Growing up, we all had those movies that we would watch over and over again, and that brought us a sense of comfort and familiarity. They are movies that we are looking forward to sharing with our kids one day as well. The funny thing is, we often don't realize the impact that our favorite films had on us until we begin to reminisce and rewatch them many years later. Here is a list that will bring back memories of some of our favorite movies.
1. Parent Trap
This is a classic movie. Parents who had twins and split them up only to have the two girls meet years later and trick their parents into falling in love again.
The amazing thing is that both girls are played by the same actress! That's right, Linsey Lohan plays both roles and does a fantastic job in each of them. It also made us wonder if we might have an identical twin somewhere in the world that we didn't know about...
2. Lizzie Mcguire Movie
Ah, Lizzie McGuire, the girl who both had it all and was also totally relatable. Obviously this movie made us all feel like we could be pop star sensations ourselves one day.
Not only was this movie extremely fun to watch, but it also dealt with the very natural fears that come along with growing up--and growing apart from friends who have been there all along.
3. Mary Poppins
Who wouldn't want a nanny as fun as Mary Poppins? She fed spoonfuls of sugar to the children to help them take their medicine, for goodness' sake! And her endless bag of goodies definitely added to her appeal.
But Mary really taught us the value of looking beyond what is right in front of us, and seeing the merit in other people, regardless of how bad off they might seem. Chimney sweeps and bird ladies all received the same warm attention from Mary!
4. Honey, I Shrunk the kids
This movie was underrated in its entertainment factor. A crazy scientist dad who is irresponsible enough to leave his dangerous inventions in his attic workshop? That's definitely one of the more compelling movie plots that we have encountered.
Somehow this movie also made us feel sympathy for an ant, and gave us a bug's eye view of the world. It also reassured us that our parents are crazy enough to dangle over the lawn with a magnifying glass if that's what it takes to keep us safe!
5. Matilda
Matilda is the movie that made us try every day to move things with our minds just in case it worked. It also gave us hope that there was justice for those who are treated badly.
For those among us who felt a bit out of place when they were children, Matilda was also a movie that helped those on the outside feel more comfortable in their own skin, and reassured them that one day they would find a place where they belonged.
6. Freaky Friday
We all loved this movie. It was so much fun watching the two characters waking up in each other's bodies and trying to figure out what happened and how to live as the other person.
Freaky Friday is such a great story that they keep on redoing the movie again and again. Sometimes it's mother and daughter, sometimes a boy and girl and they're all great!
7. Home Alone
Home Alone is one of the best Christmas movies out there. We can really connect with Kevin and how he feels like the odd one out in his family.
With two robbers breaking into the house (more like a mansion), Kevin comes up with the best traps and takes care of the bad guys all by himself. It feels like an adventure movie even though he never leaves his house!
8. Princess Bride
Ah, the Princess Bride! If you are ever looking for a movie with action, romance and comedy, look no further. We cannot categorize it as anything short of a masterpiece.
Has there been a movie that gave us so many great and quotable lines as this one? "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.", "As you wish!", and the list goes on!
9. Lion King
The Lion King is such an epic story of good and evil, responsibility and family loyalty. For those who do not know, it is actually based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Cool, right?
And of course, there is another great Disney soundtrack with this one too. "Hakuna Matata", "I just can't wait to be king", "The circle of life"--does it get better than this?
10. 101 Dalmatians
This movie was just cuteness overload! Between the love stories, the puppies, and the adorable barking, it would make us melt every time we watched it. And of course it made us demand a dog ASAP!
The worst part of the movie by far was Cruella de Ville. We can't believe that she's getting her own origin story movie after all these years. Why don't they do 103 Dalmatians instead?
11. Aladdin
=Watching Aladdin as a small child who didn't have much growing up was really special. We always wondered what life would be like if we had only found a magic lamp!
The best part of the movie was hands down Robin Williams (RIP) as the Genie. He really brought the character alive and gave us the feels when he was freed!
12. Little Mermaid
The little mermaid is a classic story of someone who has so much in life but only focuses on the one thing she doesn't have. As they say, the grass is always greener!
Honestly, the songs throughout the entire movie were so good! Whenever we go to the aquarium the song "Under the Sea" is always playing in our heads.
13. Lady and the Tramp
This is a classic love story of two dogs from different social classes falling in love, overcoming obstacles, and prevailing despite the very difficult odds against them. It's made that much better with the addition of the side (dog) characters.
And of course, Lady's feelings of being replaced by the baby were quite relatable. And the iconic spaghetti scene set the romantic bar for all of our future dates as well.
14. Beauty and the Beast
Bell (aka Beauty) makes us want to read every book our library owns. There are such great characters in this film with 90% of them not even being human! Furniture, dishes, candlesticks, you name it!
