42 favourite childhood movies to revisit for the ultimate nostalgic feels
A scene from The Parent Trap. Image credit: supplied
Just like how the songs of your childhood and teenage years provide a backing soundtrack, the movies that you watch when you’re growing up are the pop culture lens that you view those formative, memorable years through.
Lasting friendships are formed, first dates are had and crushes are ignited over the latest and greatest movies. And whether those viewing moments are during a movie marathon at a slumber party, on a lazy Sunday afternoon after finishing all your homework or over a shared box of salty, buttery popcorn at the movie theatre, those movies are part of our life narrative and deserve to be rewatched, no matter how long ago you watched them or, indeed, how often (who didn’t have at least one if not multiple favourites films that were replayed over and over again?).
While we can’t claim to know every movie that each individual person fell in love with as a kid and became their all-time favourite, there are many that are universally beloved and enduringly popular with kids even today.
And if you haven’t heard of some of these titles, here’s your chance to take a deep dive back into some of the best childhood classics, that will take you back if not to your childhood, at the very least to the childhood of Hollywood dreams.
Remember when Lindsay Lohan was playing mischievous twins who meet for the first time at summer camp in The Parent Trap (above)? Or when Macaulay Culkin’s on-screen parents accidentally leave him at home for the holidays and he has to defend his house against a couple of would-be burglers in Home Alone? It’s impossible not to smile thinking about these classic childhood movies.
From eye-wateringly funny comedies like Kindergarten Cop and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, to heartwarming feel-good titles like The Adventures of Milo and Otis, and touching coming-of-age flicks like Now and Then, we present 42 childhood movies to revisit for your nostalgic viewing enjoyment.
Image credit: Universal Pictures
Kindergarten Cop, 1990
Image credit: New Line Cinema
Now and Then, 1995
Image credit: Universal Pictures
Uncle Buck, 1989
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
My Girl, 1991
Image credit: Warner Bros.
The NeverEnding Story, 1984
Image credit: Warner Bros.
It Takes Two, 1995
Image credit: Warner Bros.
The Goonies, 1985
Image credit: Paramount Pictures
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Yours, Mine and Ours, 2005
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
The Sandlot Kids, 1993
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Night at the Museum, 2006
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
The Adventures of Milo and Otis, 1991
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
The Lizzie McGuire Movie, 2003
Image credit: Universal Pictures
Drop Dead Fred, 1991
Image credit: TriStar Pictures
Look Who’s Talking, 1989
Image credit: Universal Pictures
The Little Rascals, 1994
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
Mary Poppins, 1964
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
Hocus Pocus, 1993
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Cheaper by the Dozen, 2003
Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
A Cinderella Story, 2004
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
The Karate Kid, 1984
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, 1989
Image credit: Warner Bros.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 1994
Image credit: Universal Pictures
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
Image credit: TriStar Pictures
Matilda, 1996
Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, 1991
Image credit: TriStar Pictures
Jumanji, 1995
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
The Sound of Music, 1965
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
Freaky Friday, 2003
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Home Alone, 1990
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
The Princess Bride, 1987
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
Stand By Me, 1986
Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures
The Mighty Ducks, 1992
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Mrs. Doubtfire, 1993
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Big, 1988
2005
Image credit: Walt Disney Pictures
Animated Disney classics including (but not limited to) Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmations, The Lion King, Aladdin.