EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
feature story
|
||||
|
The staff of OC Family Magazine, along with experts and resources, has chosen the top 75 children's films of all time. They are listed in alphabetical order, and our favorite 10 are in all capital letters. This is NOT a list of the greatest films of all time, many of which are unsuitable for children. Rather, this is a selection that, if viewed in total, will inspire and educate those under age 18, as well as introduce them to the spectacle, beauty, and greatness of American cinema. (1) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938): Hollywood golden boy Errol Flynn has just the right touch as the prankster who stole from the rich to give to the poor. It's a great story, in vivid Technicolor, with action scenes that will grip the tiniest tyke. (2) Apollo 13 (1995, for ages 10 and older): This was the third American lunar-planned landing, and this one went awry. Told in gripping, real time, this true story is as much about American ingenuity, luck and strength of character as anything. Directed by Ron Howard; starring Tom Hanks. (3) Babe (1995): The most loveable pig in Hollywood history, hands down. (4) Bad News Bears (1976, for ages 10 and older): This almost didn't make the list because of a script filled with bad language. However, it is a true slice of youth sports, with Walter Matthau playing either the coach from hell or the guy with a golden heart (you decide). With Tatum O'Neal. (5) Balto (1995, animated): A half-wolf risks his life to bring the serum that will prevent an epidemic in Nome, Alaska. The tale, based on a true story, is gripping in its intensity. (6) BAMBI (1942, animated): Full disclosure: Walt Disney's Bambi, the famed young deer, loses his mother, who is shot by hunters off-screen. The movie did as much to give us an understanding of the wonderful animals of the forest as any documentary ever could. (7) Beauty and the Beast (1991, animated): A classic telling of a classic story. (8) Best Years of Our Lives (1946, for ages 10 and older): This is the best of the coming-home-from-war epics, and a lot less intense than more recent ones. The real difficulty in returning to normal life is grippingly, and timelessly, told. War is hell; coming home can be, too. (9) Big (1988): There are lots of movies where people wish to be something, therefore, they are. With Tom Hanks starring, the genre has never been better, or funnier. (10) The Bishop's Wife (1947, for ages 7 and older): Looking for a Christmas story? Cary Grant plays an angel who comes down and inspires all who he touches. (11) The Black Stallion (1979): Just a great horse movie. (12) Boys Town (1938): Spencer Tracy plays Father Edward J. Flanagan, who founded the residence for troubled and orphaned boys. With Mickey Rooney, who plays a bad boy - are there any bad boys? - with a golden heart. (13) Captain Blood (1935): Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling star of the 1930s, is at his swashbuckling best. (14) CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937, for ages 9 and older): The best child actor ever, Freddie Bartholomew, plays a spoiled child adrift on a fishing boat with Spencer Tracy, who teaches him about life and loving. (15) Chariots of Fire (1981, for ages 8 and older): This won the Academy Award for Best Movie. It is the story of an Olympic team from Great Britain and the decisions the athletes make based on their lives and their beliefs. A true story. (16) A Christmas Carol (1938): This one, with Reginald Owen playing the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, is the best of the several takes on Charles Dickens' timeless story. (17) A Christmas Story (1983): A boy, a BB gun, and family, all wrapped up in a holiday tale. (18) THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (2005): The C.S. Lewis story comes to life in this adaptation that works mostly for the preteen years. (19) Cinderella (1950, animated): Every little girl dreams of going to the ball; Disney made this dashing tale seem so real. (20) CITY LIGHTS (1931): Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp was never better. Down on his luck, he still manages to help a blind girl. The humor, and lessons learned, make this one of the greatest films of all time, on anyone's list. (21) Dumbo (1941, animated): This short, hourlong Disney story of the elephant with big ears is probably the studio's best for the really young child, ages 2-5. (22) E.T. (1982, for ages 8 and older): Steven Spielberg brings the most loveable alien ever to earth. The result is astounding. (23) Fiddler on the Roof (1971, for ages 10 and older): This musical wrought with drama and tragedy has the actor Topol playing Tevye, the put-upon Russian Jewish peasant who sees light at the end of every