Casts From Your Favorite Movies, Reunited

It was in October of 2020 when the cast of Legally Blonde gathered for a virtual reunion. This was during the coronavirus pandemic, and they did it to raise funds for the nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s #ChefsforAmerica program, which provides meals to families and seniors in need.

Reese Witherspoon (Elle Woods) was at the center of the Brady Bunch-style screen. She was joined by host Chloe Fineman of Saturday Night Live, including her Legally Blonde castmates Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III), Luke Wilson (Emmett), Selma Blair (Vivian), Jessica Cauffiel (Margot), Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette), Ali Larter (Brooke Taylor Windham), Holland Taylor (Professor Stromwell), and Alanna Ubach (Serena).

Witherspoon said Woods, “inspired people to believe in themselves. She just has a true sense of herself and she always wants to see the best in others… I think her spirit is something that we could all use a little bit more of right now.”

The cast discussed behind-the-scenes secrets, plus the fact that the “bend and snap” scene was actually planned to be a full musical number.

Witherspoon in her first-day-of-school sweater was sweating inside (filmed at UCLA on a hot day). Ubach and Cauffiel helped each other out during auditions, and fans still recognize Davis to this day for being the rotten boyfriend.

The cast were genuinely excited to see each other with Witherspoon summing up the experience as:

“This was my college… This is where I went to college. I didn’t finish college but I finished Legally Blonde. We all… made this movie together that has inspired so many young people. It’s just such a gift… Every time people come up to me and tell me they love this movie, I give it all to you.”

Movie goers in 2012 were introduced to the fictional a cappella college women’s singing group, The Barden Bellas of Barden University. Those same movie goers fell in love with Pitch Perfect.

First-year student and aspiring music producer Beca (Anna Kendrick) lends a new dynamic to the group. A group co-led by Aubrey (Anna Camp) and Chloe (Brittany Snow).

The Bellas joined their voices again for two sequels to this hit musical comedy.

The Barden Bellas; Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Camp, and Brittany Snow, all reunited virtually in August 2020 to perform an a cappella version of Beyonce’s song “Love on Top” as a fundraiser.

Proceeds from all downloads and streams of their version went to UNICEF which benefited children in Lebanon and around the world.

The reunion video opens with Pitch Perfect commentator John Smith (John Michael Higgins) saying, “I’m afraid I have some bad news. The Barden Bellas have gotten back together again. It seems that not even a quarantine can prevent them from harassing us with another musical performance.”

In the 1998, Walt Disney released The Parent Trap, their remake of the 1961 version starring Hayley Mills, and Lindsey Lohan who made her big-screen debut as separated-from-birth twins Hallie Parker and Annie James.

The identical tweens meet at camp for the first time, discovering they were separated at birth, before deciding to switch places when they go back home in the hopes of getting their divorced mom and dad (played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson) back together.

This film was part of Lohan’s three-film contract with Disney at the time.

In July 2020, Katie Couric reunited members of The Parent Trap cast, along with director-writer Nancy Meyers and producer-writer Charles Shyer for a virtual reunion using Instagram.

Lindsay Lohan (Hallie Parker/Annie James), Dennis Quaid (, Nick Parker), Elaine Hendrix (Meredith Blake), Lisa Ann Walter (Chessy), and Simon Kunz (Martin) took part in the reunion.

Shyer shared that he and Myers knew, “within two or three minutes” that Lohan was the right actress when she auditioned, saying, “She had that quality that just sort of leapt up to you and pulled you in.”

Hendrix spoke of the online “#JusticeForMeredithBlake” campaign for her much-hated character.

Natasha Richardson, who played Elizabeth James, perished in 2009 after a ski incident. Several of the cast members recalled her fondly. “Natasha had such an elegance and grace, and she was so maternal to me,” Lohan said.

The reunion also served as a fundraiser, this time for World Central Kitchen.

This film is a perfect comedy. It stars Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in this ghost hunter slime-filled movie, directed by Ivan Reitman in 1984. Ghostbusters was nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, and more, and it quickly became a cult classic.

Eddie Murphy was initially offered the role of Winston, but he turned it down. What could have been?

The original cast (except Harold Ramis, who has since passed), graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s reunion issue back in 2014.

“I knew it was gonna be a huge movie,” Bill Murray said. “At that point, we were still watching Yankee Doodle Dandy on TV, so I thought we had a shot.”

In 2020, Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and director Ivan Reitman came together virtually for Josh Gad’s Reunited Apart YouTube series.

The cast spent the time reminiscing about their favorite parts of filming, and how Murray knew as early as then that the movie was going to be a hit.

