As a child of the 90s with many siblings, it was a joy to be the first to sit at the kitchen table on a school morning because it meant I would be the first to read the comics page. I didn't like some of them (sorry, Sally Forth), but some, like Gary Larson's The other side and Bill Watersons Calvin and Hobbesultimately influenced me well into my adult life. Gorgeous, the full body of Calvin and Hobbes was immortalized in a beautiful hardcover book series, and for Black Friday Amazon offers an amazing 63% discount, making the entire library only $83.33.
Calvin and Hobbes stands alone, even without nostalgic glasses. The film's decade-long run from 1985 to 1995 concerns an absolute threat posed by a child named Calvin and his imaginary friend Hobbes, who is projected onto a stuffed tiger. Calvin's imagination is the star of the show; He and Hobbes travel into space, create fearsome snow monsters, have secret superhero identities, and make unlikely inventions out of cardboard. Calvin's parents, often overwhelmed by his antics, still love their son very much – and yet they can't resist messing with him from time to time.
This flick is wholesome, yet honest in a way that many portrayals of childhood and family life in the media can't quite capture. Calvin has problems at school, fights with his parents and thinks girls are disgusting. Watterson's art is perfect at capturing the lightheartedness of childhood adventures. Even on lazy, boring summer days, Calvin is never alone – his jokes with Hobbes are often genuinely laughable, funny, or at least thought-provoking.