The great thing about this movie is that the perception of some of the characters roles is flipped by the end of the story. The Beast turns out to be the good guy and Gaston, the town hero, is actually bad.
15. Finding Nemo
Is there a better movie about a fish than this one? In fact, are there any others? How about one with a stoner turtle? We love the quirkiness of this movie.
Dory, played by Ellen DeGeneres, is such a great character. She comes such a long way in this story, both literally and figuratively! "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
16. Lilo and Stitch
This classic tale of friendship was so heartfelt and sweet it nearly killed us. Lilo feels out of place in her life and one day finally finds a companion who seems to suit her outcast personality just fine: Stitch, the alien dog who doesn't understand Earth--and doesn't behave like a dog.
Lilo's loyalty to Stitch and her insistence on loving him and treating him well are beautiful examples of what to do when we find someone worth holding on to. Of course, Lani's commitment to helping her sister and building a life for the two of them creates some serious parenting goals for the future as well.
17. The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a superhero movie from before Marvel made it cool. This movie was so great and made us all want to have powers. But what would be better, flying or invisibility?
Every great superhero movie needs a great villain, and they did not disappoint with this one. Syndrome was hurt by Mr. Incredible when he was younger and ended up becoming the very thing he hated the most: a villain.
18. School of Rock
School of Rock was such an iconic movie for teens. We all watched this movie wishing we had a teacher like Dewey Finn (Jack Black). We wouldn't have learned anything but it would have been fun!
The performance at the end of the film was so epic that we all rewatched the whole film just for that part. Remember, "It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll!"
19. Shrek
Watching Shrek's character as a kid makes you think that he's just grumpy but as we get older, we kind of get it. He just wants to be left alone in his swamp!
Donkey on the other hand is a great character no matter what age you are. He is a little annoying but Eddie Murphy was so in this role! "That is a nice boulder."
20. Harry Potter
There are very few words that can accurately capture the impact that this movie franchise (and book series) had on a generation of children. But if we had to choose, we'd go with "It's not LeviOsa. It's LeviosA."
These movies accompanied the formative years of an entire generation, from the first bud of pre-teen-dom, through teen angst, and into young adulthood. The strong bond of friendship and loyalty forged between Harry, Hermione and Ron is unforgettable. Unfortunately we're still waiting for our own Hogwarts letters...
21. Willy Wonka
Both fantastic and nightmarish, we must have seen this movie millions of times when we were younger. It was often on TV because of its clean content and the morals that one can learn from being too selfish or being a know-it-all.
While having endless amounts of candy did seem like fun, it also showed us that large companies are constantly working on other projects that we might not be aware of--like teleportation, for example. There are some great life lessons in this movie when we look past the pure imagination of it all.
22. Back to the Future
This whole franchise changed our understanding of time travel, and single-handedly put the Delorean on the map. And who wouldn't want an inventor for a grandfather? Marty McFly sure was lucky (and had a great name to boot)!
It also showed us that wishing we were someone else somewhere else makes no difference, because the same issues of love, bullying, and teenage embarrassment will always be around to haunt us.
23. The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid was such a great movie about discipline. After Daniel gets bullied by some local kids who all know karate, he meets Mr. Miyagi, a great karate master.
Mr. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing and teaches him karate, preparing him to fight the head bully. Daniel wins the fight with his iconic jump kick with a broken foot!
24. Atlantis
Talk about underrated, this is one of the best movies ever. We will not be taking arguments to this point. Thank you, that is all. But really, this movie was so ahead of its time, with a strong female lead and a leading man who was deliciously nerdy.
Additionally, Atlantean (the language) was created by the same man who created the Klingon language for the Star Trek series. It is an actual language with an alphabet and numbers.
25. Lord of the Rings
When all of civilization's fate rests in one small ring, we end up with an epic trilogy with hobbits, ogres, elves and wizards. Frodo Baggins is tasked with destroying the ring in the fires of Mount Doom.
We can't think of a more exciting trilogy with as much war and action as this one. For those of us who love reading, the books are even richer with many more details to the story.
26. Pirates of the Caribbean
A poor blacksmith named Will Turner joins the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow to save Turner's love, the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann, from cursed pirates led by Barbossa, Jack's former first mate.
Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp was absolutely hysterical in these movies. He is so loved by everyone that the fourth movie was contingent on him being in it. He made 55 million for just one movie!
27. Titanic
Every night in our dreams, we are haunted by this movie. What is more terrifying than an image of a giant ship sinking to the bottomless depths? But Titanic has left a hefty heritage of pop culture references that are still used today.
For starters, there is the "top of the world" scene. It is now fairly common to stand with arms outstretched to feel the freedom of a moment. And let's not forget the eternal debate about how there definitely was, absolutely without a doubt, room on that door for Jack. His death was most certainly in vain.
28. Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park was such an iconic movie. After watching these films we all had real fears of dinosaurs coming and attacking us, even though they've been extinct for millions of years...
The thing about this franchise is that they keep making more movies and they're all amazing, so keep them coming! From Jeff Goldblum to Chris Pratt, the casts have been outstanding.
29. Space Jam
Have you ever met anyone who doesn't love Space Jam? This movie was so epic that it brought together basketball fans and Loony Tunes lovers. Are there any other Si-fi basketball movies at all?
We heard that the movie was redone staring LeBron James. We're going to be honest and say that we were skeptical at first but after watching it, it's hard to say which one is better!
30. Mulan
As one of our favorite Disney movies growing up, Mulan told a story of a brave young woman who disguised herself as a man to enlist in the army in place of her sick father.
This one has it all. A great story, amazing characters, girl power, action, funny sidekicks, and more. Also, it gives us a glimpse into a beautiful and rich culture. Even the live action movie was great!
31. Free Willy
These were the movies that unlocked the mystery of Killer Whales (or Orcas) for an entire generation of kids. Willy was silly, responsive, loyal and affectionate. Who knew it was possible for a whale to have so many expressions?!
To top it all off, this movie was ahead of its time in raising awareness about the cruelty of keeping certain animals in captivity, as well as the dangers that humans pose to the delicate ecosystem in the ocean. This boy and his whale gave us all the feels when we were kids!
32. Iron Giant
This movie punched us right in the gut. With the extremely lovable character of the Giant paired with the wide-eyed innocence of Hogarth, this movie really made us think about what we would sacrifice for our friends.
It helped that the movie also plays with the themes of kids being right and adults being wrong, because it gave us the ability to connect more with this movie that is set during the time of the Cold War--something that definitely went over our heads as kids.
33. Prince of Egypt
Here is another example of a movie with an incredible soundtrack and even more amazing graphics. Who would have thought that a story from the Bible would make such a compelling movie?
The story of Moses overcoming his shortcomings and leading the Hebrews out of Egypt is full of faith, light, and hope, even in the bleakest of scenes. It reminded us that we should always have the confidence to stand up for what we believe in and follow our dreams!
34. Tarzan
This wonderful love story is about two people from completely different worlds--with a language barrier to boot. Tarzan, a man who was raised by apes, encounters other humans for the first time in his life--and of course becomes completely enamored with Jane.
This movie reminded us a bit of The Jungle Book, but with the added bonus of being a bit more relatable. The monkeys also made us think about how we would act if we found a bunch of objects that we didn't understand.
35. Inspector Gadget
Ok, was Inspector Gadget not the coolest super agent ever?! Who wouldn't want an uncle like him? He always had the solution to any problem, and it was right at his fingertips.
The theme song was also extremely catchy, and always made us feel like we could also solve any problem we put our minds to. Inspector Gadget also taught us that problem-solving required a certain amount of creativity and humor.
36. Anastasia
For all of us out there who secretly wished that we were princesses, Anastasia was the ultimate movie. The story of a modest young woman who discovers she is actually the heiress to the Russian throne is a timeless classic.
Anastasia was also extremely down-to-earth, and always stuck by her friends. Though there were quite a few funny moments, this movie was ultimately about a young woman searching for her family and identity, something that many of us could relate to as kids.
37. Hunchback of Notre Dame
Yet another movie that is based on a famous book, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in the Middle Ages, when those who were different were persecuted by the church. While that message went totally over our heads as kids, we did appreciate Quasimodo, the hero of the story.
He falls in love with the Gypsy Esmeralda, and risks everything to help save her from the clutches of the evil Judge Frollo. There is a lot that we missed in this movie as kids, but we definitely got the message of being kind to everyone, no matter how different they seem to be.
38. Twilight Series
This saga of a series had a profound impact on tween girls around the world. Twilight is a story about how love conquers all--even if that love seems a little bit unhealthy.
Yup, we said it: Twilight taught us all what an abusive relationship looks like, and how not to be in one. It also spawned the classic Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate, in which we are firmly on the Team Jacob side.
39. Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove is probably one of the more underrated and hilarious movies produced by Disney. Kuzco, and Incan emperor, is out of touch with his subjects and wants to displace peasants to build a pleasure palace for himself.
Due to a curse placed upon him by his two-faced advisor, Yzma, Kuzco turns into a llama and strikes up a friendship with peasant Pacha, who ultimately helps return him to his palace and restore his body. It is a tale of changing perspectives and learning not to judge someone by their looks.
40. Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a classic Tim Burton film that has somehow gained a foothold in modern pop culture, probably due more to the love story between Jack and Sally than the actual plot of the film.
This movie is a twist on the classic Christmas movie, and reminds us to find new ways to look at our lives so that we can learn to be happy with what we have. It also taught us that we must take responsibility for our actions and make things right when we mess up.