Here Are 26 Movies That Celebrated 10, 20, And 25 Year Anniversaries In 2023

If you didn't feel old before, you might do now...

2023 may have seen the phenomenon that was Barbenheimer, but let's not forget what came to our screens beforehand...

Warner Bros. Pictures / Universal Pictures

Yup, this year marked some pretty big anniversaries of some of the most iconic movies. Here are some of our favourites:

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The Big Lebowski

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Summary: After being mistaken for a millionaire thus his favourite rug getting urinated on, "the Dude" goes on a mission to recompense his rug from the millionaire (Lebowski) himself. Unfortunately, he also ends up getting caught up in an intricate kidnapping case.

The film achieved a cult following, and even sparked the lifestyle of "Dudeism" which encourages the practice of being cool-headed and going with the flow. Oh yeah, and it ordained over 600,000 Dudeist priests.

The Truman Show

Paramount Pictures

Summary:  An insurance salesman has no idea that his entire life is on the set of a TV show, and his loved ones are all actors. Once he begins to figure this out he decides to try and escape.

The original story was apparently meant to be a whole lot darker, with Truman going into the real world and spotting his own souvenir store, and hopping onto a studio tram tour listening to facts about his own life.

Blade

Marvel Studios

Summary: Blade who is half-immortal, half-mortal sets out to kill vampires to avenge his mother's death. Unfortunately, his exact blood type is needed in a plan to summon an evil God and execute the human race.

Blade came at a crucial point for Marvel, helping them recover from recent bankruptcy, and has been labelled as their secret weapon.

Rush Hour

New Line Cinema

Summary:  Two detectives from Hong Kong and LA team up to save the daughter of the Chinese Consul who has been taken by criminals. Only trouble is, they both can't stand each other.

Rush Hour birthed the existence of movie review website, Rotten Tomatoes: 

"Senh Duong, the creator of Rotten Tomatoes, had been a huge Jackie Chan fan since high school, and the idea for RT came to him after he joined the workforce. The primary catalyst was that he wanted to find reviews of the Hong Kong films of Jackie Chan that he loved so much." When the release of Rush Hour (Chan's first major Hollywood film) was just around the corner, it was the perfect time to put the site live.

A Bug's Life

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Summary:  Each season, the grasshoppers demand a share of food from the ant colony. However, one year when their food source is destroyed, the grasshoppers demand twice as much. Flik decides to battle the grasshoppers and creates his own budding army made up of high-flying circus insects, not realising that these bugs are actually inept.

It received a mostly positive response from film critics, so what are we waiting for? Now is the perfect time for a sequel!

Mulan

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Summary:  After worrying that her sick father will be drafted into the Chinese army, Mulan takes his place by pretending to be a man. With her trusty dragon Mushu by her side, she helps to ward off the Hun invasion.

The voice of Mulan, Ming-Na Wen, commented on her role: "I am ecstatic to have played a character with such long-lasting influence. It’s the magic of Disney to be able to translate a Chinese story and make it relatable to everyone for all generations."

The Parent Trap

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Summary: Identical twins are separated after their parents' divorce, and don't know each other exist until they meet each other at a summer camp. They then join forces and decide to switch places to reunite their parents.

Even 25 years on this film is still a cult-classic, with some of the iconic lines from the film still featuring in trending TikTok sounds.

You've Got Mail

Warner Bros.

Summary:  When struggling bookseller Kathleen meets Joe the owner of the corporate bookstore across the street, the two become rivals. Unbeknownst to them, they spark up an online romance with each other anonymously, until Joe figures out who he's been falling in love with.

It was based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie which was also remade into The Shop Around the Corner (1940) before this classic rom-com was born.

Saving Private Ryan

Paramount Pictures

Summary:  Captain John Miller takes his men behind enemy lines to search for Private James Ryan whose three brothers were killed in combat. Each of the men embark on journey's of self discovery as they're met with the brutal reality of war.

Tom Hanks and most of the cast were put on a gruelling six-day boot camp where they were exposed to cold, wet conditions, and given weapon training too.

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Love Actually

United International Pictures

Summary: Following the lives of eight couples, the movie covers everything from young love, to falling in love with your best friend's wife, to the beginning of an affair, a blossoming relationship between the Prime Minister and a member of his staff, and the love life of a young woman who has to care for her brother.

In more recent times the movie has been criticised for its outdated jokes, unrealistic plot lines, and a severe lack of diversity. 

Elf

New Line Cinema

Summary: After Buddy realises that he doesn't quite fit in among the elves of the North Pole, he goes on a mission to New York to find his biological father, a cynical businessman, and spread Christmas cheer.

Look, I'm sure almost every single one of us has watched this movie, and it's a Christmas classic for a reason.

