23 Beloved Movies From Childhood That People Realized Are Really Bad As Adults

"The Lion King 1½. I loved watching this as a kid! I watched it recently on Disney+ and was so disappointed! The humor only appeals to kids (unlike most other Disney movies). It's just super cheesy."

—autnels

"The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. I remember seeing it in theaters and thinking it was really good with incredible special effects. I watched it recently and realized it wasn’t very good and the special effects were rudimentary at best."

—nycgirl2014

"Definitely the movie where Dreamworks supports zoophilia and we see the blossoming relationship of a woman and a FREAKING BEE!" —luizas4c2f1149a

"Growing up, I was obsessed with Twilight. I went to every midnight premiere and bought all the merch (Team Jacob!). I occasionally watch it for the nostalgia, but it's so bad."

—l49ca8a44c

"Cars 2. I was obsessed with it when I was little because I loved the first one and I also loved mysteries/spies movies. Looking back...yikes!"

—meganhash13

"The Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers. I watched it as an adult about a year ago and all I have to say is: What. The. Hell."

—oliviaf4efb19b94

"Space Jam. I still have very fond memories of it, but I recently watched it with my parents who had never seen it, and realized how shockingly unfunny and clichéd it seems now. It was a very quiet viewing party."

—jenevieveb

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. When I was 7, that movie series was my shit! I just watched it for the first time in years and oh my god I’m so embarrassed by myself."

—allisonistired

"Get a Clue used to be one of my favorite DCOMs, but I watched it again recently and it’s SO BAD. Lexi is is the biggest Mary Sue-type character I’ve ever seen!"

—chelseam428983126

"Thumbelina. I loved it as a child. As an adult, it’s absolutely awful. Thumbelina has absolutely no agency. Plus, the songs are awful, Gilbert Gottfried's character has way too much screen time, and every other character is insufferable. Nothing good about it."

—mschneveis

"G-Force. Unfortunately, my family owned the Disney movie about guinea pig spies on DVD...and I watched it many times."

—kristenkubek22

"Super Mario Bros. I used to love this live action movie. As an adult, I couldn’t even finish watching it. It deserved lower than its 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes."

—mellyquartz

"3 Ninjas!!! I loved that movie so much but as an adult you can totally see all the errors. The kids' stunt doubles were obviously adults! I don't know how I missed it as a kid but it's so blatant now."

—danielleh4cd8b59e1

"The Wizard. It was about two brothers who run away and meet a spunky girl who helps them get to Vegas. It has really bad acting and some heavy themes as well for a kid’s movie — divorce, death of a twin, abandonment. Idk how I watched this so much, it’s pretty bad."

—heygirlheyyy

"All of the Air Bud movies. As an animal lover, I loved all the movies when I was a kid but they are quite awful."

—donotgogentleintothatgoodnight

"Johnny English was the funniest thing on the planet when I was 11. I recently watched it with my boyfriend (who also remembered enjoying it as a kid!). We turned it off pretty soon. It was too cringy! We literally couldn’t watch or listen to it!"

—katc4275f5d83

"Man, I love love loved The Swan Princess as a little girl. It is pure cringe as an adult tho, omg."

—faiths4e9a0e06d

"Little Monsters. I loved it as a kid! I attempted to watch it a few weeks ago and couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes! The acting, the gross things done by the monsters, the plot line...just terrible!"

—angelaa4ceef936e

"The Brave Little Toaster. I would watch it all the time as a kid. I would beg for it every time my parents rented movies. Fast forward to adulthood...I watched it and it was so boring and awful. I wondered WTF I was thinking and never watched it again."

—ayanal

"The Covenant. If you have not seen it, it's about a bunch of hot warlocks. My friend and I were obsessed when we about 11 years old and watched it all the time. Last year I rewatched it and realized how bad it was. The boys were complete sexist jerks and honestly, the plot was dry. Imagine Riverdale but with worse acting and even worse dialogue. It literally has a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes."

—mickydeeh

"I have admittedly bad taste when it comes to sh*tty childhood movies but the one that even I think is bad is A Kid in King Arthur's Court. The main character doesn't bother me but King Arthur, oh my god. The man cannot keep food in his mouth throughout the entire movie! The fact that the kid somehow got a blacksmith to make rollerblades with clearly rubber wheels was almost passable considering that the chainmail that the knights were wearing was clearly wool. Would I watch it again though? Absolutely!"

—xomollykatxo

"How to Eat Fried Worms. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid (for some reason), but I rewatched it recently and now realize how gross the movie is. Its dumb, gross humor doesn’t appeal to my adult(ish) brain."

—missymarmar