Movies

Did you ever realize how many movies are about adoption or foster care? When I was trying to come up with a name for this blog I found long lists of these (non-LifeTime) movies. Here are my top ten:

10. Superman (1978) – every storyline about Superman sticks to this simple truth, he is adopted by the Kent family and loved for who he is. Imagine if he was adopted by the Luthor family instead. 

9. Free Willy (1993) – this one is tough because Jesse is an older kid and doesn’t want to be in the system or accept his foster parents. Eventually they do build a level of trust and become a family. 

8. Angels in the Outfield (1994) – the sad side about this movie is that the Angels come and help him because of an empty promise that his biological father made. However it all ends well with the main character, Roger, and his best friend in foster care being adopted by the unlikely father figure, Coach Knox. 

7. Elf (2003) – this is a great story of adoptive and biological dads. Buddy was in an orphanage when he crawled into Santa’s bag, but an elf adopted him since he didn’t have kids. Later Buddy searches for his father to learn where he fits in this world. 

6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) – Po is up against a super villain and in order to find inner peace he searches through his past. He finds out how his father found him and adopted him, even though he is a goose and Po is a panda. 

5. Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, VI (1977-1983) – the birth of Luke and Leia is meant to bring balance to the force after the destruction that Anakin caused. One is raised as a farmer and the other as a princess, but no one told them of their relation or past. This might be the worst “closed adoption” of all time!

4. Lilo & Stitch (2002) – we don’t really learn the back story of why Lilo and Nani’s parents are gone. However, the guardian situation comes into question when Nani loses her job. Things are made worse by a destructive alien who is masquerading as a dog. Although it ends happily I doubt that we can count on intergalactic policies for adoption in the real world. 

3. Tarzan (1999) – much like the Jungle Book, this movie portrays animals taking care of a human baby. That is until the boy realizes that there are other humans like him. Tarzan must figure out the balance between biological and adoptive species. 

2. Despicable Me 1 & 2 (2010-2013) – yes these movies have you cheering for a villain, but his 3 girls are so cute! This foster family has normal ups and down plus some craziness with hundreds of yellow minions running around. 

1. Juno (2007) – this movie came out just before my first pregnancy. This is the type of situation I assumed most of the adopted babies would be coming from. While this movie is sweet it teaches a great lesson about both sides. Juno considers abortion, but realizes a better option for her unborn child. Vanessa and Mark are picked out of a Penny Saver catalog. However, you quickly realize that something is up with their marriage. It is best to work out your issues before bringing a child into it. 

I know that there are many more, but I haven’t seen them all. Do you have a favorite?