Why These 10 Best Family Movies in Film History Are Ranked for All Ages
Stories for Every Generation
A good family film, the account argues, is not simply a movie for children. The strongest examples can make a young viewer laugh or feel suspense while also moving the adult beside them.
The selection brings together a talking pig, a flying nanny, an alien and a musical family. Their styles differ, but the films share warmth and a sense of nostalgia.
A Pig and a Magical Nanny
In Babe, a pig won at a county fair by Farmer Hoggett learns to herd sheep instead of becoming food. James Cromwell plays Hoggett, and the film used real animals and animatronics; about 48 piglets played Babe because they grew too quickly. The movie received seven Oscar nominations and won for visual effects.
Mary Poppins follows a magical nanny caring for Jane and Michael Banks, whose father is absorbed in his banking work. Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar for the film, which earned 13 nominations and five wins; “Chim Chim Cher-ee” won for Best Original Song. Walt Disney spent about twenty years trying to make the film because author P.L. Travers repeatedly refused to sell the rights.
Aliens, Music and Oscars
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, lonely ten-year-old Elliott finds an alien and hides him from the government with help from his siblings. Steven Spielberg filmed the story in order, and the children’s tears at the ending were real. After Mars declined to have M&Ms featured, Reese’s Pieces appeared in the film and sales soared.
The Sound of Music follows Maria, a young nun sent to care for the seven children of Captain von Trapp. The film, shot on location in Salzburg, won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and became the highest-grossing film of its time. The account then begins describing an unnamed film as the first non-English-language Best Picture winner, but its details stop mid-sentence.
Key points
- The selection emphasizes films that appeal to children and adults alike.
- Babe earned seven Oscar nominations and won for visual effects.
- Mary Poppins received 13 Oscar nominations and won five awards.
- The Sound of Music won five Oscars, including Best Picture.