There are some movies that I can watch now and immediately think about being a kid. I do not even have to watch the whole movie. Sometimes just seeing the cover or hearing one of the songs is enough to remind me of watching it growing up.
Movies were a pretty big part of my childhood. My siblings and I watched them on road trips, at home and pretty much anytime we could convince my dad to let us put one on. We also got DVDs for Christmas, usually in our stockings, which was always exciting because we would have a new movie to watch.
My dad also knew that movies were one of the easiest ways to get us inside when we were outside playing. He could tell us it was time to come in, and we would all complain. But if he said we could watch a movie, suddenly we were ready to come inside.
Looking back, there are so many movies that I connect with different parts of growing up. Some were Disney Channel movies, some were animated movies and some were just movies that we watched so many times that they became part of our childhood. Here are 15 that I still think about.
1. Shrek
Shrek is one of the first movies I think of when I think about movies I watched growing up. My siblings and I watched it all the time, and I still know a lot of the movie just because I have seen it so many times.
It is also one of those movies that is funnier now that I am older. There are definitely jokes in it that I did not understand when I was younger.
I also think Shrek is one of those movies that almost everyone my age knows. Even if you have not watched it in years, you probably still remember a lot of it.
2. Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge was another big one for us. This was definitely one of the movies that came with us on road trips.
I remember watching it in the car and then watching it again at home. We had the DVD, so there was really no reason not to watch it whenever we wanted.
I honestly do not remember how many times I watched Over the Hedge, but I know it was a lot. It was just one of those movies that we always had around.
3. Back to the Future
Back to the Future was one of the movies that I remember watching with my family. I loved the whole idea of going back in time, and the DeLorean was obviously such a big part of the movie.
It was also one of the older movies that I actually enjoyed watching when I was younger. Sometimes older movies could feel boring, but Back to the Future was different.
Now when I watch it, it is funny to think about how old it seemed to me when I was younger. I am now watching it from a completely different perspective.
4. The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap was another movie I watched growing up, and being a twin makes it even more fun for me.
I remember thinking the whole idea of two twins meeting for the first time and switching places was so cool. Obviously, I knew that was not going to happen in real life, but it made for a really fun movie.
It is also one of those movies that I could watch now and still enjoy. I know what is going to happen, but that does not really matter.
5. High School Musical
I cannot talk about nostalgic movies without talking about High School Musical. The Disney Channel movies were such a big part of growing up.
High School Musical was one of those movies that everyone seemed to know. I remember the songs, the dances and pretty much all of the characters.
There was also something so fun about getting a new Disney Channel movie and watching it for the first time. We would watch it over and over until we basically knew everything about it.
6. Camp Rock
Camp Rock was another Disney Channel movie that I watched a lot.
I remember being really into the music and Demi Lovato. The whole idea of going to a music camp was also something that seemed so cool when I was younger.
I think I probably knew every song from this movie at one point. The Disney Channel movies were really good at making songs that got stuck in your head.
7. Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
I watched Wizards of Waverly Place all the time, so when there was a movie, obviously I was going to watch it.
I remember liking that it felt like a bigger version of the show. It was still the same characters that I already knew, but they were doing something different.
This is one of those movies where I mostly remember watching it more than I remember every detail of the actual story. But that is what makes it nostalgic for me.
8. Lemonade Mouth
Lemonade Mouth is another Disney Channel movie that I remember really well.
The whole movie was about a group of kids starting a band, and I definitely remember the music more than anything else. I would listen to the songs after watching the movie and think I was basically in the band too.
Looking back, it is funny how serious some of these movies felt when I was younger. At the time, they were a big deal.
9. The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries was another movie I watched growing up. I mean, who would not want to find out that they were secretly a princess?
I liked watching Mia figure everything out and get used to this completely different life. I also remember the makeover and all of the princess lessons.
It is still one of those movies that I will watch if it is on. I do not really need a reason to watch it. It is just an easy movie to put on.
10. Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen was a pretty funny movie to watch when you have a lot of siblings.
The entire movie is basically about trying to keep track of a huge family, and there is always something going on. As one of four kids, I obviously did not have 11 siblings like they did, but I could still relate to the chaos.
It was also a movie that my whole family could watch together, which was always a plus.
11. The Incredibles
The Incredibles is probably one of the most personal movies on this list because it is my twin sister’s favorite.
Because she loved it so much, we watched it all the time. If she wanted to watch The Incredibles, we were probably watching The Incredibles.
I remember knowing the movie really well just because of how many times we watched it. It became one of those movies that I automatically associate with my sister.
Even now, if someone mentions The Incredibles, I immediately think of her. Out of all the movies we watched growing up, this one definitely has a special place because of that.
12. Annie
The original Annie is another movie I remember watching growing up.
I mostly remember the songs and the characters, especially because the songs were so easy to remember. Once you watch Annie enough times, you are going to know the songs whether you want to or not.
It was also a little different from a lot of the other movies we watched. It was not a Disney Channel movie or an animated movie, but it was still one that I remember being part of our movie collection.
13. Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo was another movie that I watched a lot when I was younger.
I remember being so invested in Marlin trying to find Nemo. And of course, Dory was one of the best parts of the movie.
This was another movie that was easy to watch with my siblings because everyone liked it. It was also one of those movies that we could watch over and over without getting tired of it.
14. The Sandlot
The Sandlot is another movie that makes me think about being a kid.
I liked watching the group of kids spend their summer together and just be outside all day. It reminds me of how much time we spent outside when we were younger.
It also makes me think about my dad trying to get us inside. If we were outside playing and he wanted us to come in, saying that we could watch a movie usually worked.
15. Elf
Elf is one of the movies that I always think about around Christmas.
Christmas was already a big time for movies in our house, especially because we would get DVDs in our stockings. Getting a new movie was one of those little things that made Christmas morning even better.
Elf was also one of those movies that we could watch every year. Even though we knew all of the jokes and knew what was going to happen, we would still watch it.
Why I Still Remember These Movies
When I think about these movies now, I realize that I do not necessarily remember every detail about all of them. What I remember is watching them.
I remember sitting in the car on road trips with my siblings and watching DVDs. I remember opening my stocking on Christmas morning and finding a movie inside. I remember my dad trying to convince us to come inside by telling us we could watch a movie.
I also remember having movies that were just always playing in our house. Shrek, Over the Hedge, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo were not special because we only watched them once. They were special because we watched them so many times.
The Disney Channel movies are probably some of the biggest ones I remember. High School Musical, Camp Rock, Lemonade Mouth and Wizards of Waverly Place were such a normal part of growing up. At the time, I did not think anything of it. We just watched them.
Now, everything is on a streaming service, and there are so many movies to choose from that sometimes it takes longer to pick something than it does to actually watch it. When I was younger, we had our DVDs, and those were the movies we watched.
I think that is why I like going back to these movies now. They remind me of my siblings, my family and being younger. I can watch The Incredibles and think about my twin sister. I can hear a song from High School Musical and immediately remember the Disney Channel era. I can see Over the Hedge and think about watching movies on road trips.
These movies are not necessarily the best movies I have ever seen, but they are some of the ones I will always remember.
And honestly, sometimes those are the best movies to go back to.
