Puppy Love

Now that my oldest is five, I've been letting him watch a bunch of Disney movies, especially the older ones. The other day I was thinking about my favorite movies as a kid, and why I liked them.

I realized that the movies I loved all had something in common.

The hero.

Yes, my twistedness started young. Some of my favorite heroes were Charlie the ex-con dog (All Dogs Go To Heaven), Butch the street-smart dog (Lady and the Tramp) and Robin the saving-the-poor and antagonizing-the-rich fox (Robin Hood).

These characters are wild and flirtatious. Charmers.

What do your favorite childhood cartoon heroes say about you? Have your tastes matured? (unlike mine? Heehee.)

Comments

Tabitha Bird said…
I liked the Tramp in Lady and the Tramp and have like the bad boy in every movie since. So no, I guess my tastes have not changed much :)
Jessica Nelson said…
Bad Boys.... *obsessed sigh*
I love them too.
LOL
Tamika: said…
I loved Lady and the Tramp, such a bad boy! But isn't that what makes the story. Yep, I agree.

I haven't matured much, sorry Jessica.
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Tamika, I'm just glad I'm not the only one. :-)
I love Disney!!! My first thought was the Tramp too! We love our bad boys, don't we? lol

I do love the Prince in Sleeping Beauty though. When he steps into the waltz in the forest...sigh...I love that!
Katie Ganshert said…
Have you ever watched The Newsies? HA! I cannot believe I'm admitting this! But I had the HUGEST crush on the hero...the dude who plays batman now. Can't remember his name. He was sort of wild and carefree and I just had a huge crush on him.
Terri Tiffany said…
lol I have always hated cartoons when my daughter was little--and I can't really think of any I loved! Am I sick or what??
Jessica Nelson said…
Sherrinda, I just watched Sleeping Beauty the other day. I'm not sure I saw it as a kid, but I'll admit the prince had a really nice voice. :-)

Katie, I've heard of that movie but never saw it. Wild and carefree, definitely crush-worthy. LOL

Eeeek! Terri, I CANNOT believe you dared to admit such a thing on my blog. LOL!!!
anita said…
Well, my life was saturated with Disney characters (they're the only movies dad would let us watch when we were intsy). :-)

I loved all the same ones you named, Jessie. The bad boys always did it for me, too. But I must admit having a thing for each and every prince charming as well. Cinderella's, Sleeping Beauty's, and Snow White's.

Oh, and a more contemporary hero that I LOVED was Tarzan, in Disney's newest version. HE was drawn SOOOO hot with all those muscles. Heh. Oh, and I liked that he was gentle, yet wild and untamed, all rolled into one. SIGH...
Jody Hedlund said…
Too cute, Jessica. I think Disney has romance in most of their kid's movies--even the ones with animal characters! That's probably why we sappy romance lovers like them as much as our kids!
Funny you should mention Disney...we just returned from there. I always answer this question to my girls by saying Belle b/c she loves to read. Simple, I know. But it explains it.
~ Wendy
My favorite is Cinderella and next would be Bambi. I love animal movies and always have to have a box of tissues near by!
brenda minton said…
Wow, a trip back to the 70s...
Thunder (a horse always there to rescue but never having a home)
Run Joe Run (German Sheperd always there to rescue, but never able to find his owner)
Benji (always lost and trying to find his way home)

I hope there are no psychologists reading this; remember, I was 10.
Later on my mom taught me an important lesson: John not Ponch, Luke, not Beau.
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Anita! I never saw the Tarzan... Funny, princes don't do it for me, but evidently quite a few like them. :-)

Jody: I know, right? There's always a great romance in a Disney movie. :-)

Actually, All Dogs Go To Heaven isn't a Disney movie. Just thought I'd throw that out there since I didn't in my post. :-)

Wendy, I LOVE the reading heroines. Sassy heroines are fun, but I relate better to the bookworms. LOL

So you're a crier, huh Donna? *grin*
Sarah Forgrave said…
Hmmm, The only cartoon I remember watching regularly was the Flintstones, but I'm not sure Fred is my ideal hero. Maybe I secretly like that caveman kind of guy. :-)
Jaime Wright said…
I had a crush on Aladdin. Does that say anything about me? :)
Happily Ever Afters have always gotten me. Guess I can't handle sadness well.
Jennifer Shirk said…
LOVE Disney!

