A great movie can shape a generation, influence its viewers, or even inspire new ideas. Taking a trip down memory lane, life lessons from these movies can be remembered.There’s always a moral at the end of the story or some lesson to be learned, from simple things like “sharing” to more complex issues like dealing with the loss of a loved one.

“As a kid, I watched the Spongebob movie a lot”, senior Kayla Csapo said. “Spongebob taught me to believe that I can do anything, even if the odds are against me. He also taught me that it’s okay to be small or weird, like I thought I was as a kid.”

Children’s movies may teach people to find something out about themselves, but they often have a clearer meaning. When adults and teenagers watch a children’s movie, they may criticize it for simplicity of plot or a lesson being too blatant, but for kids, a simple story can teach a lesson any kid can understand.

“I feel like there was always a moral to the story back when I was a kid,” senior Madison Gavulic said. “I loved the ‘Aristocrats,’ and I knew the moral was to be cautious of strangers. My other favorite movie was ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and I think the moral of that story was to love yourself. I think as a kid, I took a lot from that. Ariel didn’t fit in with the mermaids, so she became a human. She did what she wanted to do, and ended up being happier as a result”.

While some people may have looked up to characters from movies, they can also change a person’s attitude or way of thinking. Children don’t have a ton of preconceived ideas and perceptions, but children’s movies can help form and shape future thinking.

“I looked up to Winnie the Pooh as a kid, I’m not sure why,” junior Erin Tesner said. “However, I do remember thinking that Eeyore was such a sad, mopey character. I tried to be more positive, because I didn’t want to be gloomy like Eeyore.”

While children’s movies can be watched by anyone at any age, they leave their deepest impressions on their intended audience, young kids. When children and adults look back on their childhood, the lessons that movies taught them aren’t easy to forget.