Children and their parents shuffle around, fidgeting and fussing. A kid in the row behind you just spilled his popcorn and he starts crying as you brush a buttery kernel from your shoulder. The lights dim and a hush goes through the crowd. The movie is starting. You see a brilliant sunrise and animals of all shapes jovially running across an African plain. They make their way to a rock that juts out above them. On this rock sits a pride of lions with the chief in front.

A baboon embraces him and makes his way to a newborn lion cub. He picks up the cub and presents him to the other animals, holding him over the edge of the rock.

The animals bow as “The Circle of Life” plays. “The Lion King” flashes across the screen. This is a movie you will never forget. It has been 20 years and America still loves to sing “Hakunah Matatta.”

1994 was a great year for film. Many must-see films came out. One of the most quoted films, “Forrest Gump,” came out, as well as the critically acclaimed film “Pulp Fiction.” “The Shawshank Redemption” still resonates today. It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since “Dumb and Dumber” came out, and it is even more baffling that “Dumb and Dumber To” exists.

If you have not yet seen these movies, please do. Some of the most popular movies from 1994 include:

“Forrest Gump”

“Forrest Gump,” directed by Robert Zemeckis, follows the life of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks). Forrest is a man with a low I.Q. but a good heart. He falls in love with a girl named Jenny (Robin Wright).

Forrest has many adventures in his fantastic life including fighting in Vietnam, playing on the U.S. Olympic ping pong team, working on a shrimping boat, and jogging across the United States multiple times. Some of the most memorable lines are, “Momma always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,’” and “‘Run, Forrest, run!”

“The Shawshank Redemption”

“The Shawshank Redemption,” written and directed by Frank Darabont, chronicles the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover. He goes to the fictional Maine Shawshank State Penitentiary in 1947. While there, he befriends the prison’s smuggler, Red (Morgan Freeman).

Andy builds a reputation as an educated man, and eventually creates the penitentiary’s library. He forms meaningful relationships with men who he would not have interacted with in the outside world. This movie is riddled with thought provoking dialogues as well as darkly humorous interactions.

“Dumb and Dumber”

Directed by the Farrelly Brothers, “Dumb and Dumber” remains a well-loved comedy. Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are best friends and roommates who live in Providence, Rhode Island. Lloyd, a limousine driver, falls in love at first sight with a woman who he is driving to the airport. This woman intentionally leaves a briefcase in the terminal.

Lloyd, unaware that it contains ransom money for her kidnapped husband, tries to return the briefcase to the woman. She boards a plane to Aspen, Colorado, before Lloyd can get her the briefcase. Lloyd and Harry decide to take a road trip to Aspen to give the woman the ransom money. Unknown to them, Harry and Lloyd are pursued by the kidnappers who are after the money. This road trip contains many humorous and extremely juvenile interactions between Harry and Lloyd, who are truly dumb and even dumber.

With all the amazing movies that are coming out now, it is also fun to remember movies from 20 years ago. Go make yourself some popcorn and put on one of these movies. Whether it is the first time you watch it or the seventh, you are sure to have a good time.