Last Thursday was probably one of the most important events in recent cinematic history EVER. And that is not an exaggeration by any means. Long story short, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was finally released, and I am still processing and anticipating the next time I can watch it all over again. There were a lot of chills, feels, crying, movie score-induced eargasms, laughing—and the writer in me was also just hardcore appreciating the masterful storytelling in this film. Seriously. Mind is thoroughly BLOWN (and probably will be for the remainder of the month), and all I know is that I want more.

I also just want to go to more Star Wars movies where I can stand witness to wonderful moments like this:

Aside from being emotionally compromised by the movie, there’s just something so special about seeing the celebration of Star Wars everywhere. It brings back the nostalgia of movies that were so inspirational and significant throughout the formative years of growing up—those kinds of films that really took hold of your imagination as a child and somehow offers some insight into the inexplicable pathways of your imaginations as an adult(ish) now.

So in honor of the resurgence of Star Wars (though I’m pretty sure Star Wars will forever be around due to its timelessness), I wanted to give a shout out to the movies that were at the heart of my childhood aka the movies I would watch again and again and AGAIN until my eyes would fall out. I came from a pretty big movie party, so I’ll limit my count to top 20, though if I had it my way, this list would go on for DAYS.

And so, in no particular order:

20. Home Alone

19. Space Jam

18. Spy Kids

17. 3 Ninjas

16. Grease

15. Cats Don’t Dance

14. Matilda

13. Harriet the Spy

12. Jumanji

11. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

10. Now and Then

9. Halloweentown

8. Casper

7. Back to the Future

 

6. Homeward Bound

5. The Little Rascals

4. Adventures in Babysitting

3. Fievel: An American Tail, and Fievel Goes West

2. The Mummy

1. Disney movies