Chasing Childhood

School's out and detention is in! This week we're kicking off a mini marathon of old school classics that we have never seen before with The Breakfast Club (1985). Five students with completely different backgrounds, personalities, and motivations all wind up in detention for equally different reasons. While total opposites on the surface, each of them soon learn that perhaps they have far more in...

We're the gift that keeps on giving! As a triumphant finale to the holiday season, we're ringing in the new year with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). Clark Griswold is the ultimate family man who dreams of putting on the sort of extravagant and heartfelt Christmas celebration that his parents gave to him as a child. The only problem? He's up against bickering (and unexpected) family...

All aboard! We can't let the holidays go just yet so we're taking a ride on The Polar Express (2004). Based on the children's book of the same name, this story follows Hero Boy in his quest to determine whether he believes in Santa Claus and the Christmas spirit. Approached by a mysterious train in the middle of the night, our unnamed protagonist climbs aboard and is met with several zany characte...

Happy Holidays, childhood chasers! We're rounding out this year's Christmas countdown with a beloved favorite from our childhood, The Santa Clause (1994). Scott Calvin is a selfish and arrogant toy salesman who consistently lets down his young son Charlie. While spending Christmas Eve together, the pair wind up in a hectic adventure that involves Santa falling off their roof, an impromptu visit to...

We love smiling, smiling's our favorite! This week we're putting on our bright yellow tights and hopping through crosswalks to review a modern Christmas classic: Elf (2003). After being accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby, Buddy is raised by Santa's elves without ever knowing that he is actually a human man. Once he learns about his previous life in New York City and that his biol...

This week we're telling ghost stories on the pod... Sort of. We're actually comparing two versions of the same tale: Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) and The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992). Both tell a timeless Charles Dickens story that has been recreated at least a thousand times over: a heartless rich guy named Scrooge screws over everyone in his life and hates all forms of joy. On Christmas Eve...

Careful! You'll shoot your eye out with this episode! We're kicking off our holiday season with the tried and true classic, A Christmas Story (1983). In 1940s Indiana, young Ralphie Parker is determined to get a Red Ryder bb gun for Christmas by any means necessary, even if that means begging his parents, recruiting his teacher, and making a last ditch effort to plead his case before Santa. This h...

Is Jack Frost nippin' at your nose? It's the final week of our November watchlist and we're sliding into the holiday season with a new flick called Rise of the Guardians (2012). Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy are each guardians of children all over the world, but their efforts are threatened by the fear loving boogeyman known as Pitch Black. Desperate to find a way to...

This week we're drinking some high quality H2O and rewatching an Adam Sandler classic better known as The Waterboy (1998). Naïve yet kind Bobby Boucher was sheltered from the world by his overprotective mother and now at thirty-one years old he has never left home, still believes that alligators use toothbrushes, and is a heavily abused waterboy for the local college football teams. Everything cha...

Left Side! Strong Side! It's football season everybody and this week we're literally kicking off with one of the most beloved football films of all time: Remember The Titans (2000). Based on a true story from 1971 about Herman Boone, a newly instated African American football coach who leads his recently integrated high school team to history making glory. This movie is highly praised for its powe...

¡Feliz Día de Muertos! We're welcoming in November with another modern movie, this time from Pixar! So grab your guitars because it's time to review Coco (2017). Long ago, the Rivera family were forced to become shoemakers after their father and husband abandoned them for a musician's life of fame. Mama Imelda, the matriarch, henceforth banned music and her hatred of it spanned several generations...

For the first time in CC history, we're ending our Halloween Countdown with a brand new movie! It's time to venture back to Salem and watch Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). It's been 29 years since the Sanderson Sisters were resurrected by the black flame candle to eat Salem's children and maintain their youth, and also 29 years since they were finally destroyed for good... Or so everyone thought! In this ve...

Knock knock! Who's there? It's us, back with another episode of our Halloween Countdown! This week we're making a pitstop at The Haunted Mansion (2003). When workaholic real estate agent Jim winds up trapped inside of a freakishly haunted property with his wife Sara and two kids, he's forced to confront both his disbelief in the paranormal and the true meaning of family. There are plenty of ghouls...

