Raise your kids on the classics: 21 family movies worth passing on
At some point in parenthood, it happens. You suggest a movie for family night, something excellent, formative and watched approximately 600 times during your own childhood, only for your kid to look at you and ask:
“Is it old?”
Excuse me?
No. It is not old. It is a classic.
There’s something uniquely satisfying about introducing your kids to the movies that lived permanently in your VHS player, supplied most of your pop-culture references and, in several cases, frightened you far more than anyone at the time apparently thought was reasonable.
Watching them again as a parent is almost an experience in itself. Some are every bit as wonderful as you remember, while others contain jokes that flew kilometres over your head as a child or prompt the sudden realisation that parental controls in the ’80s and ’90s were apparently just vibes.
The best ones, though, still do what great family movies have always done. They make kids laugh, give them characters to root for, occasionally scare them just enough, and create the kind of stories families end up quoting for years.
So, welcome to Raise Your Kids on the Classics. These aren’t necessarily the newest, slickest or most perfectly behaved family films. They’re simply the ones worth passing on.
1. Mary Poppins (1964)
The vibe: Magical, musical and practically perfect.
Before children had CGI superheroes, Mary Poppins was casually flying into London with an umbrella and pulling enormous household objects out of a carpet bag.
The story of Jane and Michael Banks and their highly unconventional nanny still works because, underneath the animated penguins, chimney sweeps and spoonfuls of sugar, it is really about a family that has forgotten how to spend time together.
Yes, it is long by modern kids’ movie standards, but when it works, it really works.
The parent rewatch: You may find yourself considerably more invested in Mr Banks than you were at seven.
Pass it on for: The music, imagination and reminder that sometimes the adults are the ones who need changing.
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2. The Sound of Music (1965)
The vibe: Singing children, Austrian mountains and considerably more Nazis than the first hour suggests.
If your childhood involved somebody putting The Sound of Music on every Christmas, rainy Sunday or family gathering, it might be time to continue the tradition.
Julie Andrews as Maria remains impossible not to love, the songs are essentially embedded in our collective DNA and the Von Trapp children’s curtain-based play clothes remain surprisingly aspirational.
It is worth remembering, however, that the cheerful singing-and-puppets portion eventually becomes a story about a family fleeing the Nazis, so the tonal shift may catch younger children by surprise.
The parent rewatch: Captain von Trapp. That’s the note.
Pass it on for: Music, family, courage and finally giving your children context for why you sing “so long, farewell” every time you leave somewhere.
3. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
The vibe: Pure imagination with an undercurrent of mild psychological warfare.
Chocolate rivers, Everlasting Gobstoppers, golden tickets and Oompa Loompas all combine with Gene Wilder delivering one of the most delightfully unpredictable performances in family-movie history.
The original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has a handmade weirdness that newer films rarely manage, although it also contains the boat tunnel. You remember the boat tunnel, right?
Some scenes can be surprisingly frightening for younger children, so this is one of those movies where nostalgia is not always the most reliable guide to readiness.
The parent rewatch: Wonka’s complete lack of urgency as each badly behaved child disappears is somehow much funnier now.
Pass it on for: Imagination, chocolate and an extremely memorable lesson about not being greedy.
4. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
The vibe: The beginning of approximately four decades of family arguments about Star Wars.
At some point, every child deserves to hear that opening music while yellow words begin crawling across a field of stars.
A New Hope introduces Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, lightsabers, droids and one of cinema’s great adventure stories. It is also worth remembering that the original is not necessarily little-kid viewing simply because R2-D2 is adorable.
There is violence, death, frightening villains and an entire planet being destroyed, so younger or sensitive children may need a little more time before being initiated into the galaxy.
The parent rewatch: Leia remains the most competent person in practically every room.
Pass it on for: Adventure, courage and the enormous satisfaction of starting at Episode IV and confusing your children immediately.
5. The Muppet Movie (1979)
The vibe: Joy.
Kermit leaves the swamp for Hollywood after being told he could make millions of people happy, collecting Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the rest of the glorious weirdos who become his family along the way.
It is funny, sweet and full of jokes adults can enjoy without the entire movie constantly winking at the grown-ups. There is also something wonderfully gentle about its optimism, even when the story gets slightly strange.
And yes, “Rainbow Connection” still hits. Possibly harder now.
The parent rewatch: Why are we suddenly emotional about a frog?
Pass it on for: Friendship, optimism and a gentler introduction to an older style of family movie.
The ’80s classics
The 1980s deserve their own section, partly because the decade produced some extraordinary family films and partly because nobody seemed particularly concerned about terrifying children.
We’ve rounded up the decade separately in our guide to the best ’80s movies to watch with kids, but if you’re building the essential starter pack, these belong in it.
6. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The vibe: Childhood wonder followed by emotional devastation.
A lonely boy discovers an alien stranded on Earth and helps him find his way home, which sounds like a relatively simple premise until Steven Spielberg turns it into one of the defining stories about childhood, friendship and letting go.
It is beautiful and funny, but it is also far more intense than many of us remember, particularly once E.T. becomes ill and government workers descend on the family home.
If your memory consists mostly of bicycles flying across the moon, prepare to rediscover the rest.
The parent rewatch: You thought you were showing them a sweet alien movie. Rookie error. Bring tissues.
Pass it on for: Empathy, friendship and one of the greatest bicycle scenes ever put on film.
7. Back to the Future (1985)
The vibe: Perfect blockbuster storytelling with a plot you suddenly realise is very weird.
Marty McFly travels from 1985 to 1955 in Doc Brown’s DeLorean and accidentally interferes with the moment his parents are meant to fall in love. The movie is still brilliant, wildly entertaining and responsible for making a stainless-steel sports car one of the coolest objects ever created.
Watching it as a parent, however, also means noticing the violence, drinking, language, sexual material and the small issue of Marty’s teenage mother developing a crush on him.
This is definitely one to watch with older kids rather than simply putting it on and wandering away.
The parent rewatch: Oh yes. That storyline.
Pass it on for: Comedy, adventure and a genuinely great introduction to time-travel storytelling.
8. The Goonies (1985)
The vibe: Children left unsupervised for approximately nine consecutive hours.
There is a treasure map, a pirate ship, underground tunnels, a criminal family, booby traps, skeletons and a group of kids doing things that would now generate approximately 46 missed calls from their parents.
The Goonies is noisy, chaotic, occasionally inappropriate and tremendously fun. It is also a prime example of why “I watched it when I was six” is not always particularly reliable age guidance.
The language is more enthusiastic than many parents remember, and there is plenty of danger and imagery that may be a bit much for younger or sensitive kids.
The parent rewatch: You will spend a surprising amount of time wondering where everybody’s parents are.
Pass it on for: Friendship, adventure and the fantasy that the greatest day of your childhood could begin in your own neighbourhood.
9. The Princess Bride (1987)
The vibe: Almost perfect.
Sword fighting, true love, giants, revenge and rodents of unusual size somehow come together in a movie that manages to be a fairy tale, comedy, adventure and romance without becoming annoying about any of them.
Unlike plenty of nostalgic favourites, the humour still works beautifully, although there are some darker moments, violence and frightening creatures that tend to make it a better fit once kids are a little older.
Mostly, though, this is one of those rare movies that works just as well for the adults on the couch as it does for the kids.
The parent rewatch: You will remember significantly more lines than you realised.
Pass it on for: Wit, adventure and introducing your kids to quotes they’ll hear for the rest of their lives.
10. The Little Mermaid (1989)
The vibe: Peak Disney Renaissance arriving right at the end of the decade.
Ariel wants to experience life beyond the sea and makes an objectively terrible contractual decision with Ursula in pursuit of it.
The soundtrack remains elite, the animation is gorgeous, Sebastian remains perpetually stressed and Ursula is still one of the great Disney villains. There are frightening moments, but for many families this is one of the easier entry points into the movies parents grew up with.
Watching it again as an adult also creates some very different feelings about the father-daughter conflict at the centre of the story.
The parent rewatch: King Triton destroying his teenage daughter’s treasured belongings lands rather differently when you’re the parent.
Pass it on for: Music, magic and an easy first step into the films you grew up watching.
The ’90s movies to pass down
Kiindred already has a full guide to the best ’90s kids’ movies, from The Mighty Ducks and Jumanji to Babe, Matilda and The Parent Trap, so consider these the absolute essentials for your starter list.
11. Home Alone (1990)
The vibe: Christmas magic plus an astonishing amount of violence inflicted on two burglars.
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for Christmas. Rather than immediately collapsing into panic, he eats junk food, watches inappropriate movies and eventually converts his suburban home into a sophisticated defence system.
Kids tend to adore the freedom and slapstick, while parents spend an increasing amount of the runtime wondering how quickly child services would become involved if any of this happened now.
What changes most on the rewatch, though, is how much more invested you become in Kevin’s mum desperately trying to get home.
The parent rewatch: Catherine O’Hara’s frantic journey suddenly becomes the emotional centre of the entire movie.
Pass it on for: Christmas nostalgia, slapstick and the fantasy every child has entertained at least once: what if everybody just left me alone?
12. Jurassic Park (1993)
The vibe: Dinosaurs, wonder, screaming and then more dinosaurs.
Was Jurassic Park ever really a children’s movie? Debatable. Did an entire generation of children watch it anyway? Absolutely.
Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur adventure remains remarkably effective because the creatures still feel tangible in a way even newer effects do not always achieve.
There is sustained peril, frightening dinosaurs and several deaths, however, so this is firmly one for children who genuinely enjoy suspense rather than a movie to put on simply because they happen to like dinosaurs.
The parent rewatch: John Hammond’s park-management decisions become increasingly infuriating with age.
Pass it on for: The awe of seeing those dinosaurs for the first time.
13. The Lion King (1994)
The vibe: One of Disney’s greatest films, wrapped around unresolved childhood trauma.
You remember Simba, Timon and Pumbaa, the songs and, of course, the scene.
There is no particularly gentle way into that part of the story either. Disney gets there remarkably efficiently.
Still, The Lion King remains a beautifully told story about grief, guilt, responsibility and finding your way home, with enough humour and music to stop the whole thing becoming too heavy.
The parent rewatch: Mufasa somehow gets even more devastating once you have children.
Pass it on for: The music, animation and a genuinely meaningful story about growing up.
14. Babe (1995)
The vibe: An Australian masterpiece disguised as a movie about a talking pig.
A piglet raised among sheepdogs decides he would quite like to become a sheep-pig, which really should not produce one of the loveliest family films of the decade, but here we are.
Filmed in Australia and featuring Magda Szubanski, Babe is funny, gentle and deeply sincere about kindness, determination and finding your place when nobody expects you to fit.
It is proof that a family movie does not need constant chaos to keep children interested.
The parent rewatch: Farmer Hoggett quietly saying very little while understanding absolutely everything is parenting goals.
Pass it on for: Kindness, perseverance and proof that quieter family movies can still be brilliant.
15. Toy Story (1995)
The vibe: The film that permanently altered how children felt about leaving their toys alone.
Woody has always been Andy’s favourite, and then Buzz Lightyear arrives.
What follows is technically a story about toys, but underneath all the action is a story about jealousy, friendship, identity and accepting that being loved does not require being the only person who matters.
Decades of Pixar films followed, but there is something wonderfully simple about the original that still holds up.
The parent rewatch: Woody is considerably more unhinged in the first act than childhood memory suggests.
Pass it on for: Friendship, imagination and the beginning of Pixar family-movie domination.
16. Matilda (1996)
The vibe: Wish fulfilment for every bookish child who ever suspected the adults around them were ridiculous.
Matilda is brilliant, curious and kind, while her parents are spectacularly uninterested in any of those qualities.
When she starts school, she encounters the terrifying Miss Trunchbull but also finds Miss Honey and discovers she has powers of her own.
There are darker themes beneath the comedy, particularly around Miss Honey’s childhood and the adults’ treatment of children, but that is also part of why the story has endured. It takes children seriously when they feel overlooked, misunderstood or out of place.
The parent rewatch: Miss Honey’s childhood story is significantly darker than you remember.
Pass it on for: Books, bravery and the idea that being different can be your greatest strength.
17. The Parent Trap (1998)
The vibe: Peak sleepover movie.
Two girls meet at summer camp and discover they are identical twins who were separated as babies following their parents’ divorce.
Their entirely reasonable solution is to swap lives and manipulate their parents back into falling in love.
Lindsay Lohan playing both twins remains one of those performances children will insist cannot possibly be the same person, while adults may find themselves asking considerably more questions about how the entire family arrangement came to exist in the first place.
The parent rewatch: You will have substantially more questions about Nick and Elizabeth’s custody arrangement. So many questions.
Pass it on for: Camp nostalgia, sisterhood and enough late-’90s fashion to fill an entire Pinterest board.
18. The Iron Giant (1999)
The vibe: The classic your kids may not know yet, and might end up loving most.
A boy named Hogarth discovers a giant robot that has fallen from space and forms a friendship with him while government agents become increasingly suspicious.
There are robots and action, but the real heart of the movie lies in its message that you are not defined by what other people expect you to become.
It is funny, tender and quietly devastating in a way that tends to sneak up on you.
The parent rewatch: Why didn’t anyone warn us this was going to hurt?
Pass it on for: Friendship, compassion and a beautiful message about choosing who you want to be.
The modern classics that are somehow old enough to qualify
We’re sorry to be the ones to tell you this, but movies released in the early 2000s are now more than two decades old.
Please direct all complaints to the passage of time.
19. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
The vibe: The beginning of a very large family commitment.
Eleven-year-old Harry discovers he is a wizard and enters a world of moving staircases, flying broomsticks, magical sweets and teachers with highly questionable approaches to student safety.
The first Harry Potter film still has a wonderful sense of discovery, which makes it particularly lovely to revisit with a child who is meeting Hogwarts for the first time.
