The most enchanting, haunting and bizarre kids films and films about childhood
by jirifl | created - 22 Apr 2014 | updated - 03 May 2014 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Celia (1989)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An imaginative and somewhat disturbed young girl fantasizes about evil creatures and other oddities to mask her insecurities while growing up in rural Australia.
Director: Ann Turner | Stars: Rebecca Smart, Nicholas Eadie, Victoria Longley, Mary-Anne Fahey
Votes: 1,499
2. Super 8 (2011)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney
Votes: 367,464 | Gross: $127.00M
3. Earth to Echo (2014)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
After receiving a bizarre series of encrypted messages, a group of kids embark on an adventure with an alien who needs their help.
Director: Dave Green | Stars: Teo Halm, Astro, Reese Hartwig, Ella Wahlestedt
Votes: 19,775 | Gross: $38.92M
4. Deadly Games (1989)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
On Christmas Eve, a resourceful young boy has to defend himself and his grandfather from a killer dressed as Santa Claus.
Director: René Manzor | Stars: Brigitte Fossey, Louis Ducreux, Patrick Floersheim, Alain Lalanne
Votes: 2,782
5. Stand by Me (1986)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Votes: 441,463 | Gross: $52.29M
6. The Goonies (1985)
PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Votes: 298,257 | Gross: $61.50M
7. The Quest (1986)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A resourceful American orphan living in rural Australia finds himself caught up in the magic of a local Aboriginal myth that might be more real than anyone knows.
Directors: Brian Trenchard-Smith, Russell Hagg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Tony Barry, Rachel Friend, Tamsin West
Votes: 2,168
8. Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
G | 97 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Two mysterious orphan children have extraordinary powers and are chased by a scheming millionaire. But where do these kids really call home?
Director: John Hough | Stars: Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasence, Kim Richards
Votes: 11,349 | Gross: $20.00M
9. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
PG | 84 min | Family, Horror, Mystery
When a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past.
Directors: John Hough, Vincent McEveety | Stars: Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Carroll Baker
Votes: 7,061 | Gross: $5.00M
10. Bloody Birthday (1981)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
Three children are born at the height of an eclipse of the sun. Ten years later, they begin to murder the people around them - even their family members.
Director: Ed Hunt | Stars: Lori Lethin, Melinda Cordell, Julie Brown, Joe Penny
Votes: 5,661
11. Chocky (1984)
25 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A story centered on a young schoolboy and his strange relationship with an extraterrestrial entity.
Stars: James Hazeldine, Carol Drinkwater, Andrew Ellams, Zoë Hart
Votes: 395
12. Big (1988)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard
Votes: 239,887 | Gross: $114.97M
13. The Kid Brother (1987)
PG-13 | 95 min | Biography, Drama
The disruptions caused in the life of 13 year old Kenny born with underdeveloped legs, removed to replace other missing bones at 6 months old when a French film company comes to do a film about his life and family.
Director: Claude Gagnon | Stars: Kenny Easterday, Caitlin Clarke, Liane Curtis, Zach Grenier
Votes: 290
14. Bugsy Malone (1976)
G | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Family
The classic gangster story of Bugsy Malone told with an all-child cast.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Florence Garland, John Cassisi
Votes: 19,440 | Gross: $2.78M
15. Poison for the Fairies (1986)
90 min | Fantasy, Horror
A 10 year old girl convinces a lonely classmate that she is a witch, forcing the child to become her assistant. Though their games are initially rather naive, they gradually take a nasty and violent turn.
Director: Carlos Enrique Taboada | Stars: Ana Patricia Rojo, Elsa María Gutiérrez, Leonor Llausás, Carmen Stein
Votes: 2,551
16. Bübchen (1968)
86 min | Drama
The life of a family living in a German suburb.
Director: Roland Klick | Stars: Alexander Kekulé, Sieghardt Rupp, Edith Volkmann, Renate Roland
Votes: 267
17. The Babadook (2014)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.
Director: Jennifer Kent | Stars: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney
Votes: 247,173 | Gross: $0.92M
18. Troll 2 (1990)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A vacationing family discovers that the entire town they're visiting is inhabited by goblins, disguised as humans, who plan to eat them.
Director: Claudio Fragasso | Stars: Michael Paul Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey, Connie Young
Votes: 34,673
19. Hawk Jones (1986 Video)
Not Rated | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
In this film in which the cast is comprised entirely of kids, Hawk Jones is one cop fighting against a city full of criminals. Now reluctantly working with a new partner, he vows to rid the city of a crime syndicate run by Antonio Copolla.
