Regressing To Childhood?

I spent today unintentionally returning to childhood joys.

It started this afternoon, when in the commuter lounge, my good friend Rob and I confirmed that college-age kids can, in fact, be entertained with LEGO bricks for a substantial length of time. With time on our hands until dinner, no afternoon classes and a heavy rainstorm preventing any outdoor-type activities, we re-discovered the simple joy of building with LEGO- me, a small brick house, he a green lightsabre hilt.

Okay, so the lightsabre wasn't proper LEGO. It was more K'nex. But it was building pieces designed for the amusement of small children and bored post-secondary students.

When we went to Winnipeg later in the afternoon with our mutual friend Dan, our plans involved going to the cheap theatre to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Long story short, that turned into joining the crowd of families going to see the Lion King 3D re-release.

I strongly doubt that we were the only college-age people in the theatre to re-visit this movie, a favourite of mine from the time I first saw it, beyond waking memory. Although I am still amused that Dan and I were the only ones in the entire mostly-full theatre who were singing "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?".

What is it about childhood hobbies and entertainment that draw us adults back to them? Is it a memory of happier, easier times in our past, when our biggest worries were not academic papers and student loans, but that the last person to watch our favourite Disney movie didn't rewind the VHS tape (Yes, I still remember what a VHS tape was.), and if Mommy was going to make us eat spinach again at dinner? Is it a mindless enjoyment that requires no thought and is an effective time-killer? Is it fun in that sense of "I feel so lame for watching this movie right now- this is hilarious!"?

Is this why respectable, successful grown-ups can happily devote hours of their time to building LEGO replicas of the Millenium Falcon or constructing entire cities made of small bricks? Or why a classroom of high school science students can be enthralled by a video of Bill Nye the Science Guy? Or why VeggieTales still holds a special place in the hearts of teenage youth-group attendees?

Of course, smart-aleck college kids will still be smart-aleck college kids, even when re-watching a favourite Disney movie...

Simba: You knew my father?
Rafiki: Correction- I know your father.
Me, under breath: No, Simba, I am your father.
Dan: *nearly chokes on popcorn trying to not burst out laughing*

I don't remember quite so many chances for wisecracks when I last watched this movie in elementary school. But who's complaining?

Hakuna Matata.