Some of the best movies tell stories that are very familiar. The revenge tale. The underdog. Boy meets girl. The journey home. Surviving against the elements. Cynics might call formulaic films clichés. But people find comfort in the familiar, and good filmmakers can twist the familiar with interesting results. Here are a couple of movies that tell the boy and his dog story, and tell it extremely well.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is one of director Steven Spielberg’s many classics. He tells the story of an alien (dubbed “ET”) who comes to earth to explore (not to conquer or use humans as food!) and accidentally gets marooned near a suburban neighborhood. ET makes his way into the home of Elliot (Henry Thomas), the middle of three children (younger sister Gertie was played by Drew Barrymore, in her first film role) being raised by single mother Mary (Dee Wallace). The relationship between the stressed-out Mary and her children is strained. But Elliot and his mother get closer, in large part because she comes to admire the tenacity with which Elliot protects ET from the horde of scientists who descend on their home to accost the alien.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) is an animated film co-directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. It deserves a place in the upper echelon of family films. The story revolves around a Viking boy named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), who lives in a village beset by dragons who raid it for food. Hiccup’s father is the head honcho and alpha dragon slayer, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Stoick is a single father and he just doesn’t get Hiccup, who is a clumsy warrior better suited for tinkering as a blacksmith. During a dragon raid Hiccup manages to bag one of the most mysterious species of dragons, the “night furies.” Since no one believes in Hiccup, he has to go into the forest the next day for evidence of his trophy. What he finds is a wounded, kind creature that he decides to nurse back to health, rather than slay. The dragon, dubbed “Toothless,” even allows his friend Hiccup to fly him. Of course, things go awry for the Vikings, but Hiccup and Toothless manage to save the day. In the process Stoick lets go of his hatred of dragons and his disappointment in Hiccup, and starts to appreciate the considerable gifts his son has to offer.
Both movies feature thrilling scenes of flight (in E.T. the famous shot of the bicycle soaring across the moon and in Dragon Hiccup’s first sortie atop Toothless). But the key strand of shared DNA across E.T. and Dragon is how a misunderstood, insecure boy grows in confidence through selflessness and the courage required to keep his “dog” hidden from malevolent forces. In both of these films the relationship between boy and “dog” paves the way for a stronger bond between boy and single mother/father (and each boy also starts to connect more with siblings and peers). Be sure to have a box of tissues on hand, because this double-feature will deliver some tearjerker moments.
