Must See: 4+

TOY STORY 2 (1999)

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Toy Story 2 is the sequel of all sequels. No sequel in the history of film is as great as this sequel is. Did I say sequel enough? The toys are back where they make new friends and have a grand new adventure. This time they are faced with the challenge of getting Woody back from a thieving, toy store owning, vintage toy collecting man. This movie has all the good stuff. Great story, humor, wonderful characters, will give you the feels and make you reconsider giving away your childhood toys. Definitely, a must-see for everyone.

SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959)

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Another movie that we have given our highest rating of 5. And why? Because this movie blessed us with the greatest villain of all time, the Mistress of All Evil herself, Maleficent! I mean, she cursed a baby. Wow, that’s crazy. She turns into a dragon and says “Hell” which I thought was so bad when I was a kid. She is, in my opinion, the best thing about this movie. And this movie has a lot of great things. The animation is beautiful, the three Good Fairies are hilarious, and this movie raises the ever important question/debate of pink vs blue. My opinion? MAKE IT BLUE!!!! I am team Merryweather all the way. Aurora looks so much better in blue. And hello! Her dress is blue for the majority of the time she is wearing it in the movie. The only reason she is pink at the Disney Parks is because they needed her to be distinctive from Cinderella and her blue dress. But we all know that blue is so much better. Melissa is team Flora and therefore votes “make it pink”. But that’s not important. What is important is, Why did the King and Queen have the Good Fairies bring Aurora back on her birthday? Maleficent’s curse said, “before the sun sets on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger” etc etc. They sent her away and lied to her for 16 years to keep her safe and hidden from Maleficent and her curse and couldn’t wait one more day to make sure that the curse wouldn’t come to pass? Granted, Maleficent caught Prince Phillip at the cottage so Aurora would’ve been captured there anyway if she stayed. But that is not the point. Also, the Good Fairies have been living without magic for all that time. Why couldn’t they make a cake or a dress? Shouldn’t their homemaking skills be down by now? Who knows. Still, this is a great movie. Watch it.

NEWSIES (1992)

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A movie that was not appreciated in it’s own time is now a cult classic with its own Broadway musical. That’s right. It’s Newsies! Newsies seriously is so great. The dancing, the singing, the young Christian Bale. It’s all good! This is one of Melissa’s favorites. I think she can still dance along to every dance like she did as a kid but she refuses to show me. Young kids may get a little bored with the film, but you should have them watch it anyway. Because of this movie, The World Will Know how to Seize the Day. Carrying the Banner to become King of New York or even Santa Fe. See what I did there? You would if you have seen the movie and listened to the soundtrack as many times as we have.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)

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Who doesn’t love Jack Spar…excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow? This movie is so fun. And if you are a fan of Disneyland, nothing it better than catching all the references to the classic ride from the park. This movie has a great story, fun characters, humor, a romance and tons of action. There is something for everyone. This is by far the best Pirates movie and if you have not seen it then you need to right now. GO!

HERCULES (1997)

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I remember watching this movie for the first time as a kid in the theater and laughing hysterically. Now I am all grown up and I still laugh hysterically at it. Each character just has something to offer. Hercules provides the heroic action, obviously, Meg gives the sarcastic comments and the way Hades’s stupid silly sidekicks just annoy and anger him is so perfect. I just love this movie and if you have never seen it, SEE IT NOW!

 

THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)

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This is one of our favorite Disney movies. The Little Mermaid is a classic with wonderful music and amazing characters. But we couldn’t help but think of how old we are now because we were constantly telling Ariel how she IS just a child. We remember being kids watching this show thinking that Ariel was so grown up and her father should listen to her and stop treating her like a kid. Now we are watching it and we hear Ariel exclaim, “I’m 16 years old, I’m not a child.” Uh, sorry Ariel, but yes you are! Suddenly all her choices make so much sense. The fact that she instantly falls in love with a boy that is off bounds and that she is so willing to give up her life for him…It’s because she is a little teenage girl. But yes this movie is still amazing. It is a sweet fairy tale about a girl who wants to follow her own path and her heart.

  

MONSTER’S UNIVERSITY (2013)

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Before Mike and Sully were best friend’s, before the were the top scare team at Monster’s Inc., they were two kids who met and didn’t really like each other at college. This movie is super fun. We love seeing how Mike and Sully met and how they became friends. The Scare Games that take place are my favorite part. It’s fun seeing the different monster and their fraternities and sororities compete to be the ultimate scare team. This movie is funny and fun and if you loved this first movie, you will definitely love this.

  

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)

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This live action remake of the animated movie of the same name is the best live action remake Disney has done so far. We loved it. Emma Watson was amazing as Belle and Josh Gad as the silly LeFou, but the best casting choice was Luke Evans as Gaston. We loved how it stayed true to the animated version. It kept the all the elements of what made the original so great while also adding new things that didn’t harm or take away from why we love this story. I love how this version worked on answering a couple plot hole questions. I always wondered why the town didn’t seem to ever care or wonder what happened to their royalty. No one noticed that they no longer had a king and that the castle was suddenly under a dark curse? This movie addresses that and I loved it. This movie is beautiful and definitely should be seen by everyone.

  

BRAVE (2012)

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We love Brave! Merida is a tough, independent girl who just wants to be her own person and isn’t afraid to show who that is. I totally want a bow and arrow and to be able to shoot as well as her. I love that the story is about making your own fate, the love of family relationships and the importance of being who you are. We highly recommend Brave if you haven’t seen it. This movie is interesting, funny and beautifully made.

TOY STORY (1995)

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One of the greats for sure, Toy Story will make you laugh and cry and get your old toys out to play with since you are now certain that they are feeling unloved by you. Toy Story was the Pixar movie that started it all. It was because of this movie that computer animation came into being and is now the norm for a lot of animated films. I remember when this movie came out and as a kid, I thought it was fantastic. I loved going into the world of the toys and experiencing life from their perspective. It is a wonderful film and is a must see for everyone.