with a magical or whimsical creature, land, or situation, and then the protagonist(s) learn tough lessons on growing up.
Growth usually depends on whether or not a character chooses to learn from their experiences or defaults to childishness, primarily marked by self-centeredness. The characters who choose to continue to be childlike end the movie with a newfound sense of wonder, enhanced by their experience.
Here are five movies that capture childlike wonder for your consideration:
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
“E.T.” is more than a movie about an alien who crash-lands in a seemingly normal suburban neighborhood. It is a story that mixes wonder with grief from the perspective of childhood innocence. Young Elliot Taylor (Henry Thomas) misses his father, who has started a new life in Mexico. E.T. (voiced by Pat Welsh) is an alien stranded on Earth who misses home. Both are in awe of each other as Elliot and his siblings learn of E.T.’s special powers, and E.T. is fascinated with what we humans would consider mundane.
The story turns from cute to heart-wrenching as Elliot and E.T.’s bond grows. At first, they share emotions and feelings, but then Elliot starts to feel sick as E.T. becomes ill. Since the practical effects and puppetry are brilliantly displayed, it is tough to watch E.T. wither and die. It is also even more exciting as E.T. recovers and the neighbor children successfully evade the government agents with a little help from E.T.’s telekinetic powers to levitate the kids’ bicycles. As E.T. goes home, Elliot learns that he does not have to be lonely, but is always connected to those he cares about through love.
E.T. is especially poignant because it is shot at the level of a small child, forcing the audience to take that specific point-of-view (POV). John Williams’ orchestral score perfectly captures the emotional journey of the story and aids in making the iconic cinematic moments even more legendary.
2. Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024)
“Harold and the Purple Crayon” turns most conventions of a children’s movie on their head by switching the POV to an adult who has not lost their sense of wonder. The movie quickly shifts from little Harold in the classic beloved book to an adult Harold (Zachary Levi), still in the 2D land of the story and exuding purity, innocence, and creativity. His life changes as the narrative voice of Harold’s “Old Man” (Alfred Molina) goes away. Harold uses his magic crayon to create a portal to the real world to find his old man, a search that mirrors our constant search for God and how it gives context and purpose to our lives.
Since Harold has no understanding of societal conventions, he brings equal amounts of joy and chaos to the people he encounters, not always understanding the impact of his actions. During his misadventures, Harold reanimates the lives of struggling Widow, Terry, and her son, Mel (Benjamin Bottani), with his gift of imagination as the purple crayon’s magic continues to work in the real world. They all discover through a well-meaning but hilariously misguided librarian named Gary (Jemaine Clement) that Harold is indeed from the book Harold and the Purple Crayon and the “Old Man” is the book’s author, Crockett Johnson.
Harold grieves when he learns Crockett Johnson has passed away and all of his creations fade away, including Moose (Lil Rey Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). Gary convinces Harold to surrender the crayon, and then goes on a comically evil spree trying to bring his failed-to-publish fantasy novel world into real life. Mel inspires Harold to believe again, and the group defeats Gary in a creative standoff. Harold returns to the Crockett Johnson Museum to understand more about his creator, and gains a renewed sense of purpose knowing Crockett Johnson made Harold to inspire people to keep imagining the possibilities of what they can accomplish in their lives.
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3. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” is a cautionary tale wrapped up in a chocolate bar of pure imagination. It draws you in with early scenes of chocolate sweets being made, a candy shop where the kids apparently have endless disposable income, the joy of getting a golden ticket, and a charming rendition of “Pure Imagination” by Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) in a dreamlike factory room with a chocolate river and candy literally growing out of trees.
Then, it is purgatory for children. One by one, contestant winners are picked off when their childish tendencies take over. One could say each child’s downfall is flavored with a deadly sin: Augustus Gloop – gluttony; Violet Beauregarde – pride; Veruca Salt – greed mixed with a lust for power; Mike Teevee – sloth.
Grandpa Joe almost leads himself and Charlie to an untimely end when he gets envious of others’ misadventures and steals fizzy lifting drinks. That action fuels Wonka’s wrath towards the end of the movie, but both adults are redeemed by Charlie’s humility. After Charlie returns his everlasting gobstopper, a new sense of wonder emerges, and the remaining characters take a magical ride in the flying Great Glass Elevator.
4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
“My Neighbor Totoro” by Hayao Miyazaki is one of the seminal children’s movies from the Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli. It is a delightful film where the lead girls, Satsuki and Mei, play and imagine to the fullest extent of their imaginations and are protected by the “spirits of the forest,” or Totoro, while their mother is recovering from an unknown illness at a hospital. A slice-of-life film, “My Neighbor Totoro” packs so much richness into exploring life through a child’s eyes as they move through everyday life and encounter the mystical world of Totoro hidden all around them.
Although the movie’s spiritual realm is rooted in animism and Shintoism, it shows how to be docile when encountering the divine and how parents have the primary responsibility to educate their children in faith (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2223). As Satsuki and Mei tell their parents about their encounters with Totoro and other spirits, their parents appropriately play along and even help guide the girls through their interactions with the spiritual world. Notably, the parents do not belittle the girls when they recount their tales, but meet them on their level and guide them in ways they can understand.
In the only real tension in the film, “My Neighbor Totoro” also depicts the difficulty of children bearing deep emotions in tough circumstances. As mentioned, the girls’ mother has been in the hospital with an unnamed illness. Everyone prepares for the mother’s expected arrival home when the news breaks that she has another cold and has to stay in the hospital. Mei, a 4-year-old, immediately laments that it is not fair. Satsuki, a 10-year-old, does her best to calm Mei down but also bears a lot of emotions as the older sister. Mei runs away, and the emotional climax comes when Satsuki eventually finds her through the Catbus spirit. The sisters reconcile and take a wondrous ride on the Catbus to leave their mom some food to get better.
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5. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007)
If there was a movie to put next to “whimsical” in the dictionary, it would be “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.” In an otherwise dull world, the Wonder Emporium is an oasis of childlike wonder. Founded by its eccentric 243-year-old founder, Edward Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), the store curates every kind of magical interaction with a toy that a child can imagine. As quickly as the story inspires your imagination, it also playfully takes you to a sour note: death. Mr. Magorium has almost worn out his last pair of shoes, which quite means he is about to die. Despite the somber news, Mr. Magorium is not afraid of death, but seems to be in a state of grace and is ready to greet it like an old friend.
Not everyone takes the news well. Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), Mr. Magorium’s heir and former piano prodigy who can’t find the right notes to complete her first composition, is not ready for him to go and feels ill-equipped to run the store without him. The store itself begins to throw tantrums and turn gray as Mr. Magorium’s death approaches. In the meantime, Eric (Zach Mills), a young boy and store regular, befriends Henry (Jason Bateman) the square accountant Mr. Magorium hired to assess his legacy, and shows him that the magic of the store is right before you if you just believe.
When all seems lost to Molly after Mr. Magorium’s death, she resigns herself to selling the store. It takes none other than the once-unimaginative Henry to point out to her that her belief in the store’s ability to be is what drives the store’s magic. Even a simple block of wood can be more than a block of wood if one believes. Molly finally finds her melody and uses it to resurrect the store back to life.
