Top 10 2000s Movies That Defined Our Childhood

Mamma mia, here we go again, talking about this top-tier jukebox movie musical. The cast is phenomenal, while the plot — about a woman’s relationship with her mom and quest to figure out who her dad is — is full of heart. And fantastic doesn’t even begin to describe the electrifying musical numbers! Plus, for some of us who were younger, the film provided one of the first exposures we had to ABBA. Not to mention it made us want to move to Greece. Basically, it hit all the right notes, drawing audiences in and holding them close. So our childhood selves went wild for it (and we’re still obsessed)! We’ll always be immensely grateful to “Mamma Mia!” for making us feel like dancing queens.

Say it with us now: you get the best of both worlds! The “Hannah Montana” movie gave us exactly that, taking us deeper into the life of the Miley Stewart we got to know on the Disney Channel. We loved accompanying our protagonist on her journey to Tennessee and watching as she rediscovered her identity, ultimately baring it all in a big way. And lest we forget that this is the film that gave us “The Climb," a power ballad we still know by heart, and walk around dramatically belting. You can bet it had us doing the “Hoedown Throwdown,” too – or trying to. Heartfelt and funny, this flick made us very happy kids in 2009!

We’ve been pledging allegiance to the band since 2003, and we’ll never stop. “School of Rock” has a relatively simple plot. Floundering musician Dewey (played by the inimitable Jack Black) lies about being a substitute teacher. Soon, he starts a band with his students in the hopes of emerging victorious in a competition. The straightforward premise is executed flawlessly, with emotion, depth, and so much fun. Seeing how Dewey and the kids help each other find themselves – while making killer music – really marked us back in the day. We genuinely felt like we were part of the group, seeing ourselves reflected in the characters, and that’s a priceless childhood experience. Rock may have no reason or rhyme, but this movie makes perfect sense.

Some movies shape your identity when you’re growing up. You’re one person before they begin playing, and almost someone else entirely by the time the end credits roll. For a lot of us, “The Notebook,” which chronicles the lives of Noah and Allie, was one of those films. After all, it had everything necessary to melt our hearts and make us sob: an opposites attract romance, conflict, tragedy, an unexpectedly bittersweet ending, and more. The central couple’s love is the kind you dream about one day finding as a child – big, passionate, all-encompassing. And sure, we now see that their relationship was deeply imperfect, but that doesn’t change the way it touched our younger selves. We’ll be birds with those two forever.

Do you see florals in spring and think, ah… groundbreaking? Do you feel like dismissing people by saying “that’s all”? Are you acutely aware of what cerulean is? If you answered yes to any of those questions, chances are “The Devil Wears Prada” was a big deal to you upon release! It spotlights Anne Hathaway’s Andy, who starts working for the no-nonsense Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Meryl Streep, at Runway magazine. As her life changes, she has to decide who she wants to be. The stellar cast brings style and substance, while the story is clever and sharp. It’s no wonder Runway strutted its way into our hearts. It’s not the only film Hathaway revolutionized our lives with, but it remains one of our favorites.

Hilary Duff owned the 2000s. From “Raise Your Voice” to “A Cinderella Story,” her movies filled our tiny bodies with endless glee. Perhaps no role of hers was as impactful as Lizzie McGuire. We all related to Lizzie on the Disney Channel. The 2003 movie wrapped up her story via a breathtaking sojourn in Rome, where she learns she’s basically famed singer Isabella Parigi’s doppelganger. She’s convinced by Isabella’s musical partner Paolo to take the star’s place, initially not realizing he has sinister intentions. It’s super entertaining stuff, to put it mildly. Everything from the vespa riding to “What Dreams Are Made Of” to the iconic dialogue had us jumping for joy when we first saw this film. Honestly, nothing has changed!

What team? If you said Wildcats, we’re betting you, like us, were hooked on the “High School Musical” movies in the aughts. We’re not exaggerating when we say 2006, 2007, and 2008 were better years because of these releases. Following Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and the rest of the characters as they figured life out through song and dance helped us do the same. Each musical number became an anthem we memorized, and the routines fundamentally altered our brain chemistry. Now, folks may have differing opinions on which of the three films is best. But we’re all in this together in terms of agreeing that the trilogy defined our youth. What time is it? Time to have a “High School Musical” marathon, we reckon!

Who among us wasn’t waiting for our Hogwarts letter in the 2000s? If we’re being real, we’re still holding out hope it’ll one day arrive. The “Harry Potter” franchise was huge, and while all the films are great, this was the first. And it wasted no time putting us under its magnetic spell. We truly couldn’t get enough of the immersive wizarding world and all the fantastical magic it had to offer! It was impossible to look away as Harry’s story began unfolding. Watching him, Hermione, and Ron develop a lifelong friendship and fight against evil was downright epic. To this day, we find ourselves referencing the story, shuddering at the thought of you know who, and asking others what Hogwarts house they’d be in.

What, like creating a movie that’ll stick with countless people forever is hard? When Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods gets into Harvard Law, many expect her to fail. But she soon proves she has what it takes while fully coming into herself. Thanks to Elle, we believed that we could become lawyers – or anything else we wanted. More importantly, we believed we could do it without sacrificing our identity. Pink, bubbly, smart, witty, and endlessly quotable, “Legally Blonde” taught us that we could tackle the world in 2001. With it by our side, getting older didn’t seem as scary. As a bonus, we now feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life, are pros at the bend and snap, and know all about perm maintenance!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Crossroads” (2002)
Britney Spears, a Road Trip, & a Touching Tale About Friendship - What More Could You Want?

“(500) Days of Summer” (2009)
The Reality of This Innovative Rom-Com Defied Our Expectations

“Twilight” (2008)
We Were Eating Out of This Movie’s Sparkly Vampire Hands

“Spy Kids” (2001)
These Kids Were Basically Our Heroes

“Bridget Jones's Diary” (2001)
Quirky & Cute, This Film Hit Us in the Feels

Whenever we’re looking to relive our childhoods, we turn to Lindsay Lohan’s filmography. “Freaky Friday,” for instance, has never let us down. But it’s “Mean Girls” that rocked our worlds the hardest in the aughts, and the same remains true today. An entire generation of us remembers the day we first saw it – or at least, how we felt experiencing the hilarious, heartwarming teen flick in all its glory. The shenanigans that unfold as Cady bonds with Janis and Damian, falls for Aaron, and gets in over her head with the Regina George-led Plastics will always be everything. Seriously, Wednesdays, pink, candy canes, and October 3rd forever hold special meaning! It’s all, dare we say, quite fetch.