Timeless Flicks for You & the Family

By Lisa Pool Content Manager | February 20, 2012 at 3:00 am | No comments | Family | Tags: bambi, ET, family fun, family movies, its a wonderful life, judy garland, Marilyn Monroe, school break, some like it hot, star wars, the jungle book, the wizard of oz

Before we know it spring breaks and spring school holiday will kick in and mom’s everywhere will be looking for creative, affordable and entertaining ways to spend time with the kiddies – trust us, we realize the little darlings will start to muss and moan long before the bell rings! Take a look at the list of top family films of all time, compiled by The Guardian;

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
A corn-fed fairy tale born out of the flatlands of Kansas and sending Judy Garland’s pig-tailed heroine on a fantastical odyssey that teaches her that “there’s no place like home”. Margaret Hamilton’s witch might spook younger children, but she gets her come-uppance in the end.

2. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra’s postwar heartwarmer is darker than it first appears (and is all the better for it). James Stewart sacrifices his own ambition for the greater good, suffers a crisis of faith and is saved from suicide by a bumbling angel. A mid-life-crisis movie, decorated with fairy lights and tinsel.

3. Bambi (1942)
Possibly the greatest coming-of-age movie ever made. Disney’s tale of a limpid, spindly faun and the woodland creatures who coax him to adulthood is by turns sweet, sappy, profound and heartbreaking. The killing of Bambi’s mother can make a quivering wreck of the toughest cookie.

4. ET (1982)
Familiarity has failed to dim Steven Spielberg’s 80s blockbuster about an imperilled alien and the kid who takes him in. Perhaps it’s because the story is so tried and tested (this is basically an update of the boy-and-his-dog tales of old). Perhaps it’s because the director is such an expert manipulator: softening us up with comedy escapades before hitting us over the head with the tragedy. Either way, ET still stands as a classic for all ages.

5. Toy Story (1995)
The first wholly computer-generated animation set the standard for the films that followed. Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is the cherished pull-string cowboy who finds himself shunted to the sidelines by Tim Allen’s snazzy new arrival.

6. Spirited Away (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece plays like a story Lewis Carroll might have dreamed up after a meal of bad sushi, spiriting its child heroine through a fantastical bathhouse full of eccentric characters and wild incidents.

7. Meet Me In St Louis (1944)
Hailed as the ultimate family film (and intended to soothe wartime America), Vincente Minelli’s bright, expansive musical spotlights the ups and downs of a middle-class St Louis brood at the turn of the 20th century. From its gilt-edged soundtrack (The Trolley Song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas) to its vibrant performers (Judy Garland, Mary Astor et al), it remains an evergreen classic.

8. The Jungle Book (1967)
This colourful adaptation of Kipling’s Mowgli stories is a swinging, singing, squawking delight. The big-hearted comedy comes courtesy of Phil Harris as Baloo. George Sanders’ suave tiger lends the proceedings a touch of class.

9. Star Wars (1977)
A ripping, old-fashioned adventure yarn cleverly relocated to outer space. It’s a safe bet that had Star Wars flopped (as many experts predicted), we would today be hailing it as a forgotten treasure of 70s American cinema.

10. Some Like It Hot (1959)
First the health warning: this is a freewheeling sex comedy that features a harem of heavy-drinking sirens, murderous gangsters and preening cross-dressers. It also happens to be one of the lightest, deftest and most purely disarming movies ever made.

The complete list of timeless flicks for you and the kids can be found at; http://www.theguardian.com