We all have our favorite moments in movies, books, and games, moments that stay with us long after the story is over. This column is my attempt to examine my favorite moments and see why they stick with me.

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The video

‘You, Me, and Optimus Prime’

Why it’s great

If you could spend a day hanging out with any fictional character, who would it be? What would you do? Would you go on an incredible adventure together? Go to a sporting event? Take a tour of their awesome castle/floating fortress/ intergalactic space station? Or would you act as two ordinary guys and gals just relaxing and having a good time?

One scene I wish we saw more of in fiction is seeing characters just relaxing and hanging out with friends, especially if those characters are non-humans, such as giant robots, aliens, monsters, etc. In fiction, where every scene should move the story along, there’s not much time for that to happen, but when it does, it taps into our childhood, when we were daydreaming about hanging out with our favorite cartoon and movie characters, conjuring up all sorts of adventures and fun things we would be doing together.

The music video for ‘You, Me, and Optimus Prime’ is a perfect example of such a scene: there are no bad guys to fight (except that dastardly business owner), nobody to save, and no worlds to liberate. It’s just a guy and his giant robot buddy having ice cream, canoeing, fishing, and watching the sunset together. Is it pure fan-service? Yes, but it’s silly, heartwarming, and helps rouse our inner child to remember the joys of imagining hanging out with our favorite characters, and reminding us, as creators, that it’s okay to tap into those fantasies every now and then in our own works.

And yes, I would hang out with Optimus Prime if given the chance. And I would be happy to let him ruffle my hair as we watch the sunset.