Kids these days have it great, in terms of movies! First of all, new "Star Wars" movies will be coming out every year in the foreseeable future! Also, new superhero movies seem to be released every other month. Plus, the continuation of beloved franchises are at an all time high ("Jurassic Park,"Ghostbusters," and "The Fast and The Furious," to name a few)! But just because kids now days may be transfixed and amazed at things like the "Marvel Cinematic Universe," it doesn't mean that kids born in the late 90s, like me, had it bad! There are many childhood movies I loved as a kid! These movies come in so many forms, so I separated these different childhood films into different categories I think we experienced as kids. So even if you're not a film fanatic, chances are, there are a lot of movies that you fondly remember as a kid. So sit back and relax as I talk about my childhood movies and fondly reminisce on your own childhood movies that you loved!

Animated Movies

The quintessential kids' movie! I had stacks and stacks of different animated VHS tapes (major throwback!); the Disney VHS tapes came in big, white plastic cases, like the ones seen above. My favorite animated movie was "The Lion King." The story is so tight and compelling, and the journey of Simba (from a little brat running away from responsibility, to the mature, dominant lion who takes on Scar at the end) is so good! But if I had, to be honest, I didn't really notice that arc as a kid; I just liked Timon and Pumbaa! In many of these animated movies, as I look back and watch today, I can appreciate all the great humor and innuendos I didn't get as a kid. These animated films are much more than just mindless kid fun (at least the good ones, anyway!).

Movies Your Parents Saw

I can only imagine the look on my future kids' faces when I tell them I saw "The Avengers" in the theater! Movies like "Jurassic Park", "Jaws", or "Star Wars" may not seem old to my dad who saw all those movies in the theaters, but to me, they are bona fide classics. These movies, most of them made by Steven Spielberg, were already a "thing" when I was born, so hearing my dad tell me he remembers when "Star Wars" came out was like hearing he walked with the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park" itself! These movies were such big blockbusters to my parents that they naturally became a big part of my childhood.

Action Movies

Now I know "Men in Black" isn't a straight up action movie, but I had to show you that the reason my dad bought this movie was because it had Spanish subtitles! Now with DVD/Blu-rays, you can put Spanish subtitles onto any movie, but at the time, we only owned a VHS (again, throwback). My dad bought this so my relatives had something to watch when they came over. It's crazy how different entertainment is now. Anyway! As a kid, I didn't think about the story or characters. I just loved seeing things blow up! Naturally, many action movies became part of my upbringing.

A big one for me was "The Fast and The Furious" movies. At the time, the movies weren't as good, but loving fast cars and cool action, I was gripped as a kid.

Rated "R" Kids Movies?

Now this category might be a surprise to some whose parents never let them see a rated R or even a PG-13 movie as a kid, but my parents had a different set of rules for me, I guess. I remember seeing "Terminator 2" as a kid many times! Now before you go judging my parents, they obviously didn't let me see any R movie! "Terminator 2" and "Speed" are the only two I can remember seeing as a kid, and they were always in the room watching the movie with me making sure I was okay. I think my trips to Universal Studios: Orlando as a child opened the door to these films for me.

Seen It 100 Times

The last type of kids movie I want to talk about is the movie that basically shaped your entire childhood! For my little cousin, it was "Toy Story." For others, it may be "Star Wars" or "Cinderella." But for me, it was "E.T." Now I want you to notice just how worn out the case is for this VHS! When I say I've seen this movie a lot, I mean it! This was my favorite movie as a kid. The music, the story, the little alien, I loved every second of this movie. I loved the little scary parts in this movie, as well as the funny and magical ones! There were nights I remember dreaming of having E.T coming down from his planet so we could be friends; I also had an E.T stuffed animal that I carried around everywhere as a kid. It is safe to say I have seen this movie at least 100 times and I still watch it today (luckily not on VHS anymore, but on Blu-ray). However, I still keep the VHS tape and box because it's a childhood staple of mine that I never want to let go. For you, it may be something completely different, but when I think of my childhood, I think of E.T.

I bet many of you out there had a wildly different experience in kids' movies then I did, but even if you were never in love with the movie "E.T" or "The Lion King," you probably had similar movies that allow you to look back with joy and think about your childhood. So look back and break out your old VHS tapes and DVDs! It's never too late to feel like a kid again!