tunnel. (24) Field of Dreams (1989): For every little boy who dreams of baseball, there is this movie about how they come true. Starring Kevin Costner as the Iowa corn farmer who builds a baseball diamond so they will come. (25) Free Willy (1983): As our global environment is threatened to an ever-growing degree, a movie about a boy who tries to save a killer whale just makes sense. (26) Freedom Writers (2007, for ages 12 and older): Hillary Swank plays former Newport Beach teacher Erin Gruwell in a real-life story about turning around the lives of a bunch of throwaway Long Beach Wilson High students. (27) The General (1927): Buster Keaton was a creative actor with great gag scenes. Here he plays a lonely soldier in the midst of the Civil War, steering a locomotive straight toward the enemy. (28) The Gold Rush (1925): Charlie Chaplin, in this silent film, plays a prospector in search of golf in the frozen Klondike. He ends up eating part of a leather shoe. (29) Great Expectations (1946): One of several varieties of the Charles Dickens' story, the David Lean version is the best. (30) A Hard Day's Night (1964): Shot in documentary form, your Beatles-lovin' kids can watch the mop tops run around and have fun, before they and the rest of the world got serious. (31) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001, for ages 8 and older): The first of this series, based on the runaway literary success, is the easiest to follow, and for that reason, perhaps the most watchable. (32) Heidi: Several movies and movies for TV have been made about the Swiss orphan girl. Take your pick. (33) Hidalgo (2004, for ages 9 and older): A horse is taken to Arabia in 1890 to race in the world's most famous, and dangerous, trek. (34) IRON GIANT (1999, animated): One of the best non-Disney animated movies ever made, about a boy who befriends a giant robot. (35) IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946): An angel comes to help a despairing family man, who gets the unusual opportunity to see what life would be like if he had never been born. A classic from director Frank Capra and an annual Christmastime must-see. (36) The Kid (1921): Charlie Chaplin plays The Tramp and Jackie Coogan his very young adopted son. Poetic and wrenching, all at once, as Chaplin's character has to fight to keep the kid. (37) King Kong (1933): The original is the version to see with Fay Wray as the woman in distress, and you-know-who. (38) Labyrinth (1989): Jim Henson of Muppets' fame directs this sugary story. (39) Lady and the Tramp (1955, animated): Disney hit a home run for dog lovers everywhere. (40) Lassie Come Home (1943): Several movies have been made about this collie's grand adventure, but none compare to the original, starring Roddy McDowall as the young boy. (41) LION KING (1994, animated): That a full-scale theatrical musical was mounted from the Disney classic is all the more reason to screen the film: Simba, Mufasa, Scar and the Circle of Life. (42) The Little Colonel (1935): Every little girl needs to see the talents of Hollywood's biggest star of the 1930s, little Shirley Temple. She was to the screen what a young athlete is to the court or field - nearly flawless. In this movie, she gets to show off her dancing talents with the inimitable Bill Robinson. (43) The Little Mermaid (1989, animated): A mermaid story has never been better told. (44) A LITTLE PRINCESS (1995): This remake of a little girl left alone in a boarding school when news of her father's death arrives is compelling, well-acted, storytelling. (45) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001, for ages 12 and older): Classic retelling of a confusing tale. (46) March of the Penguins (2005): This documentary of what it's really like to be a penguin is astonishing. (47) Mary Poppins (1964): The perfect nanny is created from the perfect actress - Julie Andrews - in Disney's best-ever live-action film...which has some terrific animated sequences. (48) Miracle (2004, for ages 9 and older): One of the great sporting events in American history was the U.S. hockey win in the 1980 Olympic Games. A coach hampered by his own demons led the way. (49) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935): Great tale of adventure and woe on the high seas as Clark Gable plays Lt. Fletcher Christian, the man who leads the most famous mutiny in history. (50) National Velvet (1944): Numerous horse movies have been made, but only one starring the very young Elizabeth Taylor and her friend, Mickey Rooney. (51) Never Cry Wolf (1983): A true story about a man who finds dignity in wolves, and discovers who he is in the wild. (52) Peter Pan (both animated (1953) and live action (2003): The animated Disney version and the live-action about the Darling family and the mischievous boy are equally enchanting. (53) Pinocchio (1940, animated): The Disney take on the little puppet who wants to grow up as a boy is fantastic. Some scenes may be too scary for little children. (54) The Pride of the Yankees (1942): Some argue that this is the best sports movie ever made. Gary Cooper plays the heroic Yankee, Lou Gehrig. Any child who wants to grow up and be an athlete needs to know the Gehrig story. (55) The Princess Pride (1987): The fairy tale stars a princess who can do no wrong and an evil prince who does no right. (56) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): The movie's nearly as exciting as the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. And that's saying something. (57) Remember the Titans (2000, for ages 9 and older): Denzel Washington plays an African-American football coach who has to deal with a racially charged town while he whips his players into shape. Based on a true story about a town coming together. (58) The Rookie (2002): Dennis Quaid plays true-life Jimmy Morris, a broken-down pitcher trying to raise his family as a teacher in Texas. Then he gets the impossible opportunity - a second chance. (59) The Searchers (1956, for ages 9 and older): Probably the greatest western ever made. John Wayne plays embittered Ethan Edwards who spends years tracking Indians who have kidnapped his niece and slaughtered his family. Directed by John Ford. (60) Shane (1953): One of the great westerns. The story gives children an idea of the challenges of settling a new land - the stranger played by Alan Ladd, the boy, the villain, the family, life's everyday difficulties, and the scenario. A must for every budding filmmaker. (61) Singin' in the Rain (1952): The greatest musical ever made has it all - singing and dancing numbers that capture all age groups and a storyline that is sweet and funny. Gene Kelly stands out. (62) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, animated): For every girl who wishes that someday her prince will come. This was Walt Disney's first full-length animated movie; it may have been the richest story he ever filmed. (63) The Sound of Music (1965): Julie Andrews plays the nun-turned-governness for the Von Trapp family. Based on a true story, the songs have helped keep this film on most every family's best-loved list. (64) Sounder (1972): Cicely Tyson gives a heart-felt performance as part of the Morgan family of sharecroppers in the 1930s who face life's indignities with passion and courage. Paul Winfield and Kevin Hooks, the latter playing an 11-year-old son, add to the story's depth. (65) Spellbound (2002): The documentary follows eight students and the rigors of the National Spelling Bee. As the tagline says: "Everyone wants the last word." (66) Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002, animated): A wild mustang finds unexpected adventure, and danger, in the Wild West. (67) Stagecoach (1939): If your little boy wants to grow up to be a cowboy, see this with him. He'll want to grow up to be John Wayne. (68) Star Wars (1977): For those of us lucky enough to see a pre-release screening, we realized that movie telling would never be the same again, thanks to George Lukas and a galaxy far, far away. (69) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983): Of the five subsequent Star Wars, this one seemed to make the most sense. (70) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962): A great film made from a great novel (by Harper Lee) is a hard thing to find. This is the perfect example as Gregory Peck plays attorney Atticus Finch in the rural South. The actors who play his children - Phillip Alford as Jem and Mary Badham as Scout - move the story along. (71) Toy Story (1995, animated): The filmmakers really did take this story to infinity...and beyond. (72) Treasure Island (1934): The Robert Louis Stevenson classic children's adventure was never better filmed than the first time. The young character of Jim Hawkins is soon in search of lost treasure. (73) Whale Rider (2002): In New Zealand, an 11-year-old girl must fight the traditions of her tribe to find her real calling. (74) Wizard of Oz (1939): Judy Garland plays a young girl swept away to a magical land where both friends and enemies await. The story, the scenes, the music ("Somewhere Over the Rainbow") and the Lion make this the ultimate family fare. (75) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942): This is a story about the great song man George Cohan, starring James Cagney. Contributors include: Contributor David Dickstein, Senior Writer Michael J. Medley, film historian Jim Niles, twins Nathan and Christopher Reem (age 9); online resource azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/email.php/5903893 Also, "The Best Old Movies For Families," by Ty Burr (Anchor Books, 2007) |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
