On any given night, when I'm looking for something to watch, I often feel called to return to the island of Kalokairi on a small boat while singing along to "Dancing Queen." Such describes the beginning of a number of rewatches, and let me tell you, it never gets old. I absolutely love Mamma Mia! and its sequel, , even though the second installment brings the (off-screen, thankfully!) death of my favorite character, the one and only Donna Sheridan ().

Now, has recently reunited with her onscreen grandmother, , and that it's only a matter of time before the third movie gets made. We have never been closer to getting a Mamma Mia! trilogy, and I absolutely cannot wait to return to my favorite fictional island, enjoy some more songs, and see how things have been going for our beloved characters since we last saw them. So, (Mamma Mia) here I go again: these are 8 reasons why I absolutely, unabashedly, and unapologetically love the Mamma Mia! movies.

Mamma Mia! has a fantastic premise: Sophie (Seyfried), a 20-year-old woman , has never known her dad. Her mom, Donna, doesn't talk about him, so she finds the answer– or, rather, three potential answers– while snooping through her mom's old diary from one life-changing summer. This premise sets up hilarity and awkwardness when – and they all actually show up.

The first movie's story is so much fun, but the second one has a great premise as well. In the present, many years after the first film, , by preparing for a grand reopening of Hotel Bella Donna. Meanwhile, in the past, we finally get to see that summer: the one where a young Donna () went to Kalokairi for an adventure, and ended up meeting Sam (), Bill (), and Harry ().

The casting of the first Mamma Mia! movie is already phenomenal, with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried as mother and daughter, and with , , and as Sophie's potential fathers. There is also as Sophie's fiancé, and as Donna's two best friends, and an excellent supporting cast.

In the second film, though, Mamma Mia! had to pull off . The film impressively knocked it out of the park with its casting, and the younger versions of Donna, Sam, Bill, Harry, Tanya () and Rosie () are absolutely perfectly cast to tell the past version of this story. Plus, we get the addition of Cher as Donna's mother, Ruby, and as Ruby's long-lost love.

Mamma Mia! isn't strictly a , and would best be described as a musical comedy. . There is obviously the engagement and eventual marriage between Sophie and Sky, as well as a fun side romance between Bill and Rosie that is on and off between the end of the first movie to the end of the second movie.

At the center of these films, though, They meet during a thunderstorm when she is looking for adventure and independence, and when he is engaged to someone else. Yet, somehow, they end up falling deeply in love very quickly, but it falls apart when she learns about his engagement. He leaves and comes back for her, but at that point, she's with Bill on his boat. They end up reuniting over the course of the first Mamma Mia! film 20 years later. It is that ultimately has a lovely ending, with them staying together until Donna's death.

It's difficult to think of any movie trio that I love more than Donna and the Dynamos, the friendship and band of Donna, Tanya, and Rosie. . In the first movie, we meet Donna at her most stressed and cynical, bogged down by practicality, money troubles, and years of things not going her way. When Tanya and Rosie arrive, all of this just melts away, and we get to see a glimpse of her fun-loving and charming self.

Donna and the Dynamos reunite as a band briefly to perform for Sophie on the night before her wedding, but in . They perform at their graduation from Edinburgh in the middle of Donna's speech, and they later sing with her at the restaurant in Kalokairi. Even after Donna's passing, Tanya and Rosie are there for Sophie. They are truly an amazing trio, and ever put to screen.

I already loved Donna after the first Mamma Mia! film, but . We get to meet young Donna, before the circumstances made her more realistic and cynical. She is charming and optimistic, and she has an excitement about people and the world. Donna also has these big dreams, and she wants , so she makes this happen for herself by leaving for Kalokairi right after she graduates from college.

Donna does have amazing adventures during the course of this summer, but it's also very hard for her. She gets her heart broken and then ends up getting pregnant with Sophie, and eventually raises her and runs the hotel on her own. The fact of her death is tragic, but the life leading up to it is well-lived. . Donna is a force to be reckoned with, and there is this magnetic essence about her that both Meryl Streep and Lily James channel so well. I could easily watch a dozen movies about this character, and I would never get bored.

Mamma Mia! is an incredibly fun movie franchise , but the themes attached are also really powerful. It is about following your dreams and taking risks, which Donna does when she first goes to Kalokairi, and which Sophie does when she reaches out to her three potential dads right before her wedding. Above all, though,One of the things that really won me over was a twist at the end of the first movie.

When I watched Mamma Mia! for the first time, the question of Sophie's biological father seemed like a mystery that would eventually have a big reveal. . They in turn are thrilled to each have a third of a daughter. It was so unexpected and lovely to me, and it always makes me cry happy tears just thinking about it. ("Slipping Through My Fingers" always turns me into a puddle), and many others.

I don't typically love , to be honest, but there's an exception to every rule, and Mamma Mia! is mine., and they are used in such creative ways. Donna and the Dynamos perform "Super Trouper" for Sophie as a wedding gift. Sam first falls in love with Donna when he sees her perform "Andante, Andante" at the restaurant. to tell Donna how he still feels about her 20 years later. "Fernando" tells the story of Ruby Sheridan's epic romance way back in the day.

Another one is "Our Last Summer," which gets a sweet acoustic rendition where Sophie's dads all tell her about their experiences of meeting her mom while out on Bill's boat for an afternoon. , even though we haven't seen much of them or their romance up until that point in the movie. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" marks the devastating end of Donna and Sam's relationship back in the day. ABBA's songs are catchy on their own, but they are performed throughout the films in such an amazing way, and they are a really powerful and memorable part of the Mamma Mia! movies.

When looking for the perfect escape, there is no better mental vacation than watching Mamma Mia! . It is one of those movies that really does get better with every rewatch, and now, over 15 years since I first saw it, I am always overjoyed to get to return to this familiar setting and cast of characters.

The world of the Mamma Mia! movies is just so special, and it is so much fun to be in. Now, almost seven years since we got the sequel, I truly cannot wait for the third Mamma Mia! movie, so that I can get to return to Kalokairi once more, get a glimpse of the next generation of Sheridans, and see which ABBA songs make the cut this time.

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