The kid slays in the picture: 25 awesome movies about childhood

Amarcord is not the most popular title here, but we had to include Federico Fellini's classic on our list. It's a vibrant look at his childhood in Italy, where he ran into all sorts of wild characters, Fascist soldiers, and idiotic friends. It's the most fun you can have at the movies and is filled with some of the most gorgeous images we've ever seen.

The plot sounds like a farce: a teenager writes for magazines and hangs out with rockstars. Yeah, and I'm dating Margot Robbie... But this really happened to Cameron Crowe, who captures what it's like to be a teenager in the world of adults. 

Feeling nostalgic? This movie will make you ache for those carefree summer days when you were a kid. There's nothing like going to the park with your friends and doing nothing but goofing around.

Did you really think we were going to get this far without a Disney movie? Obviously, we had to include Toy Story, which sees a toy collection come to life and help its owner get through childhood. 

It's a simple story, really: boy meets balloon. Boy and balloon become best friends. Boy keeps balloon away from the kids who try to steal him, leading to a chase sequence on the streets of Paris. It's a soaring adventure that takes kid's movies to new heights. 

Buddy could never feel at home at the North Pole, and he could never fully understand why. Maybe it's cause he's the size of an adult, while everyone else is the size of a ten-year-old child? Maybe... It's certainly what makes this movie so darn funny.  

Hey, you guuuys! I've got the perfect movie for the whole family. Kids will love this story about four friends going on a treasure hunt in the caves of San Francisco, while parents will admire the set-pieces that bring their world to life. 

Stand By Me is the adult version of Goonies, but there's nothing in here that tweens haven't heard or talked about with friends. It's R-rtaed, but the story of four boys searching for a fallen classmate in the forest speaks to the child in all of us, the need to discover things for ourselves and make lasting memories with our friends. 

Another Pixar hit that will make adults in the audience cry and their children ask them why, Inside Out is the story of a girl's emotions personified as actual characters. It will help children in the crowd process their emotions while the adults stock up on more tissues.

There's no age limit on experiencing the magic and wonder of a Hayao Miyazaki film, especially if you're open to new worlds. Ponyo is the story of a fish who finds herself in love with a boy on land after escaping her wizardly father. Their journey makes for a swell of dazzling images and a sea of warming emotions, all set to the backdrop of a lyrical score.

Dear Oscars, why on earth would you snub Roma for Best Picture? I mean, you kinda made up for it with Everything Everywhere All at Once, but still. How often do we get a movie this poetic about what it's like to grow up? It's one of the best childhood movies ever made and you should have voted accordingly. Sincerely, some guy. 

The Oscars didn't give Woody Allen any love for his childhood movie either, and we're not going to complain about that for obvious reasons. We will show some love for the way he took Amarcord and turned it into a New York story, a task that many directors have tried to do since. 

The Spirit of the Beehive is about a child who sees Frankenstein and how that story manifests in her life. In Spain, she thinks she's found the monster lurking in the countryside, but it could just be a refugee from the war. Whatever the case may be, this movie encases you in a spell that's as sweet, dense and meandering as the texture of honey. 

Francois Truffaut's debut saw a boy turn the streets of Paris into his very own playground. Yes, it may be more than 50 years old, but it's just as fresh and wistful as anything being made today. The final tracking shot alone makes most blockbusters look dated. 

Get out those tissues! This movie has the most gutting ending you may ever see. In Vittoiro DeSica's classic, a boy and his father take their bike around Italy and paste pictures on walls until their bike is stolen. Now what? They have no job and no backup. What ensues is a warm, devestating, unforgettable movie about two people trying to keep the wheels spinning on their lives.

Richard Linklater spent 14 years on this movie about a boy's life, that way, he could film the same actor over the years. The result is timeless. 

Who doesn't want to have the house to themselves as a kid? No parents, no rules! But things go downhill when two burglars show up at the house, which means this kid will have to fend for himself the only way he knows how. With booby-traps!

Remember when people would pay to see art-house movies? There was a time when people would pay to see Ingmar Bergman's five-hour classic, in which two siblings navigate the world of adulthood. Their journey into the realm of adulthood--where everything seems bigger, stranger, more surreal--was a main feature at the Oscars, but is now something most people haven't even heard of. Let's change that, shall we? 

Lady Bird is one of those rare exceptions. A movie about youth that audiences paid to see, Greta Gerwig's debut is just as unique and authentic as the title character, who goes through high school the same way most people go through taxes: with a yawn and a shrug. 

Paddington 2 is as cute as a stuffed animal, but it's also an incisive look at what it's like to grow up feeling different. Paddington may not be your average bear, but he embraces it, and we're all the better for it. 

What other film features a flying cat and a fuzzy monster who likes to cuddle? Not to mention two sisters who never fight? Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece is one of those rare films to capture a child's imagination. 

Sure, this movie is not for kids, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have things to say about childhood. Its story of two kids on the run from a murderous "priest" is a reminder that adults can be scary to children and that movies can be scary to adults if done right.

Being a child can be scary. The entire world seems like a fairytale in which every road leads somewhere new, and every adult seems different. The Wizard of Oz is one the best movies to capture that reality. 

A movie about lost innocence in the form of missing people, Picnic at Hanging Rock is about a field trip in which four of the girls go missing. No one knows if they ran away, were abducted or got lost in the landscape. Whatever the case may be, you may find yourself lost in the landscape as well. 

A movie about kids ditching school might sound like a bad example for your own kids, but this joyous adventure has plenty of life lessons--like teaching kids to live in the moment, have fun, not get stressed about school and maybe even visit an art museum.