As we get older, our priorities and tastes change. For instance, I used to dislike brussel sprouts as a kid, viewing them as the green scourge of the kitchen. Today, however, they're one of my favorite side dishes. The opposite effect when it came to my liking for lox and pickled gefilte fish. You hear about these neurological changes all the time as people age and it's not just limited to food. It could be music, smells, colors, shapes, television shows, and animals. However, as I wrote back in the summer, your formative years are just what they sound like. They are the years that form who you are and it is always important to remember your past, remember what makes you, well, YOU! The child that lives within us all has the best memory of all because he/she are the part of you that experienced the world for the first time.
Right now, you think you've seen it all, but your inner child is still amazed by the awesomeness of the world, eager to discover just a bit more magic. So, with that in mind, I'm here to jump start your nostalgia gland with 10 movies that you may not remember, but your inner child sure does:
1. "We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story"
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A little Spielberg-produced animated feature that came hot off the heels of Jurassic Park in 1993, it tells the story of a group of dinosaurs made smart by "Brain Grain" cereal and brought to modern day New York City to fulfill the wishes of children. It's one of the most heartfelt and unabashed movies of our childhoods and features a great cast including John Goodman, Walter Cronkite, Julia Child, Martin Short, and Jay Leno. And who could forget the irresistible tune of "Roll Back The Rock (To The Dawn of Time")? Just watch out for Professor Screweyes.
2. "Oliver & Company"
Why should you worry when you have Billy Joel voicing a reengage pooch in New York City? This 1988 take on Oliver Twist is about an orphaned kitten who learns how to be cool by a pack of canines. It will also really make you want to have an adorable pet kitten in the house.
3. "A Troll in Central Park"
Anyone else kinda freaked out by this one without even remembering the entire plot? Yeah, pretty dark for kids. Moving on.
4. "A Goofy Movie"
Be honest. Roxxane was your first crush. Here's a Disney movie that doesn't get its proper due. It has not one but TWO amazing songs from the fictional Powerline (an obvious Goofied version of Michael Jackson). The story of a father (Goofy) trying to bond with his son (Max) during a road trip explores young love, the freedom of summer, and standing out above the crowd. Plus, Saquatch dances to the Bee Gees. By the end, we all see (dare I say it) Eye to Eye!
5. "Cry Baby Lane"
You've probably repressed this one, I daresay, but the inner child never forgets. It shocked us so badly that it lies in the deepest, most depraved part of our scarred psyches. This TV movie is creepy AF and aired on Nickelodeon, I repeat NICKELODEON, back in 2000. It's about the tale of two conjoined twins, one good, one evil who die of a liver disease. The dad saws the two in half and buries the evil one at the end of Cry Baby Lane...except he buried the good one by accident and now the evil twin possess everyone in the town. Keep an eye out for turns by Frank Langella and Jim Gaffigan in a movie so frightening that parents actually complained it was too scary for their kids. It has since gained a cult following.
6. "The Tale Of The Silver Sight"
Nick was seriously depraved back when we were kids. This three-part TV movie of "Are You Afraid of The Dark?" had a bit of a Stephen King vibe to it as the current members of the Midnight Society must track down the original members from the '30s before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the world. All I remember is a really creepy child and some evil thing in a well.
7. "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island"
This time, the villain isn't an old dude masqerading as a monster to scare the local townspeople. There's downright black magic going on in the swampy bayous of Louisiana; probably the scariest mystery Scooby and the gang set out to solve. Seriously, this is the darkest the franchise has ever gone with decaying zombies, Confederate ghosts, and bloodthirsty cat monsters.
8. "Angels in the Outfield"
You'd always see the preview for it of the kid asking his badass motorcycle-riding dad when they'd be a family again on any '90s VHS tape. Said badass says they'll be a family again when the Angels win the pennant. And so, a group of angels actually help out the sucky team. You know who the kid is? Why, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, of course! And Christopher Lloyd, and Danny Glover, AND EVEN Matthew McConaughey!
"9. Clockstoppers"
"I don't think time has stopped, I just think we're moving really fast." Yeah, now you remember.
10. "Mouse Hunt"
String String String. That's the family business for Ernie and Lars Smuntz? They've inherited a run-down mansion from their string mogul father, but there's just one hitch: there's a devious little mouse that just won't go away, making their lives hell. Hijinks ensure as the duo try to rid themselves of the rodent, trying a vicious feline and an eccentric exterminator played by Christopher Walken. And did you know it was directed by the same guy who made the Pirates of The Caribbean movies and Rango? And Alan Silvestri's creeping main theme has now become a holiday staple.
11. "Big Fat Liar"
Two teenagers from Michigan fly to Hollywood to get revenge on a big time Hollywood producer in what is probably the greatest movie on this list. I watched it recently after years and years and could still remember so much of it. That's how great of an impact it had on my childhood. The plot is every kid's dream and contains what is possibly the greatest performance of Paul Giamatti's career. Thank you, kind stranger!