I'm a fan of the Beast in the Beauty and the Beast. It's kind of got a redemption story about it. I like that he's all surly in the beginning but that love changes him. *sigh*
Linda Kage said…
In my almost-teen years, I remember watching movies like "Mannequin," "Dirty Dancing," and "Romancing the Stone." And if you think about it, all those heroes were average guys that has a couple strikes against them, but ended up doing something brave, heroic and totally romantic.
My all time hero: Bugs Bunny. He's my man, all the way. Suave, debonair, witty...And I don't really know if my tastes have changed or not. Probably not because I still love him!
LOL! You're so sweet and honest. It's refreshing, how you peel the outer layer back and let us see you. *hugs*

Hmm... My heroes? I'd really have to think about that. No, no. It just came to me. The underdogs. ALWAYS rooted for the underdogs. Felt a huge, warm spot in my heart for them. Yep, that's it.
LOL! You're so sweet and honest. It's refreshing, how you peel the outer layer back and let us see you. *hugs*

Hmm... My heroes? I'd really have to think about that. No, no. It just came to me. The underdogs. ALWAYS rooted for the underdogs. Felt a huge, warm spot in my heart for them. Yep, that's it.
Danyelle L. said…
I loved Robin Hood as a child. :)

My favorites have to have a sense of humor. Once they have that, it's all good. :D
Angie Muresan said…
You won't believe this, but we didn't have a TV while we were kids. Sorry, I really have no cartoon heros. :( But have plenty of real life ones. :)
Cindy R. Wilson said…
Fun question. I totally remember All Dogs Go To Heaven!

I was thinking about Beauty and the Beast the other day. Yeah, it's a little more recent than some of the others but I think I really relate to heroes that are the underdog. That have to go through a huge transformation to become who we know they're supposed to be.
Jessica Nelson said…
Hi Cindy, I liked Beauty and the Beast too. Beast is so wounded by his own flaws that we really root for him to overcome himself, right?

Angie, that was probably a good thing for you. LOL!

Danyelle, you're right. :-) A sense of humor is a must!

Awww, Janna. I love how some of you root for the underdogs. :-) You're the sweet and honest one! I think you might've rubbed off on me? LOL
Jessica Nelson said…
Kristen, TOO funny! Bugs would never even cross my mind as a hero. LOL!

Linda, those are all great guys! And stories. The hero is a normal guy, but I always think there's something that sets him apart, raises him just a tad higher. Like in Dirty Dancing, he has a reputation, he's wild, but he's an honest worker, and passionate. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
Brenda, LOL, I was thinking the same thing about my crushes and psychologists. :-)

Hi Sarah, Fred wouldn't be my kind of guy either. lol So you never watched any Disney movies at all??? There's a lot of really good ones, old and new.

Jaime, I'm pretty sure it does! LOL
Jessica Nelson said…
Eileen, that's why we write romance. :-) I can't handle sadness very well either. Have you ever seen the movie Legends of the Fall? I watched that in ninth grade and it left me really, really sad. In a serious funk that lasted for almost two days. It was ridiculous, but I learned my lesson and now I'm really careful what I watch.
Besides, there's way too many REAL sad things in this world. Don't want it in my entertainment.

Hey Jennifer,
You're so right about the redemption. My aunt told her daughter that Beauty and the Beast was kind of like Jesus, and how Jesus's love changes us from a selfish beast to beautiful and giving. :-)
Natalie said…
I liked the princesses and I still do :)
Patti said…
I agree with natalie and even more so as I watch my 7 year old daughter love them as well.
Genny said…
One of my favorite things about having kids has been getting to watch all those movies over again. I love all of them. :)
Diane said…
I guess my idea was the Prince Charming type to wisk me away from any troubles that came my way. Not a good initial ideal. No true life hero can ever always live up to that! :O)
No contest - the prince in Cinderella. :)

Blessings,
Susan
Dara said…
I like a variety of heroes. :P I love Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty. Wouldn't you know it, my husband's name is Phillip too :P
Pen Pen said…
Great movies! 'Bella Notte' from 'Lady and the Tramp' is still one of my fav songs! :) We watched the movie and had spaghetti with meatballs one night when I was younger, and I would still love to do that now!

