Movies I Saw in Theatres Part 1: 1990-1999

 Hey everyone! How're you all doing today? I'm doing pretty well. Today I'm talking about movies that I saw in theatres. I've decided to split this into three parts. This week will be part 1 which will cover all the movies I remember seeing in theatres from 1990 to 1999. Then, next week, I'll be covering the movies I got to see in theatres from 2000 to 2009. And then in two weeks I'll cover the movies I saw in theatres from 2010 to 2019. So, let's get into it!

The first movie I ever saw in theatres was the 1990 re-release of Disney's 1967 animated classic, The Jungle Book. I don't remember who took me or what theatre I went to but I do remember Shere Khan attacking Baloo and then I remember seeing him run away after Mowgli had tied the burning branch to his tail. I was only 3 and a half years so I don't really remember much else about that day. All I know is I was home, I was relatively healthy, and apparently able to go see a movie in theatres. I think this movie became my favourite movie of all time because of all of my subsequent viewings on VHS when I got that a year after I saw the movie in theatres.

The next movie I saw in theatres was Jurassic Park in 1993. I was in the hospital alot in 1991 and 1992 so I didn't get to go see movies in theatres in either of those years. Jurassic Park isn't a movie I actually remember very much of in theatres. However the reason I remember I even saw it is because we went to the Drive-In and it was the first movie all five of us went to see together as a family. My sister was only 3 and a half and my brother was almost 2 and a half. Like I said, I don't remember very much about actually seeing it back then because I didn't see it again for 25 years when I got the DVD and then downgraded to the VHS, because Jurassic Park is one of those classic '90s movies that you have to own on VHS if you have a VHS collection.

The following summer, which was the summer of 1994, my mom took my brother, sister, and I to go see the latest Disney animated movie, The Lion King. The theatre at South Keys didn't exist yet so we were still having to go to Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa on Carling Avenue if we wanted to go see movies. Which was a bit of a drive for us since we lived out in the middle of nowhere at that point. This was a transitional summer for me as I was leaving the school at the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre (OCTC) and moving to Greely Elementary School, where I didn't know anyone. I was excited, but also a little nervous because I didn't know if I'd make any friends or not. We saw the movie, got the storybook, got some toys, and had the soundtrack on CD at my grandparents's place. And when I started at my new school that fall, my classmates had Lion King backpacks, and stuffed animals, so I knew I was in good company.

In January 1995 my dad took me to see the first live action movie of The Jungle Book that Disney made, 22 years before the 2016 version. I don't remember anything about the movie or why my dad had tickets for him and I to go see it, or even what theatre we went to. I just remember heading in, seeing that Star Trek Generations and asking my dad if we could see that instead, because it was Star Trek and I had the poster for it on the wall at home so I knew that Kirk AND Picard were both in it. I didn't get to see Generations theatres.

Later that year my family went to see Toy Story. My grandparents took us and it was me, my brother, my sister, and both of my parents who went. And it was glorious. Again, I don't remember exactly what theatre we went to, but, again, South Keys wouldn't exist for like another year or two at this point, so we were still going to the West End to go to the movies. We had a couple of toys from the movie. My brother had a Buzz Lightyear, as did at least one of my classmates at the time, and I had a smaller Hamm the Piggy Bank figure. Eventually we got the movie on VHS and I now have it on VHS and DVD.

A few months after we saw Toy Story my grandparents took my siblings and I to see Muppet Treasure Island, the only Muppets movie that we saw in theatres. We saw the others on TV or on VHS. Same theatre as the previous three movies. Of course I absolutely love the Muppets so getting to see them on the big screen was pretty great especially for a 9 year old. It's also the only movie that I saw in theatres in 1996. That I can recall anyway. That's the thing about childhoods, sometimes memories get mixed up, or you think you saw a movie in theatres when you actually saw it on VHS, so I'm about 99% positive that Muppet Treasure Island was the only movie that I saw in theatres in 1996. 

I didn't see any movies in theatres in 1997. However I did see a movie that came out in 1997 in theatres in 1998. That movie was Titanic (as you can see from the movie poster above). In 1998 I was part of a social group for teenagers with disabilities called Teens First and the outing we had near the end of the group's time together was go see a movie. That movie ended up being Titanic because the girls wanted to see Spice World, which had just come out and there weren't really any movies that appealed to any of us that had a showtime during the period where we'd be having our meeting, so we compromised and saw Titanic. I watched it again on VHS a few years later, but I haven't seen it in about 20 years.

My memories are a bit fuzzy when it comes to seeing Mulan in theatres. I know I saw it with my class at the time, but I don't remember why we even saw it. I remember we read the English translation of the original Chinese ballad way back in like February or March of 1998, but Mulan didn't come out until June 1998, only a week before the school year ended, but I vaguely remember the teacher saying they would still try to take us to see the movie since we'd read the ballad already and the movie wasn't coming out until the end of the school year. So I think that's who I saw it with, rather than my family.

A Bug's Life is another movie I'm a little fuzzy on because it came out late in 1998 and I'm pretty sure we didn't see it until early 1999. I remember the animated short Geri's Game as much as I remember A Bug's Life itself. The part I don't remember is who took my siblings and I to go see it. I don't remember if it was my grandparents or my parents, or all four of them.

The big film that I saw in theatres in 1999 was of course Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. I saw it twice actually. The first time was with my mentor in the Teens First Mentorship program. We went on a Saturday, probably a week or two after it came out. And then the Friday after that my nurse took me and her son to see it after school. Which was awesome. This was also the first Star Wars movie that I saw in theatres since I missed the 1997 Special Edition theatrical re-releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi and the previous theatrical releases were infrequent enough that I didn't get to see the movies until my dad got the VHS box set for Christmas in 1995.

The final movie I saw in theatres in 1999 was Inspector Gadget. I was supposed to see it with my mentor, but ended up seeing it with my dad and my sister because my mentor didn't show up. I enjoyed it even though it was definitely a bit more...involved than the original cartoon was when it came to the characters. Or tried to be afterall. I mean the most involved they got with Dr. Claw was showing his face. That was a mistake on the part of the filmmakers but it was the '90s this kind of movie wasn't quite the norm yet. It was just an interesting choice.

Alright folks, I think I'll cut it off there for this week. I'll be back next time with the movies I got to see in theatres from 2000 to 2009. There are some interesting movies in the bunch next time, with a bit more variety than just some of the major movies to come out of the '90s. So until then have a wonderful evening and I will talk to you all later. Take care.