This great little Disney movie has an outstanding message. When an adult Russ Duritz discovers an eight year old version of himself standing on his front porch, he doesn't recognize his boyhood personage. He has grown to become a markedly successful loser, a markedly successful liar.
He and his younger self embark on a journey of discovery in which Russ digs out unpleasant memories from his past, examines them from an adult perspective and files them away understood and resolved.
It is a painful, humorous, emancipating process told with a delight and whimsy that is sure to make the movie a classic. When I first watched it, I found it enjoyable, heart warming. As I've watched and imagined it since, it has become cathartic and catalyzing. I too, have baggage I've carried from childhood that I've not examined from a more mature perspective. I too, have given up on core dreams and values that might have fulfilled me and brought me joy. I too, have struggled with relationships that have been harmed by lack of perspective and unfair judgments. I too, have fears and prejudices that keep me from taking the plunge into full and purposeful living.
My childhood dreams were not the same as Russ Duritz's but they were just as real and just as vital to my present happiness as his were to him. There is great comfort in the message of The Kid; which is that it is never too late to reconnect with those dreams. In a very poignant way, I think this is part of what Jesus meant when He admonished us to "become as a little child."
Watch this movie, if you already have, watch it again. See if it doesn't stimulate a heart deep longing for what you always knew really matters.
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