Member of the Month Top Ten List
Some family movies are quickly forgotten in a few months or weeks. Others have gone on to delight generations of movie fans far beyond their initial box office run. The Princess and the Frog and Diary of a Wimpy Kid may rank along side Snow White and The Wizard of Oz someday. Right now it’s too soon to make that call with any validity. Fortunately, there are plenty of classic family films kids of all ages can enjoy now. Here’s ten of them.
1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (G, 1968) – Long before Dick Van Dyke was the old guy in Night at the Museum, he was a charming single dad who just happens to invent a car that can do anything imaginable.Check out this link here. No CGI effects, just plenty of catchy songs and silly action.
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (PG, 1982) – Steven Spielberg’s Super 8 is pure retro fun, but not quite on par with this early ’80s classic about an alien who gets left behind and needs a little help getting back home. A then-unknown Drew Barrymore was at her cutest in this heartwarming story that never gets old.
3. Freaky Friday (PG, 2003) – This is one of the few times a remake is better than the original. Jamie Lee Curtis and a pre-jail Lindsay Lohan star as a mother and daughter who switch places thanks to a magic fortune cookie. Despite a few modern touches, it still retains the basic concept and appeal of the 1976 original with Jodie Foster.
4. Harry Potter Films (PG, 2001-2011) – It’s rare that an entire film series is this consistent. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are the constant stars of this delightful series based on the popular J.K. Rowling books. Instead of harboring resentment over what parts of the book were left out of the movies, just sit back and enjoy this enchanting story of a boy wizard’s fight against the evil that is Lord Voldemort.
5. The Sound of Music (G, 1965) – See the film that inspired the current Broadway sensation. Julian Andrews, Christopher Plummer and a group of tykes just as charming as anybody on Glee today lead this music-filled journey. Go ahead and try not sing along. I dare you. Cheesy? Absolutely! That’s part of the reason it’s so darn irresistible.
6. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (G, 1971) – Johnny Depp’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has its merits, but the original with Gene Wilder is pure sugar coated fantasy that leaves you craving more.
7. The Wizard of Oz (G, 1939) – Just about everything you want in a family movie. Take a timeless trip down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her pals. By today’s standards, the Wicked Witch is more campy than scary, but still an enchanting classic.
8. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (G, 2005) – You can’t wrong with any of three Narnia movies that have been made so far. Based on the C. S. Lewis book series, this is the story of four kids traveling to the land of Narnia with the help of a mystical lion.
9. James and the Giant Peach (PG, 1996) – An orphan discovers the magical world of bugs living inside of a giant, you guessed it, who take him on a journey to New York City. A delightful, yet overlooked jewel the whole family will enjoy.
10. The Lion King (G, 1994) – Proof that traditional animation can be just as breathtaking as 3D without the annoying side effects. The story of a lion cub who eventually becomes king. The hyenas, the meerkat and the warthog provide some memorable comic relief that kids will still find funny.
