Tastes Change: 5 Once-Beloved Movies That You See Differently as an Adult

We all change as we grow older. And more often than not, our views change with us, which is why we may have very different opinions about the things we once liked. These five movies are good examples.

The Parent Trap (1998, 6.6 on IMDb)

The cult rom com starring Lindsay Lohan, Denis Quaid, Natasha Richardson and Lisa Ann Walter is a beloved childhood movie for millions of people around the world. Centering on twin sisters who were separated shortly after birth in the wake of their parents' divorce, the film sees the girls accidentally reunite at a summer camp and swap lives in an attempt to learn more about their parents and make them fall in love again. Against all odds, Lindsay Lohan's characters succeed and the family lives happily ever after. But as an adult, you understand that reuniting parents after so many years is almost impossible in real life.

The Fox and the Hound (1981, 7.2 on IMDb)

This Disney classic, beloved by generations of children, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a hound dog, Copper, and a fox, Tod, who remain friends despite their differences and the norms and conventions the world tries to impose on them. The metaphor about overcoming differences is clear, but it's still very unrealistic and delusional, which you understand with experience.

Home Alone (1990, 7.7 on IMDb)

Following Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister, the movie explores the situation when his parents accidentally forget him at home on Christmas Eve while going to Paris on a festive vacation. Of course, the whole situation the movie is based on is an exaggeration, but it's very alarming for an adult person to even imagine that someone could forget their child somewhere and only remember them hours later when nothing can be done.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988, 8.5 on IMDb)

This masterpiece of Japanese animation, which revolves around Seita and Setsuko, the children of an Imperial Japanese Navy captain, in the final months of World War II, is difficult to watch as a child because you understand the enormous pressure the characters were under. But as you get older and learn more about the world, you start to see more nuances in the plot, such as the struggle to stay alive with bombs raining from the sky, nothing to eat, and no one to care for them, and the story becomes even more heartbreaking.

Léon: The Professional (1994, 8.5 on IMDb)

Starring Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, and Gary Oldman, Luc Besson's cult film revolves around Léon, a hitman, and Mathilda, his twelve-year-old neighbor whose family was massacred by corrupt drug enforcement agents, as he teaches her his craft so she can one day avenge her family. While the movie has a heartwarming friendship at its core, it's very disturbing to see a lonely girl being taken care of and taught antisocial skills and behavior by a man with seriously questionable morals.