It's a double feature for week 2 of our Halloween Countdown! We're kicking off with a spooky Boy Meets World episode titled "And Then There Was Shawn" (1998), followed by the DCOM that scarred us for life called Don't Look Under The Bed (1999). "And Then There Was Shawn" is often considered one of the most beloved Halloween episodes for a sitcom TV show, paying homage to the greatest slasher flick...

Did you miss us?? After taking a month long hiatus, we're back and better than ever to kick off our yearly countdown to Halloween! This week we're starting with a Tia and Tamera DCOM better known as Twitches (2005). It's a TV movie centers around twin sisters who were separated at birth and coincidentally find one another in a department store, only to discover that they're witches with a powerful...

WE DID IT!! 100 episodes!! We can't believe that we made it this far and still have such a wonderful audience out there listening, supporting, and sharing our content. This episode is a reflection of the last 100 conversations, laughs, and cringes that we've been through together. Special guests Jackie and Tyler make their big return along with Maya's Corner and voice submissions from all of you!...

We're finishing off Action Movie August with a ROARING classic called Jurassic Park (1993). When a bunch of ancient dinosaur DNA is discovered by scientists, billionaire John Hammond makes the bold (or arrogant?) decision to clone these animals for an interactive island theme park. He invites paleontologists, mathematicians, and even his own grandkids to explore the miraculous, and then suddenly d...

It's your friendly neighborhood podcast hosts back again to celebrate Action August with a web-slinging favorite: Spider-Man (2002). Peter Parker is a shy, genius teenager who enjoys photography and is in love with his next door neighbor Mary Jane, but unfortunately she doesn't notice him at all. After being bitten by a genetically mutated spider while on a science field trip, he finds himself imb...

Autobots, roll out! We're kicking off Action August with the iconic summer blockbuster that is Transformers (2007). This story centers around Sam and Mikaela, two teenagers who find themselves caught up in a harrowing and complicated war between robotic aliens. The twist? These robots can assume the shape of any cars, trucks, planes, helicopters... and even scorpions?? Transformers took the entire...

We're rounding out this month of sequels with a wild direct-to-video flick known as An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000). Despite being a questionable sequel since it never references the original, in this version Max is headed off to college with his friends and Goofy once again struggles with the idea of his son growing up. After a series of events, Goofy (in full 70s aesthetic) winds up at the same...

Happy Christmas in July! To celebrate, we're revisiting the same franchise that we chatted about this time last year with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Once again Kevin's parents have left him behind on a family vacation, only now he isn't in his suburban Chicago home and instead finds himself wandering the mean streets of New York City. Unfortunately for Kevin, but fortunately for our fu...

Ready to go back to Pride Rock? This week we're continuing our month of sequels with The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). Simba and Nala are all grown up in the second installment of this series, only now they face a struggle between ruling over the kingdom and keeping an eye on their rebellious daughter Kiara. When the young lioness finds herself wrapped up in an unexpected romance with Scar's...

Who else is ready to go mattress surfing? You'd better strap in because we're starting our month of sequels with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). Princess Mia is back in action to learn some new royal duties, this time in the beautiful country of Genovia where everyone is vying for a chance at the throne. Threatened with only 30 days to get married before she's forced to abdicate,...

This week we're exploring some "growl power" with one of our favorite DCOMs from childhood: The Cheetah Girls (2003). It's the story of an exceptionally talented and diverse girl group at a Manhattan performing arts school who want to make their dreams of fame and fortune come true. Unfortunately their path to success is riddled with creepy record producers, inflated egos, and personal life strugg...

It's a jungle out here at Chasing Childhood this week as we review the first installment of a major 00s franchise with Madagascar (2005). Through a series of unfortunate events, four animals (a zebra, lion, hippo, and giraffe) from the Central Park Zoo wind up ship wrecked on the island of Madagascar where they battle against each other and the dangers of the wild. This animated comedy is 100% sta...