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Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:00 AM

The ultimate family DVD list

We asked; you answered. Here's the most-awesome-ever summertime list of offbeat, kid-friendly movies available on DVD -- as chosen (mostly) by Salon readers.

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Monday, July 14, 2008 10:07 AM

Doctor Who...

...the old stuff, not the new stuff (although that's good in its own right!).

It's not that hard a concept, it was intended as a kids' show, and the shoestring-snapped budget FX will make everyone giggle (we used that as a jumping-off point for the concept of "suspension of disbelief"). Quite a few episodes are now available on DVD.

Six and up normally, but my two-year-old stops in her tracks and looks at the TV every time she hears the theme music, and she cheers every time the Doctor is onscreen (and that goes for all of the incarnations of the character she's seen).

Furthermore, for car trips, download some of Big Finish's Doctor Who audios to your mp3 player from their website. Hey presto! Radio drama!

Monday, July 14, 2008 10:25 AM

Hooray for Baron Munchausen!

I was holding on to that as my sole suggestion...then forgot! And I agree with the Marx Brothers. We went to see one at a local theater and there were dozens of kids. Some others I love.

For little ones

The Snowman animated short

The Muppet Movie

Charlotte's Web

Babe

Chicken Run

For medium ones

E.T.

The Goonies

My Girl

Home Alone

Searching for Bobby Fischer

The Bad News Bears

Mirrormask

Gormenghast

Stand By Me

For big ones

Step Into Liquid

Europa Europa

Big

Some Like it Hot

Lord of the Rings trilogy

Pan's Labyrinth

Pathfinder (Ofelas)

American History X

Monday, July 14, 2008 12:49 PM

JT

Krackysm, thanks for mentioning "JT." I was thinking of that story and couldn't remember the name. It affected me deeply when I saw it as a kid.

We loved the Shirley Temple movies as kids and watched them over and over. Even as young kids we knew they were sappy, but we liked them anyway.

And thanks for listing "The Point." I hope it gets re-discovered.

Monday, July 14, 2008 02:31 PM

THE RED PONY....

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.

Monday, July 14, 2008 02:35 PM

Roar

You've got a lion (Elsa) and an Ocelot (Michel -- ba da boom!), but no cheetah! DUMA is a great kids' film: it's got humor, adventure, sentiment (not sticky), funny accents, and some scary bits. Plus the cheetah, who's incredibly appealing.

Warning: the boy's father dies, which can be hard for some kids.

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