Happy Explorers’ Day!
Whether you observe “Columbus Day” or “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” has become a semantical point of contention within the media right now. I say we take a cue from the delightful Nintendo video game series “Animal Crossing” and celebrate “Explorers’ Day!” Seriously, hear me out on this: we, modern citizens of the United States, would not be here, as in occupying this landmass known as ‘North America,’ had it not been for our ancestors and those intrepid explorers of previous generations. Now, I am not merely talking about the fairly recent historical migration that resulted in the ‘discovery’ of America (whether by Christopher Columbus or the Vikings), but rather thinking about an all-inclusive multi-generational migration celebration that acknowledges all people who migrated to this continent, from the very first people to cross the Bering land bridge some 20,000 years ago to present-day immigrants seeking their own version of the ‘American Dream.’
In honor of Explorers’ Day, I have compiled a list of some ‘exploration themed’ films. Some are traditional action flicks, some are dramatic re-interpretations of historical events, others explore the outer boundaries of space, and still other explore fantasy worlds beyond our wildest imagination. Whatever your genre preference, and regardless of what ‘day’ you observed today, there is probably an exploration film out there for you! Happy Explorers’ Day!
The New World (dir. Terrence Malick, 2006)
Wild (dir. Jean-Marc Vallée, 2014)
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (aka. A Trip to the Moon, dir. Georges Méliès, 1092)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (dir. Henry Levin, 1959)
An American Tail (dir. Don Bluth, 1986)
Alice in Wonderland (dir. Tim Burton, 2010)
Star Trek (all the TV series and films… 1966 – Present)
Around the World in 80 Days (dir. Michael Anderson, 1956)
Galaxy Quest (dir. Dean Parisot, 1999)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (dir. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 2001)
Dead Man (dir. Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Wild America (dir. William Dear, 1997)
What are some of your favorite exploration themed films? What ‘day’ did you observe today? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Copyright © 2019 Sarah Crane
