Movies I Grew Up On

There are certain films I watched more than others as a child. I distinctly remember viewing them over and over again on long car rides with my siblings and parents in the back seat, entertaining me for hours even though I'd seen them hundreds of times before. In my opinion, these films are a crucial piece of who I am today, as they're partially responsible for my psychological development. Some of these movies stand out more than others:

The Princess Bride is among my favorite movies today. From when my parents first showed it to me and my siblings, to watching it years later with friends at sleepovers, I feel that I can quote nearly the entire movie. One particular year, my family went through a phase where we all read the book (by William Golding, which was really well written). Last month as my friends got together to watch Saw, Cary Elwes's character was not named for his name (which I obviously can't remember) but he was called Westley, or the Dread Pirate Roberts, by all. 

Hairspray: The reboot with Zac Efron was about the only musical I watched for two years. Because of this, I have its music committed to memory permanently. I don't think I'll ever forget the words to "Without Love" or "You Can't Stop The Beat" for as long as I live. 

Christmas with the Kranks was on tonight, and I realized I had to add it to this list. I feel like it was tradition, watching this movie every year with my family in our basement. We don't even own it, but we'd always find a way to rent it. And tonight, with Kendra finally home and Brad not locked away on his gaming websites, it was nice to finally relive this old memory. 

Perhaps my favorite Disney movie of my childhood was Mulan. I feel that it holds some very important pearls of wisdom regarding life, as it deals with important and relevant topics. I'll never stop loving this movie, and I'll never stop singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You."

The Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan is a strange guilty pleasure. Something about the time the twins spend at camp, plotting their parent's reunion never ceases to amuse me. I've watched it more times than I'd like to count, usually on sick days when I'm stuck on the couch with only the movies saved on our DVR. 

Pirates of the Caribbean is probably the most significant of the movies I grew up on. A short while ago, I learned some of my friends had never seen it, and I was appalled. I'd assumed my whole life that kids of my age were being exposed to the same wonders of the world, one of them being Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in pirate get-up. And the fact that not every little girl looked up to Kiera Knightly as I did just confused me. If only everyone had watched this movie as religiously as I did. But then, perhaps, it probably wouldn't have been as special to me. 

These movies are ones I never got sick of. I'd watch them again in a heartbeat. I'd marathon them with friends, I'd watch them alone, I'd watch them with family. I can't be the only one who finds these kinds of movies important?