The DVDs That Raised Me

Before Netflix, before Disney+, before “just stick it on YouTube,” there were DVDs. Stacks of them. Lining shelves, spilling out of cupboards, stacked precariously on the chunky TV unit. They weren’t just films — they were events.

Friday night sleepover? Grab a DVD. Feeling sick off school? Grab a DVD. Bored out of my mind? You guessed it — grab a DVD. Those shiny little discs raised me, babysat me, and shaped my personality in ways I’m only just realising.

Here’s the line-up of the ones that truly raised me:

🎶 The Disney Channel Era

High School Musical (1, 2, 3) – The holy trinity. I knew every word, every dance move, and I’m still not over Bet On It.
Camp Rock – I may or may not have pretended my living room was the Final Jam stage.
Hannah Montana: The Movie – Because of course “The Climb” had me in my feelings at 14.

🧚 The Disney Classics

The Little Mermaid – Ariel was the blueprint.
Beauty and the Beast – Comfort film, comfort songs.
Aladdin – Watched so much I think the disc had permanent scratches.

😂 The Comfort Comedies

Mean Girls – Still quote it daily, no regrets.
Legally Blonde – Elle Woods taught me resilience and pink power.
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Probably too grown-up for me at the time, but iconic nonetheless.

🐉 The Random but Essential Ones

Shrek 2 – Let’s be real: everyone owned this.
Matilda – Comfort film of all comfort films.
Ice Age – Scrat’s eternal struggle was my Roman Empire.
Step Up – Because nothing says “2000s teen” like thinking you could suddenly dance after watching it.

💿 Why They Mattered

These weren’t just films. They were my babysitters, my background noise, my therapy sessions before I even knew what therapy was. DVDs raised a whole generation. You didn’t just “watch” them — you lived them.

The bonus features, the bloopers, the deleted scenes you could quote like scripture — it all felt like being in on a secret club. And don’t even get me started on the heartbreak of a scratched disc mid-movie.

🌟 Daisy’s Corner 🌟

Babes, these DVDs didn’t just raise you. They cooked, cleaned, and tucked you in at night. They were the emotional support stack sitting by the TV. Forget five-a-day fruit and veg — the real five-a-day was HSM, Mean Girls, Matilda, Shrek 2, and Ice Age.

And honestly? The fact you watched Ariel choose chaos over and over explains everything.