As the ‘90s drift further and further away, millennials fall deeper into a state of mania as they can’t quite grasp the reality of aging. To them, playing with Pogs, wearing overalls, and daydreaming about being a Power Ranger was just yesterday. Sadly, that’s not the case, and the proof can be seen in the mirror and in the fact that a lot of their favorite films aren’t newly released on VHS anymore. Nope, the following ‘90s kids' movies turn 30 in 2024, meaning that ‘90s kids are blowing out a lot more candles nowadays.
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'3 Ninjas Kick Back'
Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures/TriStar Pictures
How a bunch of kids managed to book an international trip, get to the airport, and navigate their way through Japan in 1994 is still mind-boggling, but not as much as the fact that the world’s favorite karate brothers would either be in their 40s today or pretty darn close to it.
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'Camp Nowhere'
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
While Theater Camp showcased a modern-day experience, it does feel like camp-centric media has fallen by the wayside since the ‘90s.
3 of 21
'D2: The Mighty Ducks'
Walt Disney Pictures
One could argue that D2 is the best of the franchise.
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'Dumb & Dumber'
New Line Cinema
So Dumb & Dumber isn’t necessarily a movie for those under the age of 13. Still, back in the day, parents were a little more relaxed about viewing, meaning that a bunch of kids were walking around elementary school quoting this Jim Carrey classic and have been ever since.
5 of 21
'Getting Even with Dad'
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
If there was one actor who was a staple of kids’ lives in the ‘90s, it was Macaulay Culkin — so much so that even his lesser-known movies like Getting Even with Dad were in heavy VCR rotation.
6 of 21
'Lassie'
Paramount Pictures
Lassie combined two huge trends when it came to kids' movies in the ‘90s: dogs and reimagining classic TV shows kids' parents grew up with.
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'Little Big League'
Columbia Pictures
Youth sports had to be one of the most lucrative things when millennials were kids, given how many sports movies there were featuring people their age, Little Big League included.
8 of 21
'Little Giants'
Warner Bros.
Don’t say you know a thing about football if you don’t know what went down in Little Giants.
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'Monkey Trouble'
New Line Cinema
Just the story of a girl and her monkey — a monkey that pickpocketed before they met.
10 of 21
'My Girl 2'
Columbia Pictures
My Girl 2was probably made to counterbalance the severe sadness kids felt after they took in the first one.
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'North'
Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures/New Line Cinema
Those who think that Elijah Wood’s first lengthy adventure was when he left the Shire would be wrong because, as a kid, he starred in North as a kid who heads out into the world in search of a new family, only to realize the one he had was the best fit for him.
12 of 21
'Ri¢hie Ri¢h'
Warner Bros.
There are still a large number of millennials whose No. 1 wish in life is to have a fast food joint in their home because of this movie.
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'The Flintstones'
Universal Pictures
The Flintstones not only served up a perfect TV-to-film adaptation but also a sick set of Happy Meal toys.
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'The Jungle Book'
Walt Disney Pictures
This version of The Jungle Bookwas perfection.
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'The Lion King'
Walt Disney Pictures
The animation, the soundtrack, the story: 10s across the board. It’s also still one of Disney’s best.
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'The Little Rascals'
Universal Pictures
Child actors aren’t always the best, but this ensemble of pint-sized stars absolutely killed it, bringing the small screen darling to theaters.
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'The Pagemaster'
20th Century Fox
Macaulay Culkin truly did it all in the ‘90s, including getting animated.
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'The Return of Jafar'
Walt Disney Home Video
Disney sequels aren’t always necessary, but no one was mad at The Return of Jafar.
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'The Santa Clause'
Walt Disney Pictures
Christmas movies are a dime a dozen, but Christmas movies that are able to translate through time and become holiday viewing traditions? Rare, but The Santa Clause has been that since ‘94.
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'The Swan Princess'
New Line Cinema
One has to wonder how many kids The Swan Princess inspired to get into ballet once they learned of Swan Lake.
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'Thumbelina'
Warner Bros.
Ever wonder why Thumbelina sounded familiar? Well, she was voiced by Jodi Benson, also known as Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Kendra Beltran is a pop culture obsessed writer who spent her youth tirelessly jotting down ‘Total Request Live’ data after school. She took that obsession and a useless college degree, and spun it into enough to pay her rent by writing for MTV Geek, Collider, Popverse, and more. Over the years her interest in pop culture has only grown, and today she finds herself baking while streaming ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ running (slowly) while listening to podcasts about the ‘90s, and hanging out with her dog while taking in emo playlists. Kendra also hosts a podcast dedicated to all the crushes people have had in life from Disney to real-life called Crushgasm.
