When I was a girl, I remember my dad taking us to the video store on a Saturday to rent movies (and a VCR to play them on!) for family movie night. We’d get in our pajamas, make homemade popcorn, snuggle in our blankets, and be completely mesmerized by the classic family movies we watched. There are so many films I remember with great fondness, but I picked my top 10 to share with you here. Each one brings back a special memory, and these classic children’s movies are ones that I now share with my own kids. While today’s movies for kids can be fun and artistically impressive, there’s something about these old films that makes you feel good. They’re innocent and wholesome and a lot of fun to watch. So dust off these classics and make new memories with your kids at your own family movie night. And don’t forget the popcorn!
Mary Poppins
Come along on this fantasy adventure of a nanny named Mary Poppins who transforms every life she touches. Julie Andrews shines in this role as she sings and dances, taking the lives of two children, Jane and Michael, from ordinary to extraordinary. Dick Van Dyke plays a chimney sweep and her friend, and together they make every day seem like a holiday. From dancing on rooftops to racing carousel horses, your kids will be transported to a magical place where anything is possible, and you’ll find yourself singing right along.
The Muppet Movie
This is not another Sesame Street movie for the kids; it’s the real, vintage Muppets, just like you remember them. Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear, Gonzo, and the whole gang as they trek across the country to get a chance in Hollywood. This movie is full of great songs and silly scenarios in true Jim Henson style. The kids will love the movie for the music and the Muppets, but you’ll have just as great a time listening to jokes aimed at the adults and seeing celebrities like Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, and Bob Hope from thirty years ago.
Miracle on 34th Street
This is one of the rare cases where I would recommend the remake almost as much as the original, as it did a good job staying true to the spirit of the first film. However, I have to give an edge to the 1947 black and white version; I watched it since I was a little girl, and it’s a true classic to me. Plus, how many children today have ever seen a black and white movie? That fact alone may be a big treat for them. I love this story of a little girl named Susan whose mother squashed any notion of Santa Claus, yet the real Santa shows up and teaches her to believe. Edmund Gwenn makes the perfect Kris Kringle; he is funny, gentle, and kind, and when he talks to the Dutch girl in her native tongue to the shock of her adoptive mother, I can’t help but tear up every time. From Kris and Susan blowing bubbles with gum to seeing piles of letters prove Santa’s existence in a courtroom, this movie is a must-see for every family as it is pure magic.
Home Alone
I still remember my aunt taking us to see this much-anticipated movie on opening night, and I thought it was the coolest movie I’d ever seen. When 8-year-old Kevin McAllister is accidentally left alone while his family vacations in Paris, he has a great time living life his way. However, he soon finds out that life isn’t always easy as he hatches a plan to keep his family’s home safe from two bumbling burglars who are robbing every house on the block. This movie is a lot of fun for the whole family to watch together. It’s loaded with jokes that kids will find hilarious, and you’ll enjoy viewing the ups and downs of life from a kids’ perspective.
The Wizard of Oz
I can still remember getting excited about this movie coming on TV every year. My aunts and uncles would come over and bring treats, and we’d all huddle in the living room with pillows and blankets and popcorn and sing along with Dorothy and the Munchkins. I loved the transformation from black and white on the Kansas farm to the vivid colors in the land of Oz. From the scary Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys to the beautiful Glinda and singing munchkins, this movie has it all. And who could ever forget its timeless message? “There’s no place like home.”
The Sound of Music
Musicals make great family movies, and The Sound of Music is probably the best there is. A misfit nun named Maria gets assigned to be a governess to a houseful of children with no mother and a strict father. Through play clothes made from curtains, puppet shows, and lots of wonderful music, she makes them a family again and finds her purpose. The beautiful scenery and charming story will captivate kids and parents alike. It’s a bit longer than most movies, but it’s worth it.
Pete’s Dragon
This classic Disney film mixed live actors and animation way before Roger Rabbit was ever heard of. Pete is an orphan who escapes his cruel adoptive family and finds friends and the love of a town through his sometimes invisible dragon, Elliot. Because Elliot is usually invisible, Pete gets in all kinds of trouble before anyone believes him. But a kind lady named Nora and her father, Lampy, take him in and they end up helping each other. There are great Disney songs in this movie that have been forgotten over the years; your kids probably won’t recognize them, but by the time the movie’s over, they’ll be singing them over and over again.
Swiss Family Robinson
This movie is a wonderful adventure film that will captivate your kids without the use of lasers and special effects. A family with three sons gets shipwrecked on a desert island and must use boy scout-worthy survival skills to live on the island. They build the most magnificent tree house you could ever imagine (you can tour a replica in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom); when I was little I thought nothing would be cooler than living in a tree house like that. Tigers, elephants, and even an ostrich make an appearance as the family learns to live in the wild. Boys especially will love the pirate scene when the Robinsons defend their home against these unwanted visitors. The film contains classic action and adventure that will entertain and keep everyone’s imaginations running wild.
The Parent Trap
Even though Disney remade this film in 1998, I insist you see the original, released in 1961. Haley Mills far outshines Lindsay Lohan, and the vintage feel of the sixties version is so much more fun to watch. The movie follows a set of twins (both played by Mills) who are ignorant of each other’s existence until their pranks at summer camp force them to be bunkmates and they discover their parents’ secret. The summer camp stunts like cutting a dress to reveal one twin’s underwear and wrecking a whole cabin with string and honey are lots of fun to watch, and when the twins switch places, your kids will be on the edge of their seats wondering when the parents will figure it out. I could watch this movie’s innocent and fun plot and feel-good ending again and again. It’s perfect for a family movie night.
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
When I was four years old, my dad took me to see this movie in an old movie theatre in Philadelphia. It was my first real movie experience, and I have been enchanted with this classic ever since. I wanted to be like the charming Snow White, I was scared just enough by the wicked queen, and each dwarf’s personality was so much fun to watch. Compared to the other Disney princess flicks, this one also continues to be my favorite because Snow White is drawn the way she should be-as a girl-not as an anatomically-correct coed. This film also has an important place in history; it was the first ever full-length animated feature film, paving the way for all of those kids’ classics you undoubtedly have in your movie cabinet at home. The fairytale story and catchy songs will delight both boys and girls; it’s what a princess movie should be.
