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Pity this list seems to have studiously ignored so much from the 30s, 40s, 50s...
National Velvet and the Lassie films are wonderful adventures for children. They not only entertain, they teach.
With some caution, I offer up a 1949 film (in vivid technicolor) with Robert Mitchum, Myrna Loy and a 7 year old Beau Bridges: THE RED PONY, based on a John Steinbeck novella.
It's the story of a California ranch family, set some time in the first or second decade of the 20th century. It centers around a little boy who idolizes the family's ranch hand, Billy (Robert Mitchum), and whose father is unable to establish a bond with his son.
There is one particular scene that may be rough for very young children, but in 1949 this film was deemed appropriate to be shown to kids past the toddler age.
It's a powerful film directed by Lewis Milestone, the same guy who directed the compelling anti-war film ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.
