Movie Mania

At around the age of one and a half, each of my children seems to become addicted to one particular movie. If given the choice of watching television, they will consistently ask to watch their favorite movie, again, and again and well, again.

With Aidan, it was all Toy Story, all the time. We watched Toy Story 2 day in and day out, to the point where I was convinced I could do a dramatic reenactment of the whole movie. Despite his having seen the movie at least a million and one times, Aidan always acted as if it was his very first screening of Buzz and Woody. He would gasp with fear when Buzz was in peril. He would yell at the tv, “Run, Buzz, Run!” when Buzz battled evil Zurg. And he would breathe huge sighs of relief when Buzz was safe and sound.

My least favorite part of Aidan’s Toy Story movie obsession was his love for the Toy Story DVD case. He refused to go anywhere, anytime without the empty movie case in hand. And in a society obsessed with discussing how their children aren’t ALLOWED to watch tv, I really stood out as THAT mother at playgroup watching my child climb up a slide clutching a worn dvd case in his hand and yelling “Buzz!” to anyone who would listen. (I didn’t make many mommy friends from that playgroup. It’s hard to wonder why.)

While Brennan shared Aidan’s love for Buzz and Toy Story, his first favorite movie was Monsters Inc. He would repeatedly ask to watch Monsters Inc. over and over in his baffling toddler Boston, Massachusetts’s area accent: “Monstahs, Momma!” “MONSTAHS!” Every time the movie began, Brennan would wiggle excitedly to the jazz music played over the opening credits. As the music died down, Brennan would turn, look at you seriously, place his finger over his lips and whisper, “Shhhhh, monstahs. Shhhh.” He would watch with rapt attention as the new monster bumbled through the opening scene, falling over himself in hysterical giggles at the slapstick antics.

About halfway through Brennan’s Monstahs obsession, we ran into a little snag. We didn’t actually own the Monster’s Inc. dvd. We had recorded it on our tivo and saved it for all eternity to watch over and over and over at will. Right up until our Tivo died, taking the beloved Monstahs with them.

Brennan was not amused. And at the time, Monster’s Inc. was, for whatever reason, not an easy movie to track down. The day I found it, at Wegmans of all places, I felt as if I had struck gold. Chris acted like I won the lottery when I showed him the dvd. And Brennan happily shushed us all so he could, once again, watch his Monstahs.

Griffin has followed the tradition of his brothers. While he enjoys the Monstahs and loves him some Buzz action, he has chosen Ratatouille as his first addiction. The first thing he asks for in the morning and the show he begs us for when he gets home from school is “Tooie”. He will grab your hand, pull you into the playroom, point at the television and ask sweetly, “Tooie? Tooie Momma?” Once we acquiesce to his request, he curls up in his toddler chair, rubs his blanket across his cheeks and raptly, devotedly watches his “Tooie.”

Thankfully, Griffin’s older brothers have good naturedly endured the multiple viewings of “Tooie” day in and day out. Perhaps, because they remember their own similar movie obessions from their glory days.