I am a hard-core 90s child. I grew up with a lot of great nostalgic moments, several which involved Robin Williams. When I think back as far as I can to when I first became introduced to Williams, I'm torn between Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire. I can't remember which role I was exposed to first because growing up I didn't always catch on to movies or TV right away. I can remember though seeing these two films at a very young age and always laughing at scenes where Robin Williams shines. I suppose what made him stand out to me was his ability to change personalities so quickly. He always seemed to remind me of a little kid that was on a non-stop sugar rush. To help celebrate his obvious and amazing talent, I spent an entire week watching and reflecting on movies in which he left a strong impact on me. Want to see the list? well here we go:
1. Aladdin & Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Ok before you ask, if you didn't already know this- I'm not including "Return of Jafar" in this list because Williams was not involved in this movie with the role of the Genie. I am including the two films together simply for the sake of being in the same franchise. Ever since Aladdin came out in the early 1990s I've often said if Robin Williams could be animated as a cartoon character then the Genie is it. Disney animators have often said that Genie was created based off of Williams- actions, expressions, character, and personalities. It definitely shows. The clip here shows a few moments for "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" where Williams does some of his best jokes.
This is probably my favorite role from Robin Williams as he portrays a kind, but "hip granny" who hatches up a plan to see his kids everyday while he and his wife go through a messy divorce. The character, Daniel Hillard, loves his children to death and decides he'll do anything to see them despite the objections of the loving, but work-obsessed mom played by Sally Fields. So when the Mom is hiring for a housekeeper to watch the kids, Robin Williams' character applies and gets the job disguised a loving British nanny. This movie hits all the right notes in terms of movie making- there's plenty of funny scenes, but there's also serious and sincere moments throughout the film. Sally Fields and Pierce Brosnan do a great job in their supporting roles and the children in this movie are to die for! It's a slam dunk cast. My favorite scene by far in this film is when a court social worker visits Mr. Hillard's apartment and he's still dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire. He's essentially playing two roles to confuse the social worker. I couldn't find a good clip to accurately show this scene- so the following clip is another favorite scene where Robin Williams just does an improv of several voices. Great stuff!
3. The Birdcage
This movie was hard for me to get into at first just because it was very confusing for me. I saw this movie when I was kid and was very confused by it because while it's a great comedy, there's many adult themes and other moral factors that, well children just don't understand at a young age. I saw this film when I got older and now that I understood the social environments being presented in The Birdcage, it made more sense. If you've never seen The Birdcage- you should, it's great. Robin Williams along with co-star Nathan Lane play a gay couple in South Beach, Florida who own a night-time drag club. When their son wants to marry his girlfriend from college, the men do everything they can to impress the girls' family who has a Republican senator for a father- yeah, this just begs for trouble. Both families go through a series of events involving relationships, scandals, and other humorous adventures all in the name of love, so that the children can get married. To see everything that makes this movie so great just watch this video featuring the best scenes of The Birdcage with Gloria Estefan's "Conga".
4. Ferngully
Ok, I have to admit I honestly forgot that Robin Williams was in this movie until I started going through my collection of movies to write about for this post. Ferngully was one of those underrated 90s kids movies that encouraged children to save the rainforest. It is great movie? Well, it's ok... in my opinion, Robin Williams and Tim Curry make the movie enjoyable. Robin Williams plays a funny bat who escaped a testing lab and lands in Ferngully. He tells the tree fairies, the residents of the land known as Ferngully, about the destruction that humans cause to the environment. Williams' character "Batty" (yeah, real original) befriends one of the fairies and helps them to save Ferngully from an evil pollution monster known as Hexus played by Tim Curry. If you've seen Ferngully chances are there's two things you remember from this film. One you might remember Tim Curry singing about "Toxic Love" and you might remember Batty's Rap- sung by Robin Williams.
