Fearless Fagan (1952)
[5] If I were a kid in the 1950s, I probably would have loved Fearless Fagan, the story of a circus performer (lanky Carleton Carpenter) drafted into the army with nowhere to leave his pet lion, Fagan. He sneaks Fagan…
The Invisible Woman (1940)
[6] Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, and John Howard star in this second, decidedly more comic installment of what would become Universal's Invisible Man franchise. Howard plays a rich playboy looking to settle down with the right woman, while Barrymore plays…
The Aristocats (1970)
[4] In one of Disney Animation's weaker efforts, a jealous butler seeks to do away with a mother cat and her three kittens before their owner can bequeath her fortunes to the furry little bastards. I can't blame him, really.…
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
[7] Errol Flynn stars in his most enduring performance in this romantic action adventure that has captured audiences of all ages for more than three-quarters of a century. You know the story: In the absence of King Richard, Prince John…
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
[3] Don Knotts stars in this allegedly spooky family comedy about a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a haunted mansion and lives to report the tale. But when no one believes him and he's taken to court, the…
Little Women (2019)
[8] If someone is going to pick up Louisa May Alcott's much-loved literary classic, dust it off, and serve up a retelling, let it be the Oscar-nominated writer/director of Lady Bird. Greta Gerwig is respectably faithful to the material, but…
Peter Pan (1953)
[4] The Darling children -- Wendy, Michael, and John -- take a magical trip to Neverland with a hero only children can see or believe in: Peter Pan. Once there, they meet Pan's Lost Boys, visit the mermaids, pow-wow with…
The Hobbit (1977)
[7] This American/Japanese animated venture would be the first feature-length movie journey into J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. Produced by Rankin/Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Last Unicorn) and animated by the studio that would later become Studio Ghibli, The Hobbit…
Hocus Pocus (1993)
[7] Bette Midler headlines this family-friendly, albeit dark, comedy-fantasy about three sister witches who are brought back to life three hundred years after they were hanged. As the sisters make plans to sacrifice the town's children for a youth potion,…
Watership Down (1978)
[7] Martin Rosen brings to life Richard Adams' novel about a group of rabbits who leave their burrows and face a series of deadly hardships in search of a new home. Watership Down is one of the more serious animated…