Best Classic Movies for Children - Educative and Enjoyable
by Pollack84 | created - 23 Jan 2014 | updated - 30 Jan 2014 | PublicThe list of 27 titles of classic feature and animated movies that are not only appropriate for children (more detailed information about target age was included) but also have high moral and eductaional values.
This list intentionally doesn't include Japanese anime movies (there are plenty of them so they deserve a separate list) as well as movies with computer generated animation (this kind of movies certainly might be found as entertaining but, in my opinion, they lack something special, beauty and smoothness that only old, good, classic, drawn cartoons have; also I somehow find cotemporary computer generated animation as agressive, ironic and sometimes very sarcastic).
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1. The Wind in the Willows (1995 TV Movie)
73 min | Animation, Family
When three close friends Mole, Ratty and Badger find out that the infamous Mr. Toad of Toad Hall has been up to no good, they must find him and change his ways for good.
Directors: Dave Unwin, Dennis Abey | Stars: Alan Bennett, Michael Palin, Michael Gambon, Rik Mayall
Votes: 1,178
For kids in any age. Beautiful animation.
2. The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1998)
TV-G | 24 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
An animated series, telling the story of many beloved Beatrix Potter characters.
Stars: Niamh Cusack, Enn Reitel, Mary Jane Bowe, Jenny Moore
Votes: 1,088
For kids in any age.
3. The Snow Queen (1957)
Unrated | 74 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When the Snow Queen, a lonely and powerful fairy, kidnaps the human boy Kay, his best friend Gerda must overcome many obstacles on her journey to rescue him.
Director: Lev Atamanov | Stars: Vladimir Gribkov, Yanina Zheymo, Anna Komolova, Mariya Babanova
Votes: 3,022
For kids in any age. Beautiful Russian animated movie.
4. Frosty (1965)
84 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A fairy-tale about a conceited young man and a young woman with a tyrannical step-mother, who must overcome magical trials in order to be together.
Director: Aleksandr Rou | Stars: Aleksandr Khvylya, Natalya Sedykh, Eduard Izotov, Inna Churikova
Votes: 5,521
For kids in any age. Classic Russian fairy tale.
5. The Secret Garden (1993)
G | 101 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott
Votes: 44,462 | Gross: $31.18M
For kids in any age. Very emotional and beutiful movie about friendship, hope and mysterious garden.
6. A Little Princess (1995)
G | 97 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Sara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer
Votes: 36,692 | Gross: $10.02M
For kids in any age. Excellent family movie. I call it a "Shawshank Redemption for kids", because it gives a great boost of hope and optimism. Great!
7. Matilda (1996)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A girl gifted with a keen intellect and psychic powers uses both to get even with her callous family and free her kindly schoolteacher from the tyrannical grip of a sadistic headmistress.
Director: Danny DeVito | Stars: Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Mara Wilson, Embeth Davidtz
Votes: 174,510 | Gross: $33.08M
For kids in any age. Very optimistic comedy.
8. Madeline (1998)
PG | 88 min | Comedy, Family
Horrified at the prospect of her beloved school being sold, a young French girl uses her wit and craftiness to attempt to save it, making an unlikely new friend in the process.
Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer | Stars: Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne, Hatty Jones, Ben Daniels
Votes: 8,041 | Gross: $29.77M
For kids in any age. Sequel to Matilda ;)
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
PG | 115 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Charlie, a young boy from an impoverished family, and four other kids win a tour of an amazing chocolate factory run by an imaginative chocolatier, Willy Wonka, and his staff of Oompa-Loompas.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter
Votes: 529,080 | Gross: $206.46M
For kids in any age. You will find a great story and very fine acting in this didactic motion picture.
10. The Borrowers (1997)
PG | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A secret family of four-inch people living inside the walls of a house must save their home from an evil real estate developer.
Director: Peter Hewitt | Stars: John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, Mark Williams, Celia Imrie
Votes: 23,607 | Gross: $22.36M
For kids in any age. Excellent family movie.
11. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
TV-PG | 29 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Gromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 57,381
For kids in any age.
12. Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Wallace's whirlwind romance with the owner of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin; Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Anne Reid, Justin Fletcher, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 43,406
For kids in any age.
13. Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989)
Not Rated | 23 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
To replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 36,558
For kids in any age.
14. Nanny McPhee (2005)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A governess uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in her charge.
Director: Kirk Jones | Stars: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly Macdonald
Votes: 85,461 | Gross: $47.14M
For kids in any age.
15. Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Nanny McPhee arrives to help a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war, though she uses her magic to teach the woman's children and their two spoiled cousins five new lessons.
Director: Susanna White | Stars: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Oscar Steer
Votes: 37,013 | Gross: $29.20M
For kids in any age.
16. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.
Director: Brad Silberling | Stars: Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep, Liam Aiken
Votes: 221,049 | Gross: $118.63M
For school-age kids.
17. City of Ember (2008)
PG | 90 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker.
Director: Gil Kenan | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Toby Jones, Bill Murray, David Ryall
Votes: 69,733 | Gross: $7.87M
For school-age kids.
18. Prince of Central Park (2000)
PG-13 | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young boy sets out to find his mother. After setting up camp in Central Park, he encounters a group of people even needier than himself.
Director: John Leekley | Stars: Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, Cathy Moriarty, Frankie Nasso
Votes: 662 | Gross: $0.01M
For school-age kids.
19. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,825 | Gross: $57.27M
For school-age kids.
20. Hugo (2011)
PG | 126 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 336,776 | Gross: $73.86M
For school-age kids and more mature audience.
21. Digging to China (1997)
PG | 98 min | Drama
10 y.o. Harriet's divorced mom owns and runs a motel. Harriet's an outsider and wants to leave. A woman stays there with her adult, disabled son who befriends Harriet.
Director: Timothy Hutton | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson, Marian Seldes
Votes: 2,982 | Gross: $0.03M
For school-age kids. Beautiful movie about friendship and toleration.
22. Mousehunt (1997)
PG | 98 min | Comedy
Two stumblebum inheritors are determined to rid their antique house of a mouse who is equally determined to stay where he is.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Vicki Lewis, Maury Chaykin
Votes: 60,486 | Gross: $61.92M
For school-age kids.
23. Home Alone (1990)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Family
An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
Votes: 652,656 | Gross: $285.76M
For school-age kids.
24. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
PG | 120 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
One year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City - and the same criminals are not far behind.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara
Votes: 402,410 | Gross: $173.59M
For school-age kids.
25. Merlin (1998)
Not Rated | 61 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Legendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.
Stars: Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, John Gielgud, Rutger Hauer
Votes: 22,525
For school-age kids and more mature audience.
26. Stardust (2007)
PG-13 | 127 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Ian McKellen
Votes: 285,172 | Gross: $38.63M
For school-age kids and more mature audience.
27. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
PG | 143 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
While playing, Lucy and her siblings find a wardrobe that lands them in a mystical place called Narnia. Here they realize that it was fated and they must now unite with Aslan to defeat an evil queen.
Director: Andrew Adamson | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes
Votes: 427,915 | Gross: $291.71M
For school-age kids and more mature audience.
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