Being the month of February means we are now well underway for this year, 2025. Just as this year will mark the 20-year anniversaries for certain video games, the same also applies to movies. 2025 will bring some highly anticipated movies to the big screen including the James Gunn-directed Superman as well as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. As moviegoers await these and other highly anticipated movies coming to theaters, here is my list for five movies turning 20 years old this year.
Robots – March 11, 2005
While it’s now almost four years since Disney acquired and shut down Blue Sky Studios (via Deadline), we can still look back at some of its earlier titles. Robots was the studio’s second-ever movie following 2002’s Ice Age. Ewan McGregor (yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi himself), Mel Brooks, and Robin Williams were among Robots’ featured voice talents.
In short, Rodney Copperbottom’s life from Rivet Town to Robot City is covered in the movie, where he finds out his aspirations in becoming an inventor like his idol Mr. Bigweld isn’t smooth-sailing as it previously seemed. Despite prominent voice actors and incredible world-building, one can only imagine what if this were to spawn a sequel or two before the purchase of the studio by Disney.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – May 19, 2005
It was the conclusion not only to the Prequel Trilogy, but also of the entire Star Wars saga… a decade before Disney’s Sequel Trilogy started. Fans got to finally see how Luke Skywalker’s father, Anakin, ultimately fell to the Dark Side and became the iconic Sith Lord Darth Vader. Revenge of the Sith was 28 years in the making and is not only among the top Star Wars content for Prequel memes, but also frequently on or towards the top of the lists of favorite Star Wars movies by many fans. Additionally, the 2000s was still a time when video game tie-ins for each year’s major movies were everywhere… and ROTS had several video game tie-ins, including the ROTS video game itself.
Madagascar – May 27, 2005
Many may consider Madagascar a Dreamworks classic, as it spawned two sequels and some holiday specials over the years. DreamWorks’ Madagascar focuses on the (mis)adventures of four zoo animals from NYC’s Central Park Zoo after they were mistakenly washed ashore the titular African island. The movie starred Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith as Alex the Lion, Melman the Giraffe, Marty the Zebra, and Gloria the Hippo respectively. Like with Star Wars Episode III, Madagascar had a video game tie-in, and this one was developed by Toys for Bob, the then future devs for the Skylanders franchise and more.
Batman Begins – June 15, 2005
Two years before Marvel would make its Cinematic Universe splash with Iron Man, Warner Bros. and DC already had the movie spotlight on them with Batman Begins. This title was the first of the Dark Knight trilogy, exploring the origins of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Batman Begins has also been notable for not only starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader and Liam Neeson as the villain Ra’s al Ghul, but also with marking Chicago, IL as the new movie Gotham (something continued for the sequel).
Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows – October 11, 2005
This time, a direct-to-DVD movie takes this spot. Back when Lego was in the middle of its ever-expanding Bionicle toyline, it and Miramax made a trilogy of Bionicle movies. Web of Shadows was the last Bionicle movie of the trilogy (before a fourth installment four years later), where the heroes known as the Toa Metru return to their home island to rescue the remaining Matoran from Bionicle 2. But their home was taken over by a horde of spider-like creatures that captured and mutated the Toa into Toa Hordika. Bionicle fans will also remember this final entry in the trilogy for (spoiler alert!) showcasing the turn to darkness for the Toa’s leader Vakama. 2005 must have been the year of good guys turning evil, eh? Bionicle couldn’t help but pull a Revenge of the Sith, it seems. But unlike ROTS, Vakama turns back into a good guy towards the end of the movie.
(Bonus) Fantastic 4 – July 8, 2005
Considering that Disney and Marvel Studios will be releasing Fantastic 4: First Steps this summer, it feels fitting to have the ’05 Fantastic 4 as a bonus entry on this list. Fantastic 4 was yet another superhero origin story, covering the formation of the titular superhero team and that of their archnemesis Doctor Victor Von Doom. Even with Ioan Gruffudd as Doctor Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, and Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom, Fantastic 4 is notable for also featuring (pre-Captain America) Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. A sequel in 2007 was made before this franchise wouldn’t see another F4 movie until it’s poorly received 2015 reboot.
What other movies released in 2005 have we missed from our list? Let us know in the comments and on our social media!
