I’m sure that you have a list of movies that, as soon as they begin, will instantly transport you back to a better time. A time when life was simpler, when summer vacation seemed to last forever, and the most difficult decision you had to make was whether you wanted Fruit Loops, or Captain Crunch for breakfast.
No matter how old I get, no matter how cheesy these movies seem in comparison with recent ones, and no matter how bad of a mood I’m in, watching one of these will instantly make me nostalgic and euphoric — if only for an hour or two.
So, here it is — 10 movies that make me feel like a kid again.
10. Home Alone/Home Alone 2
Yes, I’m cheating by putting the original, and the sequel in the same number, but I don’t care. These movies are awesome, and they didn’t just appeal to kids. Up until 2009, Home Alone was the highest grossing comedy of all time. Like so many classic kid movies, the original plays a lot around Christmas, and I always make a point of tuning in. After all these years, it still inspires the same feelings in me — an uncontrollable urge to build elaborate traps and thwart the bad guy burglars. =]
Image obtained from fanpop.com
9. Beetlejuice
It was hard to pick just one Burton movie to go on this list (even as a child, I was drawn to all things dark, and slightly morbid). But this honour has to go to Beetlejuice. I don’t even remember the first time I watched it. I must have been pretty young, though, because my mom loves this movie as much as I do. Watching Beetlejuice is my Halloween tradition, and even the terrible CGI seems whimsical to me. Oh, and can’t forget to mention the awesome Harry Belafonte dance sequences!
GIF obtained from mrwgifs.com
8. Matilda
Growing up, I read every single one of Roald Dahl’s books, and Matilda was one of my absolute favourites. I assume that was because I had seen, and loved the movie before I had read the book. Yeah, parts of it are kind of creepy, (okay, forget creepy… Trunchbull and her Chokey are downright terrifying). But, like all the best kids’ movies, this one has a happy ending that makes up for it all. This movie is also likely the reason why I longed for super powers when I was really young. I don’t anymore though. That would just be dumb… Ha… haha…
Image obtained from fanpop.com
7. Space Jam
When I think about the ‘90s, Space Jam instantly comes to mind. I don’t know how many times my best friend, and I watched it, but it was enough for us to learn every single line off by heart, and for her beat up VHS copy to eventually stop playing. I saw it in HMV for $5 a little while ago, so of course I bought it, and watched it that night. I was pleased to discover that I still knew a lot of those lines by heart. Oh, and side note: The Space Jam website has remained unchanged since it’s creation, and is now an awesome virtual time capsule full of bright colours, clipart, and other ‘90’s goodness.
Image obtained from viewerscommentary.wordpress.com
6. My Girl
Yes, this movie is super sad (I still cry when I watch it), but I loved it so much as a kid that it will forever have a special place in my heart. I think I related to Vada a lot, because she was a weird kid, just like me, and we both love to write. This movie taught me about love, about friendship, and about loss. If I ever have a daughter, I will introduce her to this movie as soon as she’s old enough, and we will watch it together all the time. Hopefully she loves it as much as I do…
She better love it as much as I do…
Image obtained from haemeandrobecca.blogspot.com
5. Gremlins
See, I told you I was kind of a morbid kid. As soon as I saw it, I thought Gremlins was one of the coolest movies ever! Yeah, the evil green Gremlins are pretty creepy, but it never fazed me. Besides, the funny, and really stupid things they do make them wayyy less horrific. And cute, fuzzy Gizmo helps alleviate the tension, too. I mean, just look at him!
Image obtained from gremlins.wikia.com
4. Oliver and Company
I found it really difficult to only add two Disney movies to this list. I mean, if I had wanted to, I could have easily made this list entirely Disney movies (maybe another day). But I managed to control myself, and my number two “brings me back” Disney movie is Oliver and Company. Oliver was the reason I wanted my own cat so badly when I was really young (future crazy cat lady), and Dodger was like the embodiment of the coolest dog ever. Add to that a soundtrack that makes me dance and sing a the top of my lungs (yep, “Why Should I Worry” is in regular rotation on my iPod), and you have a winning combo.
Image obtained from IMDB
3. Homeward Bound
This movie has a special place in my heart for a few reasons. For one, I’ve always been an animal lover, so movies starring cats and dogs were always my favourites. Second, Shadow always reminded me of my childhood dog, Sandy. And third, my younger brother loved this movie as much as I did when we were kids, so watching it reminds me of spending time with him, which we rarely do these days. Don’t tell him, but I just ordered a double feature of Homeward Bound 1 AND 2, and I plan to suck him into watching them with me. >=]
Image obtained from IMDB
2. The Lion King
I was hard pressed to make a decision, but The Lion King has got to be my favourite Disney movie of all time. There’s a lot of reasons why I love it so much: It was the first movie I ever saw in theatres, it was one of the first I ever owned on VHS, the soundtrack is amazing (and yes, is also in rotation on my iPod), Jonathan Taylor Thomas (young Simba) was just so damn cute, and The Lion King 2 is one of the only Disney sequels that measures up to the original. I’m also not ashamed to say that Mufasa’s death scene makes me cry to this day.
Image obtained from IMDB
1. Hook
The reason this movie is at the top of my list may have something to do with the fact that I watched it just a few days ago, but that’s only part of it. Hook is amazin, for a billion reasons. Obviously, there’s Robin Williams, who is incredible in everything he does. There’s Julia Roberts as Tink, Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook, and Maggie Smith as Wendy. There’s a bunch of super adorable lost boys, who inspire you to join them in their battle cry of “Banarang,” and there’s the infamous imaginary food fight scene. This movie is all around brilliant, and I will never stop loving it. I think it is entirely deserving of the number one spot in my list.
Image obtained from IMDB
I’m sure I missed some gooders, so why don’t you guys fill me in? What are the movies that instantly transport you back to your childhood? Let me know!
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