High School Musical is a 2006 Disney Channel film about the East High Wildcats. The kids all learn how to accept each other for who they really are, and eventually work together.

The film aired to 7.7 million viewers during its initial broadcast.

There were several sequels, and it made superstars out of the cast including Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale.

They all taught us that “We’re All in This Together.”

On April 16, 2020, ABC aired The Disney Family Singalong special. The stars themselves sang their favorite Disney tunes from their homes. The grand finale was a surprise High School Musical reunion with the leading actors from the 2006 film, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman, and director Kenny Ortega.

Zac Efron didn’t participate in the singalong due to network connectivity problems, but he did appear to introduce his former co-stars.

1.21 Gigawatts of power! Back to the Future is a sci-fi adventure film from 1985, which has spawned a theme park ride, two sequels, and a generation of time traveler wannabes.

The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and the $19 million dollar budget went on to gross over $210 million domestically.

The film’s 25th anniversary had the cast and crew members reuniting to celebrate the milestone in 2010. There was a DeLorean time-machine cake, but Crispin Glover wasn’t around as he had legal wranglings with the filmmakers over unauthorized use of his image in the second film.

In 2018, the cast reunited once again at the Fan Expo Boston.

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Thomas Wilson signed autographs and spoke to fans during a panel. “This was special,” Lloyd said of the reunion.

And in 2019, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd posed for a photo at a poker tournament to benefit the Michael J. Fox foundation.

The film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series developed a massive fan following all its own. The eight films culminated in 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, with the franchise turning its young leads into international stars.

The Harry Potter franchise also led to a successful prequel series starring Eddie Redmayne, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

In December 2019, members of the original cast came together for a partial Hogwarts reunion. Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright, and Matthew Lewis all posed for the pic.

Felton wrote on his Instagram, “Seasons greetings from my school mates. [Matthew Lewis] & I mid debate x #gryfindorVSslytherin”

This 2000’s hit had movie goers following three female detectives unraveling the evil plans of a mastermind who seeks to invade people’s privacy. These women are experts of disguise, espionage, and martial arts.

Together, they operate under the influence of a mysterious boss.

Charlie’s Angels is a remake of the 1970s original. It received mixed reviews, but it holds up a cult classic in the mainstay media.

On May 1, 2019, Lucy Liu, one of the Angels, was granted a Hollywood star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the ceremony, her co-stars Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore appeared in support of Liu.

Demi Moore appeared alongside the trio in the 2003 sequel, Charlie’s Angels – Full Throttle, and she also came to support Liu.

During her speech, Moore said:

“I could see [Liu] was in fact, as I had heard, a bad*ss with brains. Then the better I got to know her I realized she wasn’t just about a bad*ss with brains, she was a bad*ss with brains, a beautiful heart with a deep loving soul, and a good sense of humor.”

Liu herself gushed, “My dear Angels. It’s a 20 year reunion. Twenty years ago, we were an elite crime fighting team and now look at us!”

In 2012, the cast reunited for an Entertainment Weekly reunion story, and everyone was excited. Paul Rudd and Jeremy Sisto were included but there was one person missing. Brittany Murphy (Tai) who passed three years earlier.

Then in 2019, Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Breckin Meyer, and Donald Faison reunited again, this time for a panel at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo.

They paid tribute to Murphy, talking about the classic film with fans, and later saying they enjoyed each other’s company on social media.

This 1997 film had Julia Roberts taking on the role of a dismayed 28-year-old heartbreaker alongside Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, and Dermot Mulroney. Michael (Mulroney) calls his old college sweetheart, Julianne (Roberts), inviting her to his wedding.

So she comes up with a plan to break up the happy couple and once again claim Michael for herself.

This role solidified Roberts as a rom-com queen.

Entertainment Weekly had Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, and Dermot Mulroney reuniting for a special Romantic Comedy reunion in February 2019.

Mulroney had this to say of his castmates: “I think about these guys every day. Because people bring up this movie every day for the last 22 years.”

The Mighty Ducks was a 1992 feel-good sports movie that had kids everywhere quacking at their coaches even if the game wasn’t hockey. It quickly turned into a trilogy.

Aside from Kenan Thompson, not many of the cast have been in the spotlight since.

On January 20, 2019, Kenan Thompson, Vincent Larusso, Garette Ratliff Henson, Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine, and Danny Tamberelli got together in Long Island, NY.

The meeting place was an Anaheim Ducks game. The five actors sported jerseys with their characters’ names, even meeting some of the players after the game.

