CMT - James and the Giant Peach

Films often portray worlds like our own. Those worlds have similar settings, and they may have similar rules. As a result they're easy to understand, but they're subject to boundaries which limit their narrative options.

Generally, stories try to suspend our disbelief. If they're successful, we feel the drama and find ourselves engrossed. It's a tried and true way to entertain, but there's always more than one method. Fairy tales evoke a childlike amazement, to the stories that we disbelieve.


Classic Movie Trailers - James and the Giant Peach (1996)


Magic is tough for me to wrap my brain around. As a viewer I can take it as it comes, but I'm an author as well and I've had some trouble with it. If there was a way to firmly define it, I would find it more interesting. If there were concrete limits and weaknesses to know, my scientific brain would be content.

I realize that line of thinking may be missing the point. What good is the device if we cripple and restrain it? Why turn fantasy into hard science fiction? It's there to break the rules, not to be subject to them.

Alice swallowed a potion and shrunk to the size of a mouse. Then she ate a cake and grew into a giant. Did you ever wonder about the logic of Wonderland? Maybe you've tried to find some sort of reason in that madness. I doubt it exists but if it does, knowing it might ruin the fun.

I caught myself watching this film and being confused, by things I shouldn't be thinking about. I wanted to know how a flock of birds could carry a peach the size of a house. It didn't make any sense, but in the moment I failed to realize that none of it did. It took a long while, for me to finally stop expecting some logic.

I think I need to sit down with Dr. Seuss, and unlearn some ingrained habits. I'm far removed from my childhood, and I've gained wisdom with the loss of something else. My imagination is strong as ever, but it's inside a brain that wants to peak behind the curtain and expose the trick, in the magician's chest. I wonder if the Doctor will prescribe green eggs and ham.

When it comes down to it, sometimes you have to check your reasoning at the door. If we are even to enjoy musicals, critical thinking is an archenemy. People don't stop often and burst into song. When that actually does happen, they won't be singing such situational lyrics.

So if I've learned anything from "James and the Giant Peach", I've learned that you can lose your sense of wonder. I'd like to think that you can retrieve it, with constant practice and determination. What comes naturally to kids can be a trial for adults. We know knowledge will set us free, but ignorance is still bliss; it's nonsensical, but somehow it's true.



Trailer Here.


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See "James and the Giant Peach" on Netflix!

Next Week: The start of a New Year and a New Double Feature! We start with Disney's "Robin Hood", followed by Kevin Costner in "Robin Hood".