Hallmark Goes to the Movies

"Follow the yellow brick road."
The film The Wizard of Oz, based on a book by L. Frank Baum, premiered in 1939. It tells the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas lost over the rainbow in the land of Oz. With the help of three friends, her dog Toto, and a good witch, she finally realizes there's no place like home. The film became a beloved classic after it began appearing annually on television beginning in 1956.

"After all, tomorrow is another day."
Margaret Mitchell wrote the epic romance novel Gone with the Wind in 1936. Three years later, David O. Selznick adapted it into a Hollywood blockbuster. Set in the American South during and just after the Civil War, the film depicts the life of Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a plantation owner. The novel and film have since come under criticism for their depictions of African Americans.

"Round up the usual suspects."
Casablanca, filmed and set during World War II, has become a movie classic. In December 1941, the cynical American expatriate Rick Blaine runs a small nightclub and casino where nightly intrigue, deception, and love boil. Vichy French and Nazi officials look to detain a fugitive resistance leader and his wife--Rick's former lover. But who can you trust with your escape? Only Rick knows.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."
Frank Capra directed and produced It's a Wonderful Life in 1946. The main character George Bailey contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve and wishes he had never been born. A novice guardian angel--looking to earn his wings--saves George by showing him how many lives he has touched. The film received mixed reviews when first released. Today, it is a Christmas season classic.

"And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss, the spell shall break."
Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty in 1959. The animated film is based on a 17th-century fairytale: Princess Aurora is cursed to die before reaching her 16th birthday--but good fairies soften the spell, and Aurora will only sleep until she is kissed by her true love. A box-office failure, the film is now recognized as an artistic animated classic.

"All together now."
Yellow Submarine, the Beatles' fourth film, was released in 1968. It is a fancifully animated feature film where the band members--John, Paul, George, and Ringo--battle music-hating Blue Meanies to save Pepperland, all to a soundtrack of new Beatles songs and recent hits. The quality of the flashy psychedelic artwork and catchy tunes made the film an instant success--and an inspiration for future animators.

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."
Star Wars, George Lucas's masterwork, burst onto the screen in 1977, and audiences loved it. The story involves a small group of rebels led by Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, fighting the evil galactic Empire. Luke also is taught the way of the Force--a mythical power wielded by the Jedi. The low-budget movie became an instant classic, and Lucas turned it into a multimedia franchise.

"E.T. phone home."
Steven Spielberg introduced Americans to an outer space visitor in the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In the story, E.T. is accidentally left behind on Earth; and a young boy, Elliot, lures the lost alien to his home. A friendship ensues between E.T. and Elliot, who also feels lost in his broken family. Elliot helps E.T. call his ship while outwitting government agents bent on capturing the extra-terrestrial.

"He slimed me."
Ghostbusters became a cultural phenomenon after its release in 1984. This comedy follows a group of parapsychologists as they battle spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal apparitions invading New York City. Could it get worse? How about a giant marshmallow man? So, if there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?

"Remember who you are."
Walt Disney released The Lion King in 1994--part of a resurgence of successful animated Disney films in the 1980s and 1990s. Simba, a lion cub, will one day rule his African kingdom. But when his father, Mufasa, is killed by a devious uncle--and convinces Simba that he is to blame--Simba runs away. Later, with his people in trouble, he returns, learns the truth, and becomes the ruler he was meant to be.

"To infinity and beyond!"
Toy Story, released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1995, was Pixar Animation Studio's first full-length film and the first entirely computer-animated feature film. Audiences loved it. Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space action figure, vie for the affection of Andy, the child who owns them. Mishaps occur, threatening both toys until they learn truths about being a toy and the joys of friendship.

"One Ring to rule them all!"
Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein's epic fantasy adventure, became a blockbuster three-film series released from 2001-2003. Frodo Baggins, a small hobbit and unlikely hero, begins a quest to destroy the ring of power. But he is not alone. With the help of Elves, Dwarves, a wizard, and his friends, Frodo faces the evil that wants to enslave Middle Earth and his home.

"Ogres are like onions!"
DreamWorks Animation released Shrek, a computer-animated feature film, in 2001. The fantasy fairy-tale comedy follows Shrek, an ogre who wants to live alone. But other fairy-tale characters, forced from their homes, overrun his swamp. To save his home, he is given a quest to find a princess. Shrek rescues the princess (with the help of a tagalong Donkey), finding love and friendship along the way.

"The truth is... I am Iron Man."
Iron Man, released in 2008, was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe--a media franchise based on a shared universe centered on superhero characters found in Marvel Comics. In the film, wealthy military arms manufacturer and businessman Tony Stark becomes Iron Man. He is a complex, flawed, and at times, vulnerable character--traits found in many Marvel Comics superheroes.