Director: Richard Lowry | Stars: Christopher Allamon, Richard Babcock, Jack Ball, Josiah Ball
Votes: 140
20. Une fée... pas comme les autres (1956)
63 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
The inhabitants of a peaceful village are replaced by a bunch of geese, dogs, foxes and rabbits, who impersonate the village life as postmen, journalists and innkeepers. Chaos reigns as a monkey called Black Troll strikes back.
Director: Jean Tourane | Stars: Robert Lamoureux, Robert Beatty, Phil Tonken
Votes: 83
21. Dreamchild (1985)
PG | 94 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ian Holm is children's author Lewis Carroll in this poignant fantasy-drama set in 1930s New York and populated by the fabulous special effects creatures of Muppet master Jim Henson.
Director: Gavin Millar | Stars: Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Caris Corfman
Votes: 1,749 | Gross: $1.22M
22. The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)
PG | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Men seeking relief from the Black Death, guided by a boy's vision, dig a tunnel from 14th century England to 20th century New Zealand.
Director: Vincent Ward | Stars: Bruce Lyons, Chris Haywood, Hamish Gough, Marshall Napier
Votes: 3,977 | Gross: $1.33M
23. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
PG-13 | 109 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
When assorted people start having inexplicable delusions that lead to their deaths, a teenage Sherlock Holmes decides to investigate.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins
Votes: 23,398 | Gross: $19.74M
24. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
G | 100 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.
Director: Mel Stuart | Stars: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear
Votes: 227,239 | Gross: $4.00M
25. The Toy (1976)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
A poor journalist finds himself as a toy of a boss' son. Making friends with a naughty child, he tries to save him from the cruel power of his father.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Michel Bouquet, Fabrice Greco, Jacques François
Votes: 6,333
26. Lord of the Flies (1990)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Stranded on an island, a group of schoolboys degenerate into savagery.
Director: Harry Hook | Stars: Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh, Danuel Pipoly, James Badge Dale
Votes: 33,605 | Gross: $13.99M
27. My Girl (1991)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Vada is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. When Vada's father hires Shelly, a makeup expert, and begins to fall in love, Vada is outraged and does everything in her power to split them up.
Director: Howard Zieff | Stars: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis
Votes: 88,864 | Gross: $59.85M
28. Watership Down (1978)
PG | 91 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Hoping to escape destruction by human developers and save their community, a colony of rabbits, led by Hazel and Fiver, seek out a safe place to set up a new warren.
Directors: Martin Rosen, John Hubley | Stars: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, Michael Graham Cox
Votes: 39,409
29. Moonwalker (1988)
PG | 93 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
Anthology movie by, and starring, Michael Jackson in his prime, combining a number of music videos from his bestselling "Bad" album with a fantasy tale of Michael's confrontation with a ruthless drug dealer known as Mr. Big.
Directors: Jerry Kramer, Jim Blashfield, Colin Chilvers | Stars: Michael Jackson, Joe Pesci, Sean Lennon, Kelley Parker
Votes: 18,235
30. Old Yeller (1957)
Approved | 83 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A teenage boy grows to love a stray yellow dog while helping his mother and younger brother run their Texas homestead while their father is away on a cattle drive. First thought to be good-for-nothing mutt, Old Yeller is soon beloved by all.
Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Jeff York
Votes: 15,157 | Gross: $21.91M
31. Jumanji (1995)
PG | 104 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde
Votes: 376,699 | Gross: $100.48M
32. Free Willy (1993)
PG | 112 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.
Director: Simon Wincer | Stars: Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson
Votes: 82,946 | Gross: $77.70M
33. The Little Rascals (1994)
PG | 82 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
Alfalfa is wooing Darla and his "He-Man-Woman-Hating" friends attempt to sabotage the relationship.
Director: Penelope Spheeris | Stars: Travis Tedford, Bug Hall, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Kevin Jamal Woods
Votes: 56,160 | Gross: $52.13M
34. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy
Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, John Getz, Josh Charles
Votes: 37,979 | Gross: $25.20M
35. The Addams Family (1991)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya
Votes: 179,908 | Gross: $113.50M
36. Addams Family Values (1993)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy
The Addams Family try to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold-digging new love, a black widow named Debbie.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack
Votes: 109,549 | Gross: $48.92M
37. The 'Burbs (1989)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
An overstressed suburbanite and his neighbors are convinced that the new family on the block is part of a murderous Satanic cult.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman
Votes: 83,473 | Gross: $36.60M
38. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
PG | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
Two rock-'n-rolling teens, on the verge of failing their class, set out on a quest to make the ultimate school history report after being presented with a time machine.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri
Votes: 141,623 | Gross: $40.49M
39. Surf Ninjas (1993)
PG | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Two boys learn from a mysterious warrior that they are the heirs to the throne of Patusan and set out to overthrow the current monarchy.
