The car that can do everything, we see it and we want it. Even if it is a piece of movie magic, a flying car with character always appeals to an audience.

This iconic movie had it all. It even managed to capture both my little sister’s and my attention for the complete movie. Of course, my sister was deathly afraid of the Lollipop man. She would run to my Grammy as soon as she heard the child-catcher yell, “Lollipops! Free Lollipops!” and then he would eventually cage the children.

As an adult, I look at the harsh reality of the movie, and how the Baron and Baroness ban children from their fictional town of Vulgaria. While it is for entertainment’s sake, and helps move the plot along, we don’t question why they outlaw children, or why they are afraid of them.

The widowed inventor, professor Caractacus Potts poses as an interesting father figure. His children are often seen getting dirty and causing trouble around the neighborhood. The ironic part of the movie is that their father’s immaturity and imagination end up saving the day in many ways.

Mainly, his tinkering on the infamous vehicle, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, named for its unique sound, allows them to start off on their adventures. They run a woman off the road and give a ride to the Sweetmaker’s daughter who was fondly named Truly Scrumptious. His inventions save the day, as Chitty often becomes the car they never knew they needed.

This wonderful movie from my childhood also has many musical numbers. Ballads like “Hushabye Mountain” tend to appeal to a more serious undertone of the storyline, but songs like “Chu-Chi Face” are so absurd they make you laugh.

The plot convinces you that you need more imagination in your life. The adult figures are all concerned with serious issues, but they rewrite the rules to make the outcomes better. Even the grandfather in the film thinks he travels the world when he just stands in the chicken pen all day (Yes, you can really only make this stuff up).

As an adult looking back at a children’s movie, I can only say that imagination is key when analyzing its meaning. Or that maybe, there is no meaning. At least for the children watching the movie, maybe the meaning only lies in the entertainment itself.

The biggest reason this movie is so great is undeniably the relationships. There is your usual romance, sure, but that really takes a backseat to the dynamics present in the Potts family. The twins and their father make the movie. The parent-child relation is not your typical dynamic, yet the family offers a free-thinking and a whimsical sense of life.

While this may not be a classic in some people’s eyes, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang holds a special place in my heart. There are a surprising amount of movies about cars — in this aspect Herbie, The Love Bug makes a great competitor for both content and the fact they were released the same year. The setting of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the early 1910’s, so in this way this is the winning movie. Why? Simple. Using a turn of the century background allows for the professor’s inventions to prove crazy for that period, but in today’s or even the 60’s he’s providing the blueprint for inventions such as a vacuum.

While the professor may seem crazy to the outsiders, the viewers see beneath the surface. This movie appeals to all your senses and convinces even the most cynical people that they can relax and explore their imagination.