Naturally, fans speculated as to why the teammates reunited. Rumors of a Superbowl commercial began circulating, while the Ducks’ official Twitter account said that they, “can’t wait to show the rest of you cake eaters what we worked on today.”

This was one of Robin Williams’s most memorable roles. After Daniel Hillard (Williams) is denied visitation rights to his three children, he comes up with a plan with his brother to masquerade as a nanny.

He then convinces his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field) to hire him as a housekeeper.

Daniel eventually learns how to be a better partner and father as his alter ego, with Miranda agreeing to grant him custody in the end.

On October 24, 2018, almost 25 years after the film’s release, Pierce Brosnan (Stu Dunmeyer), Lisa Jakub (Lydia Hillard), Matthew Lawrence (Chris Hillard), and Mara Wilson (Natalie Hillard) had a mini Mrs. Doubtfire reunion.

The small reunion felt a little bittersweet, since Robin Williams’s passing back in 2014.

The four celebrated in style, saying that “Robin is in heaven making the angels laugh and was spoken of with the fondest of love and sweet memories.”

A grown-up Peter Pan (Robin Williams) returns to Neverland in this Peter Pan sequel directed by Steven Spielberg in 1991. And there, he meets the Lost Boys, who reminds him of what it was like to revel in his imagination and spirit.

Pan eventually does and saves the kids from his infamous nemesis, Captain Hook.

In 2016, the Lost Boys reunited in their costumes to celebrate the anniversary.

Dante Basco (Rufio), Raushan Hammond (Thud Butt), Isaiah Robinson (Pockets), Jasen Fisher (Ace), James Madio (Don’t Ask), Thomas Tulak (Too Small), Alex Zuckerman (Latchboy), and No Nap (Ahmad Stoner) gathered together for a group picture.

This was 25 years after their adventures in Neverland that made Hook a classic.

The Rockford Peaches were the tough as nails ladies in the 1940s all-female baseball league. In this classic, the girls are able to impress and entertain crowds with their athleticism and skill, considering the fact that they had to wear idiotic and impractical skirts while they played.

But as Tom Hank’s character, Jimmy Dugan, says in the film: “There’s no crying in baseball.”

In 2016, the stars of the film reunited (minus Tom Hanks) for a special game organized by team leader Geena Davis. Seven of the original cast members (including Davis, Megan Cavanagh, Anne Ramsey, Tracy Reiner, Ann Cusack, Freddie Simpson, and Patti Pelton) came on Mother’s Day for the event.

The ladies were then joined by a real Rockford Peach, Gina Casey.

Those spoiled little brats from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory served to represent the inner monster in us. The kids who stuffed themselves with candy, begged for attention, and dealt with major daddy issues.

But we did envy them for scoring a ticket in the 1971 film that starred Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.

In 2011, five of the original members, Veruca, Violet, Mike, Augustus, and Charlie, reunited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film. Only one of them continued acting while the others went on with their lives.

One became a veterinarian, one a tax attorney, one a real estate agent, and the other an accountant.

In 2015, they reunited again, this time along with chief Oompa Loompa Rusty Goffe, to celebrate the 44th anniversary of the classic.

Those Goonies were a pack of outcasts that ran through caves looking for the treasure of One-Eyed Willie. This film made such a deep connection with young people that it’s still a favorite not only of Generation X, but Y and Z as well.

That water slide down to Willie’s boat just has to be the coolest thing ever.

2009 marked the 20th anniversary of The Goonies, so Empire brought everyone back together to celebrate. This was the first time in 20 years since the original cast were together in the same room.

Who knew that Chunk would’ve gone on to become a lawyer? And what happened to the Truffle Shuffle?

Those of you who don’t know the phrase “Vote For Pedro,” must have been living under a rock in 2004. The indie film Napoleon Dynamite took the budget of $400,000 to a gross of $44 million, and on to become a favorite.

It also introduced audiences to a rising star. A beautiful llama named Tina.

It was on June 11, 2014 when the Dynamite team hung out together at Fox Studios in LA in order to celebrate the movie’s 10th anniversary. They even unveiled a bronze sculpture of Napoleon.

Sadly, Tina did not show up for the reunion and was nowhere to be found.

In 1987, The Princess Bride was released and the world fell in love. Princess Buttercup, Westley, Inigo Montoya, and Vizzini are some of classic cinema’s most quoted and memorable characters of all time.

Not to mention this movie brought the grandfather and grandson relationship to a whole new level.

Lovers have been whispering “as you wish”, since its release.

In 2011, fans’ wishes came true when Entertainment Weekly reunited the cast (except for Andre the Giant). The group went on to attend the 25th-anniversary screening and cast reunion which was held during the 50th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall in New York City back in 2012.