It is darker than its cosy Christmas aesthetic sometimes suggests, though, with dead parents, a frightening villain and a fairly intense final act.
The parent rewatch: Hogwarts has absolutely no workplace health and safety department.
Pass it on for: Magic, friendship and the joy of watching your kids enter a fictional world you already know by heart.
20. Spirited Away (2001)
The vibe: Beautiful, strange and completely unlike the standard children’s-film formula.
Ten-year-old Chihiro enters a spirit world where her parents are transformed into pigs and she must find the courage to save them.
Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece is imaginative in a way that refuses to explain every strange thing it puts on screen, which is a large part of its magic.
It can also be frightening, with unsettling creatures, transformations and themes that may be intense for younger children. For kids who are ready for it, however, it opens the door to a very different kind of animated storytelling.
The parent rewatch: No-Face is still deeply unsettling.
Pass it on for: Courage, independence and showing kids that animation can tell stories in wonderfully different ways.
21. School of Rock (2003)
The vibe: Possibly the easiest way to convince your children that your music taste is important.
Failed musician Dewey Finn impersonates a relief teacher at an elite school and gradually turns his class into a rock band.
His teaching methodology is entirely indefensible, but that is somewhat beside the point because Jack Black is at full power, the kids are fantastic and the movie still has enormous heart.
Underneath the chaos is a lovely message about discovering what you are good at rather than forcing yourself into somebody else’s version of success.
There is coarse language, references to drinking and some more mature material, so it is another film where watching together makes sense for younger viewers.
The parent rewatch: Principal Mullins deserves a holiday.
Pass it on for: Music, confidence and introducing the family to the educational importance of a really good guitar solo.
How to introduce your kids to classic movies without making it homework
There is one important rule in Raise Your Kids on the Classics: your children do not actually have to love them.
Painful, we know, but necessary.
Showing your kids the movies you grew up with should feel like sharing something with them, not issuing a cultural-education assignment. Start with what they already enjoy and work backwards from there.
If you have a dinosaur kid, Jurassic Park might be waiting for them when they are ready. A musical kid may love Mary Poppins, while a fantasy fan could be an excellent candidate for The Princess Bride. If they currently believe anything made before 2023 qualifies as historical cinema, perhaps start with School of Rock and work your way backwards.
It is also completely fine to abandon ship if a movie is not working.
Sometimes you will discover together that a beloved childhood favourite has not aged particularly well, or that the pacing your eight-year-old self found completely gripping no longer survives contact with a child raised on modern entertainment.
That is part of the fun too.
Because the best bit isn't really the movie
Your child may not understand why hearing the opening bars of a particular soundtrack instantly transports you somewhere, but that is really what you are passing on.
It is not simply a checklist of “important” films. It is the movie your family watched every Christmas, the one you knew word for word, the character you dressed as, or the VHS you rented so many times your parents eventually should have just bought it.
You get to tell your kids which part scared you, what made you laugh and what you completely failed to understand until you watched the movie again as an adult. Then you get to hear their verdict.
Sometimes they will love it. Sometimes they will remain completely unmoved by a piece of cinema you believe fundamentally shaped you as a human being, because parenting has many ways of keeping us humble.
Every now and again, though, you will glance across the couch and realise they are completely absorbed in the same story you loved at their age.
And suddenly the movie does not feel particularly old at all.
It belongs to both of you now.
FAQs
What classic movies should I watch with my kids?
Good family classics to start with include Mary Poppins, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Muppet Movie, The Princess Bride, E.T., Back to the Future, Home Alone, Babe, Toy Story, Matilda and School of Rock. The best choice will depend on your child’s age, interests and sensitivity to frightening or emotional scenes.
What old movies are good for younger children?
Movies such as Mary Poppins, The Muppet Movie and The Little Mermaid can be easier starting points than some of the darker adventure films from the ’80s and ’90s. Even movies with family-friendly classifications can contain frightening scenes, though, so it is worth checking detailed content guidance if your child is particularly sensitive.
Are old kids’ movies scarier than newer ones?
Some certainly feel that way. Popular older family films can include death, peril, frightening villains, coarse language and themes that may be more intense than parents remember, which is why it is useful to look beyond nostalgia when deciding what your child is ready for.
What are the best ’80s movies to show your kids?
E.T., Back to the Future, The Goonies, The Princess Bride, The Little Mermaid, The Karate Kid, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Flight of the Navigator are some of the standouts. The best option will depend on your child’s age and how comfortable they are with frightening, emotional or mature material.
What are the best ’90s movies to watch as a family?
Some of the strongest ’90s family favourites include Toy Story, The Lion King, The Mighty Ducks, Babe, Matilda, Jumanji, The Parent Trap and Cool Runnings. There is enough in that decade alone to keep family movie night sorted for quite a while.
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