Contributors: Tashween Ali, Meredith Greene, Angela Johnson, Lorraine Duffy Merkl, Eric Messinger, Elisabeth Reed, Faye de Muyshondt, Lani Serota, Carla Sullivan
Over the years, we’ve accumulated a treasure trove of classic children’s movies that we love. From timeless favorites like Mary Poppins and The Princess Bride to modern marvels like Hoodwinked! and Enchanted, there are so many fantastic flicks out there just waiting to be seen. After digging into our archives and polling our readers and bloggers (thank you for all of the submissions!), we’ve compiled our favorite kid-friendly movies to watch this winter, cover the tastes of children from toddlers to tweens. And we’ve favored movies that are somewhat under-the-radar, or at least more so than the most popular kid movies from recent years. Take a look!
16 Candles: This ‘80s classic tells the story of a love-struck teenager whose family, in the midst of her chaotic sister’s wedding, forgets her birthday.
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein: Just sit back and watch your kids lose themselves in laughter over Costello’s over-the-top fears and frustrations as he and his buddy encounter Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man. Bonus: Their classic “Who’s On First?” skit is on YouTube.
Akeela And The Bee: Get out the dictionary and marvel at the young girl from South Los Angeles who tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee.
Aristocats: The last film project approved by Walt Disney himself before he passed away, Aristocats tells the story of an alley cat helping a rich family of cats after a kidnapping.
Back To The Future: Matthew J. Fox nailed it as a crazed teenager caught in the oddest of situations—having to sort out his parents’ own messy teenage lives.
Barbie’s Christmas: Kids love singing/acting along with Barbie and her sisters.
Bend It Like Beckham: A talented Indian soccer player must reconcile her family’s traditions with the modern world as she falls in love with her coach.
Big: A young child who wishes he was “big” finds himself trapped in an adult’s body, teaching us the valuable lesson not to grow up too fast!
The Brave Little Toaster: A toaster and his gang of household appliances courageously journey to the big city in search of their owner who left them in his summer cabin.
The Breakfast Club: Another ‘80s classic. The timeless story of five students held captive in Saturday detention who each embody a different high school stereotype—and learn the valuable lesson that they’re not that different from each other.
Cheaper By The Dozen 1 and 2: Based on the novel, these movies depict the hilarious ups and downs of having a big family—like a dozen children sharing one bathroom.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: This movie features a flying car and an unforgettable soundtrack. Kids adore it.
Cool Runnings: The unlikely but true sports story in which Jamaican bobsledders practice their way to the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The Corpse Bride: Young man marries corpse…and they learn to overcome their differences.
Dolphin Tale: Animal lovers will enjoy this tale inspired by the true story of friendship between an injured dolphin and the boy who’s determined to save her.
Duma: An orphaned cheetah slows down to become the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.
Eloise At The Plaza: NYC kids especially love this movie premise. How cool would it be to live in a hotel?!
The Emperor’s New Groove: Disney’s animated comedy about a selfish ruler of an Inca nation who gets a lesson on how the other half lives…after he’s turned into a llama.
Enchanted: Starring Amy Adams, the recent comedy drops a fairytale princess in the middle of modern-day Manhattan.
Fiddler On The Roof: This will inspire your children to speak in Eastern European accents for at least 24 hours.
Flamingo Kid: A charming coming of age tale focuses on a cabana boy at a Long Island beach club. Make it a double feature with Dirty Dancing.
Fly Away Home: A broken father-daughter relationship that heals when they care for a flock of orphaned Canadian Geese and attempt to lead them to migrate south by air.
Ghostbusters: Who you going to call? Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and the other guy. That’s who!
Goonies: Chunk is funniest kid in a movie hands down and Data is a close second.
Grease: Transport the fam to a ‘50s high school love story with an inescapable soundtrack.
The Great Debaters: Based on a true story, this educational period piece depicts a black college debate team competing with whites in the midst of Jim Crow laws of the 1930s.
Heidi: A Shirley Temple classic about an orphaned girl who’s forced to live with her bitter grandfather, eventually building a loving bond, only to be kidnapped and forced into servitude.
Home Alone 1, 2, and 3: While best enjoyed during the holiday season, the Home Alone trilogy provides slapstick fun all year long.
Hoodwinked! and Hoodwinked Too!: A film that retells a popular folktale is always a treat for families looking for something fresh and new.
