I would add that for kids 14 and up (especially bright ones), the DVD set of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" is an incredible experience. Yes, the FX are badly dated by the series' 1980 pedigree, but the wonder is still there, as is the late, great Carl's expressiveness and humanity. I still treasure this series.

What?! No "My Summer Story"? That's one of my favorite movies ever, hilarious and entirely suitable for children and adults alike. Wish I'd noticed the original invitation for submissions.

Really good film, even better book. Pretty good list, by the way, and yes, Munchausen is fantastic.

I want to see a list of the rejects!

I saw it the first time when I was ten and was enthralled. Granted a lot of it went over my head, but the music and visuals combined with Sagan’s amazing voice and story telling ability kept me hooked. I make it a point to re-watch the DVDs every couple of years.

Overall, a VERY good list. I love the Iron Giant. In my opinion the BEST movie of 1999. The marketing peopel and at Warner Bros never knew what they had and the movie got lost during its theatrical run. I'm thrilled so many people are finding this movie, great for kids and adults.

... but where's The Goonies? Any Pixar film? West Side Story?

And really: The Muppets Take Manhatten has got to take president over Great Muppet Caper (although I'd trade them all for any season of The Muppet Show).

i already have the undisputed champions! i totally agree - they all TOTALLY rock, are my personal faves, and my son loves 'em too!

I would like to add my support for Bringing Up Baby. As a fan of Katherine Hepburn and the old screwballs, I think the presence of the leopard makes this a solid choice for introducing the young ones to the old screwball comedies. I also fully endorse the old musicals as family movies--my daugther has loved those since she was very little--she has watched Singin In the Rain as often as some Disney movies.

The classic Pink Panther cartoons. I came across the reasonably priced DVD volumes on Amazon a couple of years ago when my daughter was 8. I remembered watching them when I was little, and thought I'd buy one for my daughter. She immediately loved the episodes, watches them repeatedly and can discuss each episode in detail. And if for nothing else, I think parents will appreciate them for the quiet that is not found in most recent movies. We have the first two volumes; I think the quality of the series started to drop off somewhere after that.

My next family favorite is probably more mainstream, but I don't know if it is generally thought of as a family movie--the version of Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightley. I took my now 10 year old daughter to see this in the theater when it was released. She completely enjoyed it (and continues to be very appreciative of the fact that there is only one kiss and it doesn't happen until the very last scene) and did not get restless or bored. We own it on DVD and she often wants to watch it. This is probably for the more literate/precocious, but this is a good movie for introducing children to the "classic literature to film" movie. This version of P&P is more accessible than the revered Colin Firth miniseries, and they recognize Ms. Knightley from the Pirates movies.

And maybe from Bend It Like Beckham--another great movie for older kids and their parents. Might I also suggest, from the same director, Bride & Prejudice for her version of a Bollywood musical?

I'll stop here.

On looking again at this thread, I find myself wondering about what precisely makes a film "kid-friendly." After taking my four-year-old cousin to see KUNG FU PANDA (her choice, not mine), I can state with certainty that the film was not appropriate for her, or for any other children in the theater. It's not that the film was objectionable as such -- it simply bored the kids to distraction. There's no reason to pay attention to a bunch of plush toys who knock the stuffing out of each other. (Yes, the film's homage to chop-socky cinema is clever, but how does one explain this to a kid?)

So ... what makes a film "kid-friendly," and for which kids? It's easier to start with negative examples, I suppose. I'm inclined to rule against fare like THE IRON GIANT, simply because I find it a touch morbid for the sippy-cup set. I suppose tweens won't have a problem with it, though the forced 1950s nostalgia appeals more to parents than to their offspring, and the whole movie comes with a slight aftertaste of spinach. I'm not sure children respond well to an elegiac tone, the sort of thing one finds throughout Gilliam's BARON MUNCHAUSEN (and finds to an even greater degree in the 1943 Nazi production MUNCHHAUSEN) -- but if Gilliam's film is too pessimistic for children, then who precisely is its audience? The same question holds for the Hulot films, which seem more genially nostalgic, and have a certain Gallic detachment that I'm not sure children would entirely comprehend.

What makes it family friendly, in this case, is that a bunch of people's families liked it. It was a reader poll. I have three kids (two boys, one girl) with very different interests and ages, and anything that will keep the attention of all of them AND my husband and me is practically a miracle.

Three of the films on the list meet that description, though: Born Free, The Black Stallion and Microcosmos.

To the person who asked about Pixar: I believe the original request specifically said no computer animation. I was hoping Andrew would make an exception for the "Walking with Dinosaurs" series, but no dice. I still recommend it very highly (though paleontology purists would undoubtedly disagree - but they're good stories, and we know they're meant to be speculative; that's the ENTIRE point, in fact).