a starter pack of twenty iconic on-screen infants • Journal • A Magazine • , Life in canada

In the words of Austin Powers: “Yeah, baby, yeah!”

Since the birth of cinema, mainstream filmmakers, acclaimed auteurs and European enfants terribles alike have understood the big-screen potential of newborn life. It’s no wonder films starring babies span every categorization and sometimes seem like a subgenre all their own. 

This month saw the big-screen debut of Din Grogu, known far and wide as Baby Yoda, in Jon Favreau’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. A theatrical continuation of the popular Disney+ streaming series where the fan-favorite character first appeared, the film sends the young apprentice of Pedro Pascal’s bounty hunter Din Djarin on a dangerous mission across the galaxy. Response to the picture has been relatively mixed so far (currently sitting at 3.2 average rating), but one thing everyone agrees on is that Grogu is just as absurdly adorable as ever.

“Need more Baby Yoda adventures,” Sophie requests. “Don’t want to be dramatic, but I’d die for Din Grogu,” adds Neorapp. “That’s a good baby,” reports Brian, while KryptidKid more tauntingly writes, in reference to the German film director’s role in The Mandalorian series, “Guess what, Werner Herzog? I got to see the baby. Guess who didn’t? You, Werner Herzog.”

All this Baby Yoda talk got us thinking about what other on-screen infants have been capable of commanding such awe and appreciation from audiences. They don’t stay babies forever, we admit, but the most iconic infants in cinema history have all burned brightly enough that you can rest assured that their pint-sized performances will be immortalized for all time.