Howl’s Moving Castle: A Miyazaki animation that visually captivates the story of a young woman who is cursed with an old body by a witch.
James And The Giant Peach: Based on Roald Dahl’s book, a journey about an orphaned boy who runs away from his mean aunts.
The Karate Kid: Not only does the movie deal with bullying, but also explores when to fight and, more importantly, when not to.
The Kings English: The inspiring story of King George VI, who learned (with the help of an unconventional speech therapist) how to manage his awful stutter and seem more like the great man he was.
Mary Poppins: The whole family will be singing along to classic tunes in this movie, as a magical nanny brings two children on one adventure after the next.
Matilda: Based on Roald Dahl’s book, about an extraordinary little girl genius who battles the worst parents and worst school principal of all time.
Meet the Robinsons: A cartoon flick about time travel with a twist of fate.
Monty Python & The Holy Grail: In Monty Python’s hands, King Arthur and his knights weren’t all that successful in their search for the Grail, but it’s sure fun watching them.
Mulan: During an era when women were not allowed to serve in combat, a young woman disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place in war.
Muppet Show reruns: Totally classic and totally hilarious! Bonus is that parents now get the jokes they missed on the first go-around.
The Music Man (the Robert Preston original): A Broadway hit that remains popular to this day, kids will love the music if nothing else!
Nanny McPhee: Another British fantasy that we love for its quirky characters. Emma Thompson does a mean McPhee.
The Neverending Story: Who hasn’t seen this one? It introduces a fantasy world from a boy’s imagination that becomes a reality after discovering an enchanted book.
October Sky: Based on a true story, a young, creative boy inspired by the launch of Sputnik gets involved in rocketry—against his father’s wishes.
Parent Trap: Twins will love this! The original is just as entertaining as the remake (1998) and vice versa, about two girls who discover they’re twins and switch places to reunite their parents.
Peter Pan: We can’t get enough of this movie. And we’re thrilled that it’s being re-released next week as a Blu-Ray Diamond Edition to celebrate the movie’s 60th anniversary.
Ponyo: A Japanese animated fantasy about a five-year-old boy and his goldfish.
The Princess Bride: Buttercup is a fierce and feisty princess to admire and there are more classic lines than you can shake a sword at.
Rocky: The rags-to-riches story of club fighter Rocky Balboa chasing the American dream, all the way to the world heavyweight championship.
Searching For Bobby Fischer: This film about a chess-playing prodigy is based on a true story and just might inspire your kids to learn the game.
The Secret World Of Arrietty: This is the adventure that occurs when four-inch-tall Arrietty is discovered by the life-size boy who moves into her residence.
Singin’ In The Rain: A parent favorite all around. This ‘50s musical comedy is great for budding thespians.
The Sound Of Music: For younger kids, stop at the wedding and avoid the whole escaping from the Nazis thing. Corny as anything but adorable and sing-able.
Spaceballs: Leave it to Mel Brooks to send up Star Wars (and all Star Wars rip-offs) with this hilarious tale of Lord Dark Helmet’s attempt to steal another planet’s abundant supply of air. Bonus: If they like it, watch Young Frankenstein next.
Spirited Away: Another Miyazaki, this is the award-winning animation tells the magical story of a 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled of spirits, gods, witches and other mystical creatures.
Spy Kids: An action-adventure that reveals a surprise when a brother and sister find out their parents are top secret agents.
Stand And Deliver: Of all the based-on-a-true story movies about a teacher who overcomes the odds and inspires his students to great things, this may well be the best.
Star Wars: The epic space saga that’s launched countless obsessions with action figures and lightsabers.
Swiss Family Robinson: Every family has its struggles, this one happens to involved a mysterious island with lots of pirates.
The Three Caballeros: A Disney flick from the ‘40s, this is great for little ones as it’s made up of self-contained cartoon segments.
Uncle Buck: We love this movie because it’s an American classic, hilarious, and with lines that you’ll find yourself repeating and chuckling over and over again. And who doesn’t love John Candy?
Wallace & Gromit: This is claymation at its best. The British humor crackles off the screen for parents and kids alike.
West Side Story: An American musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet, with New York appeal!
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory: A classic. And can lead to great discussions on ethics!
Young Frankenstein: This Mel Brooks movie stars the inimitable Gene Wilder and is certainly on the spooky side but safely PG-rated.
