Childhood Favourites

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Both films were the ultimate childhood films but the first one is a timeless classic! What was so touching about Toy Story for a kid was that there is such a strong bond between the toys and the kids despite there are almost like two worlds. I will go ahead and admit that I have still got my original Woody doll and Buzz Lightyear action figure that I've kept since I was a kid. On the other hand, my feelings for Toy Story 2 were pretty much the same as the first film except the fact that the first one was perhaps deeper in story and more moving and emotional. I did still love it and the ending certainly did lead up to the epic and emotional film that is Toy Story 3. That literally completed my childhood and made me say hello to adulthood. I guess, it goes to show how much the Toy Story trilogy have effected my life.

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I was 10 when it came out (a year younger than Emma Watson at the time) and still, I remember watching the first film at the cinema like it was yesterday. Admittedly, I hadn't read any of the books until seeing this film but J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World really has left a huge impact on my childhood and my love for film. I can remember dressing up as Harry and my sister as Hermione when we saw this at the cinema! Being almost exactly the same age as the actors themselves in the films, I was growing up with them and it has been magical. I won't ever forget when I saw all eight of the Harry Potter (from seeing Philosopher's Stone at 10 years old in November 2001 in a Birmingham cinema to seeing Deathly Hallows: Part II at 20 years old in July 2011 in an Odeon cinema in Florence, Italy). I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that there won't be anymore Harry Potter films and books, despite there've been 7-8, but will always love them and will be in my heart throughout the rest of my life.

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Every now and again, I would occasionally walk in on my Dad watching the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS/video and as soon as I saw this for the first time, I would begin to watch the trilogy and progressively grow to love them! The Empire Strikes Back wasn't only the first Star Wars film that I watched but it was back then and still is now my favourite Star Wars film.

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These films were more in my teenage years (like Harry Potter) but they still played a big part whilst growing up. Lord Of The Rings is easily the best film(s) of the 2000s and one of the most important films that I'll ever see. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to watch these films when I was young because I perhaps wouldn't love cinema in general like I do now without them.

Watching this in the cinema was one of my ultimate childhood experiences. I used to be totally obsessed with it! I used to watch the film like at least 3 times per week for about 2 years and used to own the plastic lightsabers and Jedi/Sith outfits. This was actually the first Star Wars film I saw, then I saw the original trilogy, then Episode II and Episode III. As I was growing up, I did realize the flaws that this has but I still like it and perhaps find it now more of a guilty pleasure. I will admit that I did see this in the 3D re-release and although I found that the 3D conversion was pretty pointless and was another money-grubbing scam from George Lucas, it still was a great experience to watch a childhood favourite at the cinema. So, despite the film isn't great, that is also a time I won't forget.

The Lion King certainly is the ultimate Disney classic and I remember how many times I used to watch it during my childhood. I remember watching this time and time again, reading the story in a book and listening to the soundtrack and a audio tape of the film. I used to have a Lion King backpack when I started school at four years old in 1995. It is definitely a film that will stay with me for as long as I live.

Mrs. Doubtfire was undoubtedly the funniest film I ever saw during my childhood. For me, this is Robin Williams at his absolute best! He pulls off being a woman absolutely brilliantly and deserved his Golden Globe win. Whenever I needed something funny to watch on TV as a child, Mrs. Doubtfire had to be put on. As well as being a charmer in my childhood, the film helped me get through my parents' divorce when I was just 13 years old. It made me understand a few things and Robin Williams, Sally Field and co will always help me remember that.

INCLUDES THE FIRST TWO INSTALLMENTS.
Which 1990s kid didn't watch or didn't hate Home Alone when they were young? I certainly did! Every year since I first watched it in 1997, I would watch it every Christmas Eve and throughout the year. Even now, I can remember watching both films for the first time and how the traps cracked me up so much! I cannot ever be excited for Christmas without watching the first two Home Alone films and my Christmas won't ever be complete without watching them.

This actually became an accidental childhood favourite of mine to start off with. My parents were watching it on video/VHS when I was about 9 years old and had first seen up to the point with the collision between the Titanic and the iceberg. I carried on watching it, and Jack's death became the very first time that I cried watching a film. I have absolutely loved it since that day and always will.

INCLUDES THE THREE ORIGINAL SHORT FILMS
I cannot describe my love for all three of these Wallace And Gromit short films apart from that they're bloody hilarious, ingenious storylines and features delightful, heart-warming characters. My personal favourite of the three is A Grand Day Out (hence why I've included this one to represent the trio) but the two follow-ups are wonderful too. I kept them on VHS and DVD and now gladly own them on blu-ray. They played a huge part in my childhood and partly because I love these shorts, I adore the feature film and the fourth short too.

Quite frankly, I cannot think of one childhood friend of mine who did not like this film and they simply cannot be blamed! I saw Monsters Inc at the cinema when I was 10 and I do remember some parts of the film. However, when released on DVD and VHS, watching Monsters Inc. became another film that fulfilled my childhood and demonstrates why Pixar Animation Studios are so brilliant!

When I was 8 years old, I remember stumbling across this one on TV whilst at a friend's house. The scene inside Mrs. Trunchbull's house was quite scary and the chocolate cake scene made me want to just grab that cake from the screen and eat it myself! Anyway, being a fan of Roald Dahl and having read a bit of the book as a child (considering I'm not really a book reader), Matilda is a beautiful, family-heartwarmer that is magical, imaginative and surprisingly hilarious to watch.