The jock, the nerd, the criminal, the princess, and the basket case featured in this John Hughes decade-defining film from 1985. It is revered as the classic high school archetype movie starring members of the Brat Pack.

It also featured “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, which soon became an anthem of angst for all.

The entire group has never gotten together in decades, since Emilio Estevez keeps avoiding it, so in 2010, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, and Molly Ringwald attended a Film Society of Lincoln Center screening of the film to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary.

Estevez couldn’t attend since this time he was in the middle of another Mighty Ducks installment.

“It’s astounding! Time is fleeting,” were the first words of “Time Warp” in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 rock musical was risqué as could be for its time, but by today’s standards, looks timid in comparison.

It obviously touched on something in our culture that resounds, since the film is still shown at midnight on screens all over the world.

In 2015, Tim Curry (Frank-N-Furter), Susan Sarandon (Janet), Barry Bostwick (Brad), Patricia Quinn (Columbia), and Meat Loaf (Eddie) got together for an Entertainment Weekly photoshoot.

The film was a flop when it was released, but has since achieved cult status.

In 1994, Forrest Gump was released and it gave the viewers an American history lesson through the story of one man and his mama. The movie starred Tom Hanks together with a talented cast including Gary Sinise, Robin Wright, Sally Field, and a young Haley Joel Osment.

Mykelti Williamson (Bubba), Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan), and Tom Hanks (Forrest) took a selfie together backstage in 2014 during Gary Sinise’s Hollywood Salutes Heroes event.

It was dedicated to giving thanks to those who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Hanks then went ahead and posted it on his WhoSay account.

The cast has to be the cutest kids ever assembled in one movie. Richard Linklater’s 2003 film School of Rock was about substitute teacher, Dewey Finn (Jack Black) who uses his friend’s name, Ned Schneebly, to teach kids about music.

It took many months to cast, but in the end, they got the perfect group together as you saw in the film.

The 10th anniversary had all the kids and Jack Black back together for some jamming and photos. There was also a reunion concert, thanks to the Austin Film Society. It’s just shocking how much of a difference 10 years can make.

The hills were alive when a cast of characters in 1965’s movie musical version of The Sound of Music was produced and released. It swept the Oscars that year, when the story of the Von Trapps and the governess played by Julie Andrews who brought music and life into their home graced the screens.

There are The Sound of Music sing-alongs all over the world, but it was Oprah Winfrey who got the cast back together, including the children, in 2010 for a special episode of her show.

Vanity Fair eventually did a 50th-anniversary article on the movie, which reunited Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. The kids weren’t invited to be involved in that photo shoot though.

Many have said that this is their favorite Christmas movie ever. A Christmas Story is a comedic tale about a young boy who just really wants a BB gun.

There has never been a lamp more famous from a movie, nor a group of kids been more relatable during Christmas time. No wonder it’s become a favorite of many.

The cast reunited back in 2003 to celebrate the 20th anniversary with a special DVD of the film. Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) became a big Hollywood director, known for films like Couples Retreat and Term Life.

The cast got back together in 2013 for the film’s 30th anniversary.

Schwing! Wayne and Garth soared to fame when they took their Saturday Night Live characters to the big screen in 1992. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey had everyone appreciating Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” even more after this film.

Plus, the film introduced us to Cassandra, one of the hottest screen babes perhaps ever.

In celebration of the 21st anniversary of the film, the cast and crew, including Rob Lowe, held a special screening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles in 2013.

The film’s director, Penelope Spheeris, met with Carvey and Myers after a reported feud between them for many years.

This 1993 coming-of-age baseball film initially disappointed at the box office. But The Sandlot developed a cult following over the years. It’s the film that gave birth to the catchphrase “You’re killing me, Smalls”.

It tells the story of a new boy in town who finds friends through the local baseball team.

Even though it received mediocre reviews, the film remains a staple of ’90s nostalgia.

The cast reunited, and like many others, did so to raise funds for a COVID-19 relief foundation which was started by Los Angeles Dodgers player Justin Turner.

They’ve pretty much remained friends over the years, hanging out, and posing for photos when fans recognize them.

Tom Guiry (Smalls), Chauncey Leopardi (Squints), Marty York (Yeah-Yeah), Brandon Quintin Adams (Kenny), Grant Gelt (Bertram), Shane Obedzinski (Tommy), Victor DiMattia (Timmy), Marley Shelton (Wendy Peffercorn), Wil Horneff (Phillips), and Art LaFleur, who played New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth have become for many, their childhood friends.