Bruce Almighty

Spyglass Entertainment

Summary: Bruce doesn't receive the coveted anchor position he's been working for, and claims that God is treating him poorly. Shortly after, God himself contacts Bruce and offers him all of his powers if he thinks he can do a better job. Bruce, of course, accepts but uses his new powers for selfish gains.

The movie was banned in various countries including Egypt and Malaysia following objections in how "it harms the Almighty by daring to have him incarnated by an actor."

What A Girl Wants

Warner Bros. Pictures

Summary: American teen Daphne goes to England on the search for her father before realising that he's actually running for political office. 

The original movie poster was released during the Iraq war, and had to be changed to airbrush the peace sign out of it, to emphasise the movie was not war-related.

Honey

Universal Pictures

Summary: Aspiring choreographer Honey thinks her dreams will come true after meeting a director who offers to her a chance to be in one of his music videos. Things soon turn dark as he begins to ask her for sexual favours in return for her fame and success.

The movie was based on Laurieann Gibson's life, who was a choreographer herself, and she stars in the movie as Honey's rival.

Cheaper by the Dozen

20th Century Fox

Summary: While his wife is on a book tour, Tom has to balance looking after his 12 children while coaching a new football team at the same time.

The Oprah Winfrey TV crew used in the movie was actually made up of members from Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd cast. 

Freaky Friday

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Summary: It follows a mother and daughter who couldn't be more different. One night, after receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant, they unknowingly switch bodies. They have to navigate life through each other's lives as they try to switch back.

The opening shots of the movie that shows Tess with a younger Anna features a picture of Jamie Lee Curtis with her real-life daughter, Annie Guest.

School of Rock

Paramount Pictures

Summary: Dewey gets kicked out of his band and in a desperate search for work he ends up as a music teacher at a private school. He teaches his students all about the world of hard rock and creates a student band on the sly.

In the original cut of the film, Jack Black and Joan Cusack kiss, but the romance arc was then decidedly scrapped.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Summary: Whilst on holiday in Rome with her school friends, Lizzie is mistaken for pop star Isabella and befriends the singer's duet partner Paolo. Lizzie agrees to step into Isabella's shoes to perform with Paolo, but things don't go as planned.

It was the first Disney Channel series to be turned into a feature film and premiered in actual movie theatres, paving the way for future releases such as Hannah Montana: The Movie. 

Peter Pan

Columbia TriStar Film

Summary: Wendy and her two younger siblings are visited by Peter Pan who takes them with him to Neverland to fight Captain Hook. It's a live action remake of the 1953 movie.

Jeremy Sumpter who played the role of Peter Pan grew several inches taller during filming, and so the window into the Darling's nursery had to be resized twice to accommodate his change in height.

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The Wolf of Wall Street

Paramount Pictures

Summary: Jordan Belfort takes a hit after the Wall Street crash and so teams up with Donnie Azoff to defraud wealthy investors out of millions of dollars.

The movie once held the record for the most f-bombs in a film. It features 569 instances at a rate of 2.81 times per minute. It's since been beaten by Swearnet: The Movie. 

About Time

Universal Pictures

Summary: Like all of the men in his family, Tim has the power to time travel. He uses this power to pursue his romantic interest, Mary.

Tim mentions that it's a long walk to Mary's car from Joanne's flat, which is comically true as in reality the distance is about six miles across central London.

We're the Millers

Warner Bros. Pictures

Summary: David is a small-time drug dealer who ends up owing his boss a huge amount of money after being mugged. To recover the costs he sets out on a journey to Mexico to pick up a drug shipment. In order to do this, he hires people to pretend to be his family for the journey ahead.

The cast played a prank on Jennifer Anniston by playing the Friends theme song during a take. The scene can be watched during the blooper reel.

Gravity

Warner Bros. Pictures

Summary: During a shuttle mission, an engineer and astronaut are left stranded in deep space after their shuttle is destroyed. They have no link back to Earth, and are left trying to survive.

The entire cast is just two actors, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, with the latter not having that much screen time. Anyone else we hear are voice actors.

The Great Gatsby

Warner Bros. Pictures

Summary: As an adaptation from F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel under the same name, the movie follows narrator Nick Carraway as he is exposed to the extravagant lifestyle of Jay Gatsby who is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan.

Catherine Martin had the job of creating over 1,700 outfits for the movie, with the help of Miuccia Prada, who also did the costumes for Romeo + Juliet. 

Monsters University

Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

Summary: Acting as a prequel to Monsters, Inc., Mikey and Sulley join the university to become two of the scariest monsters, but their rivalry ends up getting them kicked out of the elite scare program.

In Monsters, Inc. Mikey says that Sulley has been jealous of his looks since fourth grade, yet in this movie they only just met at university. 

Frozen

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Summary: When Elsa accidentally uses her powers to make her kingdom experience eternal winter, her sister Anna goes on a mission to end the spell.

The famous song "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" was almost scrapped from the movie, and was only added back in right before it was released.

What's your favourite movie from the list? Let us know in the comments below!