Director: Neal Israel | Stars: Ernie Reyes Sr., Rob Schneider, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nicolas Cowan
Votes: 8,742 | Gross: $4.92M
40. Drop Dead Fred (1991)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood.
Director: Ate de Jong | Stars: Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Marsha Mason, Tim Matheson
Votes: 31,419 | Gross: $43.88M
41. The Karate Kid (1984)
PG | 126 min | Action, Drama, Family
A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
Votes: 244,397 | Gross: $90.82M
42. Lucas (1986)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A socially inept fourteen-year-old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends - Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love - fall for each other.
Director: David Seltzer | Stars: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith
Votes: 17,527 | Gross: $8.20M
43. Babes in Toyland (1986 TV Movie)
G | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A young girl wakes up in the realm of Toyland, where she teams up with her family and friends to overthrow the evil villain, Barnaby.
Director: Clive Donner | Stars: Drew Barrymore, Richard Mulligan, Eileen Brennan, Keanu Reeves
Votes: 3,983
44. 3 Ninjas (1992)
PG | 84 min | Action, Comedy, Family
Each year, three brothers visit their grandfather for the summer. He is highly skilled in ninjutsu, and for years he has trained the boys in his techniques.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, Chad Power
Votes: 23,291 | Gross: $29.00M
45. The War (1994)
PG-13 | 126 min | Drama, History, War
A Vietnam veteran helps his kids battle over a tree house while recovering from his traumatic war experience.
Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham, Lexi Randall
Votes: 13,548 | Gross: $16.55M
46. A Perfect World (1993)
PG-13 | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther
Votes: 86,902 | Gross: $31.16M
47. Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
PG | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Babe, fresh from his victory in the sheepherding contest, returns to Farmer Hoggett's farm, but after Farmer Hoggett is injured and unable to work, Babe has to go to the big city to save the farm.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Magda Szubanski, Elizabeth Daily, Mickey Rooney, James Cromwell
Votes: 35,442 | Gross: $18.32M
48. Don't Look Under the Bed (1999 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 100 min | Family, Fantasy, Horror
A teen enlists the help of an imaginary friend named Larry Houdini to deal with a prank-playing bogeyman, who's framing her for his dastardly deeds.
Director: Kenneth Johnson | Stars: Erin Chambers, Ty Hodges, Robin Riker, Steve Valentine
Votes: 3,727
49. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
G | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
R.A.S. agents Miss Bianca and Bernard race to Australia to save a little boy and a rare golden eagle from a murderous poacher.
Directors: Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel | Stars: Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy, Tristan Rogers
Votes: 47,250 | Gross: $27.93M
50. The Pagemaster (1994)
G | 80 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowardly boy, who buries himself in accident statistics, enters a library to escape a storm, only to be transformed into an animated illustration by the Pagemaster. He has to work through obstacles from classic books to return to real-life.
Directors: Pixote Hunt, Joe Johnston | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Kanin Howell, Alexis Kirschner
Votes: 25,544 | Gross: $13.67M
51. The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
G | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Milo is a boy who is bored with life. One day he comes home to find a toll booth in his room. Having nothing better to do, he gets in his toy car and drives through - only to emerge in a world full of adventure.
Directors: Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow, Dave Monahan | Stars: Butch Patrick, Hans Conried, Mel Blanc, Daws Butler
Votes: 3,538
52. Problem Child (1990)
PG | 81 min | Comedy, Family
A young boy just short of a monster is adopted by a loving man and his wacky wife. The laughs keep coming as the boy pushes them to the limits.
Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Michael Oliver, John Ritter, Jack Warden, Gilbert Gottfried
Votes: 33,026 | Gross: $53.47M
53. I Love Sarah Jane (2008)
Not Rated | 14 min | Short, Horror, Romance
Jimbo is 13 and can think of only one girl -- Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way-bullies, violence, chaos, or zombies-nothing will stop him from finding a way into her world.
Director: Spencer Susser | Stars: Brad Ashby, Mia Wasikowska, Vladimir Matovic, Beau South
Votes: 1,393
54. Scenes from the Suburbs (2011)
Not Rated | 28 min | Short, Drama, Music
A resident of a suburban dystopia tries to reassemble his fragmented memories of life as a teen.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Sam Dillon, Paul Pluymen, Zoe Graham, Ashlin Williamson
Votes: 2,326
55. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
R | 111 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Two boys defend Treasure Town and Yakuza try to take over and clear it for new development.
Directors: Michael Arias, Hiroaki Andô | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yû Aoi, Yûsuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô
Votes: 14,552
56. I Declare War (I) (2012)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Summer war games between neighborhood kids turn deadly serious when jealousy and betrayal enter the mix.
Directors: Jason Lapeyre, Robert Wilson | Stars: Siam Yu, Kolton Stewart, Gage Munroe, Michael Friend
Votes: 2,866 | Gross: $0.01M
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