I really loved Jeremy-the funny crow-from 'The Secret of Nimh', Meeko- the funny raccoon from 'Pocahontas', Foofur-the funny, stray dog from 'Foofur'(not disney), and the fairies who make the birthday cake with magic and shrink themselves in 'Sleeping Beauty' when I was younger. So- I guess I was a fan of funny, magical characters...and ones who baked(that's funny to realize now)! :)
Tana said…
Oh Jessica, you do like the naughty boys don't you? Sadly I've learned the hard way they are mostly naughty and revert to this as a coping mechanism. Ahem.
Nancy J. Parra said…
Hi Jessica, I like Beauty and the Beast- so funny and so wonderful.

Thanks for posting and the memory. Cheers!
Gwen Stewart said…
Fun post, Jessica, I love it! My fave heroines were the damsels in distress...lonely, bereft, etc. Yeah, I have to work really hard to make my females proactive and strong. But I keep on keepin' on!

Have a great night!
Krista Phillips said…
I dunno... my tastes ran towards Cinderella... Sleeping Beauty... Beauty and the Beast...

I liked the heroine and the hero... really, it was the romance I looked for.

Go figure!
Jessica Nelson said…
Natalie and Patti, I'm not sure my boys even notice the princesses. LOL I always loved Ariel from the Little Mermaid the best.

Genny, it is kind of fun. :)

LOL Diane! You're right, of course. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
Susan, that's so sweet. Why do you think you love him the best?

Dara, too funny! Coincidence? I think not... LOL

Pen Pen, that is funny, esp. the baking thing. Some of those characters you named I don't even recognize. LOL Guess we notice different things. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
T. Anne!!! LOL, don't burst my little bubble. Don't worry though. I'm married and while my hubby is a "bad boy" in a number of ways, flirtatious cheat isn't part of that. Thank goodness. I totally get your point. I guess that's why we write those men in romances, because we know in real life they're heartbreakers.

Nancy, glad it brought back good memories. :-)

Gwen, you never know, that kind of heroine might make a comeback. Look at Bella in Twilight. The young girls who love her will eventually be women who might enjoy the same kind of adult heroine.

Krista, no story is as good withoug romance, imo. LOL
Nancy said…
When I was a little girl, I loved the princesses, especially Cinderella. I also loved very much Lady from Lady and the Tramp. It's when I got older that I started liking the boys. I also love Newsies. The dancing in that movie is fabulous and great songs. What a rouser! Does anyone remember Big Red? Now that was a cute boy. He wasn't bad,just French. That's good enough.
Jessica Nelson said…
I never paid attention to the heroines. I was boy crazy in kindergarten. LOL
So I guess I need to see that movie, Newsies? It sounds good. :-)
Deb Shucka said…
When you said Disney movie my mind went straight to Hayley Mills - Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, The Trouble With Angels. Oh how I wanted to be her.
Julie Dao said…
I LOVED "All Dogs Go To Heaven"! When my dog died three years ago, I pulled that movie out and it brought back a lot of good memories :) I was a princess kid myself, although my favorite heroine was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" - she was smarter, brighter, and more independent than the others. I also liked Ariel and Cinderella a lot.
Jessica Nelson said…
Deb, whatever happened to her? I really liked those movies too.

Julie, Belle was pretty smart. :-) And feisty. LOL
Warren Baldwin said…
Movies in general - cowboy movies. Still like 'em.

Disney specifically - Old Yeller. The hero character for me was the older son who lived up to an awesome level of responsibility.
Jessica Nelson said…
Thanks for sharing Warren! I never watched Old Yeller because I don't want to cry. :-(
Project Journal said…
Hey Jessica!
Man, I'm hitting this really late! Lol....sorry!

Hmmmmm Disney heroes? It's not a cartoon, but I had(or have, what's the difference!!??) a HUGE crush on Jessie Tuck from Tuck Everlasting *big grin* He's really cute : ) I have always loved Beauty and the Beast. I love Beast's quiet loving/caring side.

However, I must admit that it's a bit hard to list cartoon cuties/heroes, when there are so many in the movies I watch more nowish : ) *daydreaming....* There are WAY too many to name!
Great idea for a post!
Hannah
Project Journal said…
Oh yeah, almost forgot Hercules!! I loved both him and Meg, they were a great couple. I, too, love the underdogs : ) Still do, even in a certain someone in real life lol!
Hannah

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