So, the rumor mill has it that we’re “bringing back 2016”. No problem, but what does that truly entail, besides you know… well, that’s a whole ‘nother article. 2016 was honestly a pretty solid year for film, tv, and video games. These are just the ones I remember the most and what my current thoughts of them are after a decade.
!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD. IT’S ALSO BEEN TEN YEARS BUT HERE’S A COURTESY NOTICE !!
Movies
In a year where Split and Sing hit the big screen, here are my three most memorable movies of 2016.
The 5th Wave – A movie based on the book of the same name, The 5th Wave was… a movie. I actually enjoyed reading through the book when it was released in 2013. The book kicks off a trilogy about a deadly alien invasion, which is taking out and over Earth through the course of five waves: EMP waves to take out technology, literal tsunami waves taking out coastal cities, a new type of bird flu that was nearly the perfect killer, “Silencers”- they took on the shape of humans and kill them that way, and finally the 5th wave. Child soldiers taking out the rest of the human population. Huzzah! Not actually. The movie- had some interesting visual effects and my opinion is very likely impacted by reading the book first, but other than the first few minutes, it just… didn’t keep my interest. Honestly, despite that, if you’re younger and trying to get into thrillers/science fiction, this could be a good starting point! That’s what it did for me when I first watched it, but overall my opinion stayed pretty much the same, I definitely enjoyed it more when I was younger, though.
Zootopia – Disney’s copaganda. A small town bunny goes to the big city to become a cop, is underestimated for her size and species, and eventually works with a fox to solve the mystery of predators “going savage”. This movie was interesting to say the least; the racism allegory (could also be a whole new piece, especially with the recent release of Zootopia 2), but in that same vein I watched this movie to the end and enjoyed it- probably because it was something I could think about critically. The movie also brought some… unique fandom pieces to the spotlight such as the Zootopia abortion comic and the “juddyhoppslover69” TikTok user. I don’t think there’s too much else to say about the movie. I think it was a good addition to Disney’s library, and god damn do I love a good Shakira song and no my hips do not lie about that. I definitely enjoyed it more for funny animals on first watch when the movie released, but overall I do still enjoy the movie while understanding the deeper meanings that come with the movie.
The Thinning – One of the more unconventional movies I remember from 2016, as it was a YouTube Red original. YouTube Red- remember when that was a thing? Anyways. Peyton List is an amazing actress and she was in the thumbnail so I clicked… completely missing that Logan Paul was also in the thumbnail. If you thought the SATs were stressful in high school, imagine you get killed if you fail it. That’s the overall plot of The Thinning and add some nepotism. All I really remember is them taking the test, and then Peyton’s character gets chased by a hitman after her grade was changed for the test. This is a really bad description, but honestly if it wasn’t still behind a paywall, I’d recommend watching it. Only if you can watch it for free though. I was not a fan of it when I first watched it, and I’m still not a huge fan of it.
TV Shows
I’m not a huge TV show guy right now, I think the most recent “new” show I’ve watched is the Percy Jackson TV show and season 5 of Phineas & Ferb. But 2016 me was a different beast.
Voltron: Legendary Defenders – Yes, I’m a survivor of Dreamworks’ Voltron: Legendary Defenders. I was there when the fandom began to grow, and I only watched it at first because of my nephew. I still can’t believe he managed to get me invested in this. I survived the Klance catastrophe and the gay that was buried with Shiro. My opinion of this show has stayed the same from first watch to now: the show had so much potential, the 80s version was better, and season 8 doesn’t exist. I can’t believe I had a thesis section for this. What the hell…
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia – The first series of the Tales of Arcadia franchise- and no, it’s not the university- and boy did this start off with a bang. Firstly, New Jersey is a perfect setting for such a fantastical storyline because like Florida. Anything can happen in Jersey. I got really into this on the first watch in part because of how fresh the show Gravity Falls was in my mind. Monsters? Destiny? Magic? Sign me up! And on rewatch, this series is still a perfect way to have ended 2016 (the first episode released on Netflix on December 23, 2016). This series has a perfect set up for the next two series in the franchise 3Below and Wizards but we do not talk about that movie.
Elena of Avalor – The sequel series to Sofia the First, I have no regrets watching and rewatching Elena of Avalor. The start of this story is technically a 3-episode special of Sofia the First called Elena and the Secret of Avalor, but regardless this series hit the ground running. It brought who would technically be Disney’s first Latina princess into the mix but because of princess regulations Elena isn’t an official Disney princess which is still HEARTBREAKING- anyways. Elena brings together many different cultures and aspects of Latine culture, with having representation across cultures, abilities, and even religions. Sofia did this as well, but Elena literally traveled to so many other kingdoms that had these different viewpoints of life, which is a lesson that is prevalent in many of the episodes. Upon rewatching, my opinion has stayed pretty much the same, maybe become more intense: Elena is a beautiful show with some absolute banger music, and deserves so much more recognition than she currently gets.
And for a special surprise…
Gravity Falls Finale: “Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls”- The show ended. Gravity Falls has had such a chokehold on me since the show first came out in 2012, and the finale “Weirdmaggedon” releasing in 2016 absolutely broke me. Stanley giving up his memories to save everyone… one of the younger twins was going to die and it was likely Mabel, but Disney said no… THEY GREW UP 😭. Anyways. I’m still so glad the show ended where it did, and where Alex Hirsch wanted it to end. But god damn was it not an emotional rollercoaster. My opinion has not changed since 2016, Gravity Falls is a beautiful show and the finale was so perfect in so many ways. And I’m so glad Waddles got to go home with them.
Video Games
I wasn’t an insanely big gamer in 2016, or at least playing them. But here’s the ones that stayed memorable.
Pokémon Go– Really basic but I actually didn’t play Pokémon Go the year it was released. I don’t think I really started playing until freshman year of college during the Oshawott event. In 2021. I recently revisited it and… I don’t know, I’m not a huge fan of gacha games, which is basically what the game is. There’s really not much else I can say. I still love my little Oshawott buddy though.
Minecraft: Story Mode Adventure Pass- The first four episodes released in 2015, but the expansion pack for Season 1 of Minecraft: Story Mode all came out in 2016. The game is now lost media, unfortunately, but I still love rewatching specifically stampylongnose’s playthrough of the game. And that has not changed since 2016. Episodes 5-8 were some great expansions to the original game that brought Jesse and co on new adventures that one could only imagine doing in Minecraft, from a sky island to what is in all simplicity a Minecraft minigame server. They even brought in YouTubers to provide voices, such as the aforementioned Stampy Cat, in episode 6 “A Portal to Mystery”… which is like one would think, a murder mystery. PAMA in Episode 7 still gives me the creeps a little bit just because of the eyes changing for Lukas and Petra… but it’s Minecraft it’s not actually that scary upon reengaging with the material.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location– Or as I called it in 2016- FNAF 5. It was not FNAF 5. I enjoyed watching Markiplier playthrough it and didn’t find it intensely creepy that it kept me up at night from thinking the stupid robots were in my house (I’m glaring at you FNAF 4…) but the game was just. Average. It was unique in that it wasn’t just a sit and watch game like the prior ones, but that was probably the most memorable aspect. And that really hasn’t changed since 2016.
A special shoutout to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD which is just Twilight Princess for the Wii U. The Legend of Zelda will always have a special place in my heart, but I never played it. A really sad fact for the writer named Link.
Conclusion
While 2016 current events were awful, there were some good aspects in the media produced that year. Some of these have stayed close to my heart for 10 years, and really likely will stay close for years to come. Except Voltron, I crave escape.
Featured image by geralt on Pixabay.
