Top 20 Movies for Kids

I get addicted to lists. I'll see a list and want to check it out, compare it to my list, critique it. Entertainment Weekly posts lists all the time. However, they're 'photo gallery lists' which means you have to click through twenty or so pages to get the complete list. Whenever I go there, I always tell myself I'm not clicking through all of those pages but inevitably I do. So to save you from going here and looking at 20 different pages, I did it for you.

Entertainment Weekly's The 20 Best Movies for Kids

• Wizard of Oz – The flying monkeys always scared me as a kid. I read the book in fourth grade and fell in love with it. The movie holds up well seeing that next year it will be 70! years since it was released.
  
• The Parent Trap – They’re talking about the original. I’ve seen it and the Lindsay Lohan remake and actually prefer the remake. But they’re both pretty good movies.
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird – The book is one of the best ever written. I never liked the movie that much and don’t see kids enjoying it a whole lot.
  
• The Sound of Music – My family loves this movie – and by family, I mean, the girls in my family. I laugh at and make fun of the movie constantly when it’s on, which leads to glares from my daughters. It’s usually best for all involved if I leave the room when this one’s playing at my house.
  
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – So much about this movie scared me when I was a kid – the oompa-loompas, the bad eggs, the big, purple girl. I have to admit that I enjoy this version a lot now. If I see it on and flip over to it, chances are I’m gonna be there a while.
  
• Charlotte’s Web – This is the old cartoon version. I loved the book, read it probably 20-25 times in my life. I don’t remember much about the movie except Templeton’s voice was done by Paul Lynde and he made me laugh.
  
• E.T. – Darn, I had forgotten how good this movie is until I saw it recently. WOW! I laughed out loud. I also cried when E.T. died. Man, that is one of the most emotional moments of any movie that I can remember. Plus, Neil Diamond did an incredibly bad song based on the movie. Hearlight, anyone?
  
• Back to the Future – Okay, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. However, I question how much of a kid’s movie it is. It’s more of a teen movie to me. Some of the language I would consider kind of rough for elementary age kids.
  
• Spirited Away – Never saw it.
  
• Little Women – Very good movie. Never read the book.
  
• Babe – A very good movie. It’s funny how much character that pig had, plus James Cromwell was excellent.
  
• Shrek – As bad as the sequels are, this movie is not only very, very good, it also passes the rewatchable test. Funny how a movie that set out to destroy all of the ‘Disney’ clichés ended up playing to every one of them.
  
• The Incredibles – Funny, I didn’t particularly care for this movie the first time I saw it. However, I’ve seen it probably 7,8 times since and it gets better every time I watch it.
  
• Iron Giant – Never saw it.
  
• Star Wars – For the record, this is episode IV (A New Hope). For me, it’s Star Wars. All the others have to have names (Empire, Return, etc), but not this one. This one is my favorite movie of all-time. It came out when I was nine. I fell in love with Princess Leia. I wanted to be Luke Skywalker. I wanted a droid like R2D2. I’m sure the FX are passé and boring now. But in 1977, they were incredible. The story is great. It’s entertaining for kids and yet deep enough for an adult to give it some serious thought. Do I take Star Wars too seriously? Probably.
  
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy – How this movie series made it on to a list for kid’s movies I’ll never know. For the record this series comprises my third favorite movie of all-time. The story is awesome. The movie-making fabulous. But way beyond most ‘kids.’
  
• The Princess Bride – Now THIS is a kid’s movie. I love almost everything about it. And again, it’s in my top 10 favorite movies of all-time. Inconceivable!
  
• The Lion King – The best animated movie of all-time.
  
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – I prefer Goblet as a movie. Although Prisoner is a better book.
  
• Stand By Me – Saw it a looooong time ago. Don’t remember much about it.
  

Movies that my family likes that aren't on the list include Nanny McPhee, Ever After, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Peter Pan (live action), and National Treasure. I could go on but that's enough for now.

-- Peace, Jamie