Even now after over a decade since its release, Chicken Run is one of the funniest and most creative family films I've ever watched. From the creators of Wallace And Gromit comes another Aardman Animations film that awed my childhood. I remember watching it in the cinema and cracking up with laughter. Call me mad but after watching Chicken Run, it actually made me want to try a chicken pie, fly a plane and fly in general. A hilarious parody of The Great Escape and perhaps a brilliant homage to the British countryside in the 1950s.

Like pretty much every Disney film, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs is a childhood favourite of mine. However, this one goes even more personal than that as it became the dawning of an era that not only changed the world of cinema, but the world itself. It verified the magic of Walt Disney from the word 'go'. Plus, because of the impressive animated effects for it's time and still looks good now, it opened up whole new dimensions. So, it became almost the very first family heart-warmer that embarks us into a fantasy world that leaves us with smiles and perhaps even tears, which is what Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs has always been and always will be.

I remember watching this at my grandmother's when I was about 8 and being immediately hooked by it. However, after watching it, I couldn't get it on VHS or DVD so it was pretty rare to get it. When I was about 14, I eventually bought it on DVD and it was fantastic to see it again! It may not have been a childhood favourite which I watched multiple times (I have now) but it was one of those childhood films you were immediately drawn into and won't ever forget.

When I was a child, I loved learning about the Egyptians, Hebrews and the story of Moses. This film may not be exact in terms of what's in the Bible (Moses isn't Rameses' brother and wasn't raised by the Pharoah like in The Prince Of Egypt) but this is undoubtedly one of Dreamworks Animation's best films. This film reminds me a lot of The Lion King, particularly in terms of music, songs and portrayal of human drama. For me, this is the most underrated film of all time!

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Who didn't watch Aladdin in their childhood? Disney have portrayed a magical feeling in almost every film they've made but Aladdin literally adds magic. In fact, it is their most creative, original and imaginative film. The first time I saw this was when I was about 4 (just after seeing The Lion King) and I have loved watching it ever since. I wish I had a Genie to grant me three wishes. As for the two sequels, they aren't nearly as great as the original film but both are solid enough to enjoy and served as decent follow-ups.

This is one of my Mum's favourite films and when I was young, I would see her watch it a lot. One day, I actually did watch Grease when I was about 9 and thought it was brilliant! Even now after many years, I still think it's a magical film. Definitely one of the greatest musicals and family films of all time.

Although this is an extremely underrated film, I loved this when I was a kid and would watch it all the time. It has its fun, charming and child-friendly moments which is exactly what Disney do best. If you were a child of the 90s (particularly of the early 90s) or maybe late 80s and never saw this, you have seriously missed out on another magical piece of your childhood. Memorable and really fun songs, adventurous story and great characters! What more could a kids film have?

Tom & Jerry was my favourite cartoon programme as a child and still is to this day. If I had seen this film as an adult, I probably would've hated it seeing as the main characters talk and it's almost like a musical but I've had such good memories watching this, I cannot dislike it. The characters may talk which is annoying but Tom and Jerry themselves are still the same as they are in the original cartoons, like their love-hate relationship. A childhood charmer that is still enjoyable.

This is a cornier version of The Jungle Book and Tarzan but to a certain extent, it is still a ridiculously fun film. Even now, it still makes me chuckle and if I need some entertainment, this is one of those I'd choose. It's a film that I know is shit but still proves itself worthy of being enjoyable as a kid's film. Like I keep saying about many of the films in this list, if I never saw George Of The Jungle as a child, I probably would've despised it as a teenager or adult.

I actually watched this for the first time in 1999 whilst on a holiday in Menorca. Whilst there, I was at a kid's club with my sister and we all watched it on a big screen in the entertainment hall. And since then, it has remained a real charmer and one of Pixar's best.

I used to be obsessed with Pokemon. I collected pretty much all of the cards and I've still got them somewhere. Also, I used to play on the games, such as Pokemon Blue and Red for the GameBoy and Pokemon Stadium for the Nintendo 64. Still, during this time, I would watch the feature adaptations of Satoshi Tajiri's work. Out of the three films, Pokemon: The Movie 2000 was my favourite. Even now after a decade and growing up, I still enjoy watching it from time to time.

Similar to Titanic, this was almost like an accidental childhood favourite. I remember my Dad watching it on VHS in 2000, I think, and I watched it with him. It was really good and for me, it is Pierce Brosnan's best Bond film. GoldenEye is perhaps his most successful and most favourited one but I didn't see that until I was a teenager. So, The World Is Not Enough is my favourite of Brosnan as Bond perhaps only because it was a childhood favourite. Plus, Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards (despite her AWFUL acting) were just gorgeous and who started off my serious interest into women.

Almost all Roald Dahl books totally awed my childhood and this animated version of supposedly "Dahl's favourite work" is brilliant! It was on TV one Christmas around 1999 and I really enjoyed it! Admittedly, there were a few scary moments that would make kids afraid to go to bed but how Dahl and the makers of this film balanced a sense of maturity within the plot and charm for kids is fantastic. That's what Dahl did best. Although I really liked this, I'd love someone like Guillermo Del Toro or Tim Burton to direct a live-action adaptation of Dahl's classic.