5. Flubber
Flubber is another underrated, but still pretty good Robin Williams delight. This was one of Disney's "lesser known" films because I think it didn't really generate a lot of interest at the time. Flubber was a remake of the classic film "The Absent-Minded Professor", in which a scientist accidentally creates this dysfunctional goo. The goo causes all kinds of mischief and crazy stunts. Robin Williams plays the scientist in this film and enjoys interacting with his creation. I have to be honest, I have not seen Flubber in YEARS! I remember watching it and thinking "yeah this movie is ok", but that was it. I recorded it off of Disney channel back when the world still used VHS tapes and until Netflix decides to add it to the collection, that tape as been my only window to this classic. If you've never seen Flubber, it's a good "kill some time" movie. I like the parts where Williams plays around with Flubber in multiple scenes. Without ruining too much of the movie for you, here's a scene with Flubber in full action:
6. Jumanji
Holy crap do I love this movie! When you think of a typical 90s kid, this has got to be one of the movies that comes to mind. When Jumanji first came out, I didn't really know what to make of it- fun, scary, strange, weird, and massive. For being a 90s film, Jumanji was actually a really well-made movie. It had great visuals, good storyline, excellent cast, and a great action adventure built into it. Jumanji is about a game that comes to life and makes the lives of people who play it a living nightmare. Robin Williams plays Alan Perish, a child who disappeared in the 60s after playing the game with his friend Sarah. In 1995, two children find the game and as they play a round they release Alan who was trapped in the world of Jumanji. Alan, Sarah, and the two children play the game in order to fix the mess the game has caused. Robin Williams is a little bit more serious in this film, but he still gets plenty of good laughs throughout the film. I like Williams' role in Jumanji as more of the heroic icon. He's smart, funny, brave, and learns some good lessons throughout the movie. I highly recommend Jumanji for anyone who seeks a movie with an adventure!
7. Hook
The last Robin Williams film I would like to recognize from my childhood is Hook. Unlike the others listed above, this is probably the one film I had literally only seen maybe once or twice. I remember watching it in school because it was movie many of the kids enjoyed and it followed along well with the original Peter Pan stories. In this version of the Peter Pan classic, Robin Williams portrays Peter as a grown-up adult with two children who are kidnapped by a vengeful Captain Hook. In order for Peter to save his kids, he must return to Neverland and remember who he once was. Very similar to Jumanji, I think Hook allowed Williams to have a slightly more serious role. Hook has its fun moments and lots of good laughs watching Williams act throughout the movie. I think what draws me to this film, is the different portrayal of Peter Pan. I mean it reminds me of the "What if?" scenerio. What if Peter grew up? What if Peter had kids? Those questions get answered and what better person to be Peter Pan than the everlasting child himself- remember, I said earlier that Robin Williams often reminded me of a child. Besides who else would better suited to say: "To die would be an awfully big adventure..."
Ok my friends, there you have it! My favorite Robin Williams movies all tied up into my own Creative Cabana tribute to a wonderful mastermind and talent. I cannot express in words how much I will miss this beautiful soul, not just for his laughs and talents. He was also a great human in general- he gave so much to support St. Jude's- a philanthropy which I have personally supported through involvement with Greek Life during my college career. Robin Williams was someone I really hoped to meet one day, for real. There will never be another one like him and I still cannot believe that we will never see his smiling face again until it is time for us to pass on. I pray everyday for his friends and family who struggle with his loss. All I can say is Thank You Mr. Williams, Thank You. Wherever you may be, I hope you have found peace and happiness far beyond what this world could provide.
*All thoughts and comments mentionned in this post are strictly of my own beliefs. These do not reflect those of Robin Williams, his family, friends, co-workers, or entertainment associates. I do not own any of the movies mentionned in this post. All films and clips used belong strictly to their respective filmmakers, and producers. Clips used were published on YouTube from other associate users and have legal right under the Fair Use Act. Images used in this post were gathered from Google Images Search Results. These photos belong to their respective photographers/creators and I take no ownership over these images. No Copyright Infringement Intended.
