The other day I was going through an old box that got relocated to my garage from my parent’s attic and I found buried treasure! Okay, not actual buried treasure (because then I’d be in the Bahamas right now), but I did find a ton of my old favorite VHS movies. It got me thinking about my FAVORITE movies as a kid and how I haven’t shared all of them with my own children.

So if you ladies and gentleman are ready for a trip down Nostalgia Lane, here are my top 30 movies from our childhoods we should be watching with our kids!

*This post may contain affiliate links which may allow us to receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) for purchases you make after clicking on product links in our posts, to view our full affiliate disclosure click here.

But rest assured we fully believe in every product we endorse.

 

30.  The Sword in the Stone

 

I was initially trying to keep this list Disney free and failed already, but the truth is not all Disney movies pop into our heads as must-see classics for our own kids (unlike every Toy Story ever made). Merlin absolutely made this movie a must watch for me as a kid, I loved his demeanor and now as a parent I sometimes wish I had magical powers to hep teach my own kids lessons about life (plus fish are quiet).

 

29. James and the Giant Peach

 

Personally I love this movie. I loved it as a child and I love it now, but being one of the darker movies on the list you really need to gauge whether your child is ready. I made the mistake of sharing this one with my own son too early and the rhino storm cloud really freaked him out to the point of us turning it off.

 

28. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

 

When I bought this one I was afraid it might be little slow paced to hold my five year old’s attention. I was surprised to find that he got extremely involved in Chance, Shadow, and Sassy’s adventures to the point of crying when the gang got the happy ending they all deserved. If your child is a pet lover (like mine) this movie is sure to be a hit.

 

27. The Iron Giant

 

The main message of this movie is one I think we can all agree we want to instill in our kids: ” You are who you CHOOSE to be.” I only watched this movie a handful of times as a child, but my husband apparently loved it, as a boy mom I can officially say I’ve now seen it more as an adult than I ever did as a child.

 

26.  Fantasia / Fantasia 2000

 

This is a two-for-one because both the original 1940 film and 2000 sequel were equally as awesome and breathtaking. The first time I introduced my own son to these movies he was all of two, even then the beautiful music and gorgeous artwork held his attention. Now that he is older, his favorite part is by far the Sorcerer’s apprentice and I am kind of regretting that he already knows how to operate the “skip back” function.

 

 

25. The Swan Princess

 

One of my sister’s favorites, I never thought I would watch this willingly after seeing it hundreds of times when she got to pick as children. Alas, for my children I am often willing to do the previously unthinkable. My son loved the music and found Puffin, Jean-Bob, and Speed delightfully entertaining.

 

24. The Borrowers

 

Every time something goes missing in our home I blame the Borrowers, and our Borrowers really like mismatched socks and sharpies. I didn’t realize how often I said it until my son asked who the Borrowers were, so of course I then had to buy and watch the movie. Now my son blames the borrowers anytime he misplaces his shoes or homework.

 

23. A Troll In Central Park

 

I think what I love most about this movie is it shows that being different isn’t always a bad thing. Stanley has an amazing ability to make flowers bloom which in unwelcome in his home, the Kingdom of Trolls, yet with the right friends he finds his gift holds a beauty that can be appreciated. After one recent movie night my husband jokingly (I hope) referred to me as Gnorga for a week which elicited many giggles from our five year old.

 

22. Cats Don’t Dance

 

When I was on a retro moving buying binge it took me forever to remember this one’s name. Apparently “the movie with the big scary butler, a little girl that is like a  bratty Shirley Temple, and cats” wasn’t enough for google or my husband to go by. I eventually did find it and I love it as much now as I did then. It was always the one movie my sister and I could agree on due to it’s mix of humor, music, and unique characters.

 

21. A Simple Wish

 

I looked forward to the few times a year this one was on cable as a kid. Knowing my luck, if I were to recieve a fairy godmother it would undoubtably be a Murray like character, well-intentioned but a bit off. I will say as an adult with a proclivity towards show tunes, I was disappointed to find out Oliver’s epic ” Tis a far far better thing that I do now” solo is not a full song and didn’t actual appear in any Tale of Two Cities musicals leaving me singing that one line over and over again.

 

20.The Great Mouse Detective

 

This one’s a classic. With anthropomorphized mice playing kid friendly Sherlock Holmes characters and plenty of action, your children will be sure to be absorbed in this movie. Personally my favorite character was Hiram, Olivia’s toymaker father, he embodies everything most parents hope to be (minus the kidnapping and all of that mess).

 

19. Once Upon A Forest

 

I don’t think I realized how dark this movie actually was as a child and I suppose that is probably a good thing.  I mean toxic spills and coming home from a field trip to unconscious parents is the making of nightmares more than a children’s movie. That being said I loved Abigail’s determination on her journey and who doesn’t love a happy ending?

 

18. The Pebble and the Penguin

 

My husband had never seen this one and the only penguin movie he could think of from our (late) childhood was Happy Feet. I personally loved Hubie and how he showed all that what is in your heart matters more than looks and popularity.

 

17.  The Rescuers Down Under

 

Well who here doesn’t love Bernard and Bianca, the two brave mice from the Rescue Aid Society? I’ll be honest I don’t think this one is quite as good as the original but it pretty  great for a sequel. To refresh your memory Cody is the young boy and he is friends with a golden eagle, a poacher by the name of Pervicel McLeach (real originality right there) wants Cody to lead him to the eagle and a bunch of problems later Bernard and Bianca rescue the day once again.

 

16. The Pagemaster

 

Few movies capture the beauty of being immersed in a book as well as this one, and as a bibliophile born into a family of bibliophiles I watched this movie many times as a kid. As an adult I love seeing the nods to many famous classics I hold dear to my heart and the humor is geared towards children and parents alike.

 

15. Space Jam

 

If this doesn’t throw you back to pep rallies as a teen I don’t know what will. This movie is probably one of the most iconic films from our generation and I know you all still secretly know the words to the song whether you admit it or not.

 

14. Quest for Camelot

 

This one was my sister’s favorite movie growing up. She loved the story, the music, and the strength Kayley portrayed, if I’m honest as a kid I was in it for the two headed dragon and the people eating flowers. Regardless this movie is a hilarious spin-off on King Arthur’s stories.

 

13. Kiki’s Delivery Service

 

The only Studio Ghibli film I decided to include. If you haven’t seen it, this is one of the must see Miyazaki films. It’s an incredibly uplifting story about learning how to be independent and if for nothing else Jiji the cat makes it worth the watch.

 

12. Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

 

I’m not sure how many of you have actually seen this one and to warn you it is kind of dark, but it was my all time favorite movie as a kid. Those dreamland cookies always made my mouth water and I still want a flying squirrel named Icarus. I think it also teaches kids that the repercussions of our actions can be far-reaching and that trust is something which should be treasured, albeit in a rather dramatic fashion.

 

11. The Brave Little Toaster

 

I know you all remember this one, you HAVE to. The only way you could have avoided this movie in the nineties is by living under a rock. Just be sure when you order it you order the right one, I didn’t and received “The Brave Little Toaster To The Rescue.” (I mean wasn’t he coming to the rescue in every tale?).  My son loved the sequel, but to me it didn’t hold a light to the original.

 

10. Anastasia (1997)

 

This movie is one that every household should own, especially now that broadway has repacked the story into a musical (which I would really love to see). The music is gorgeous and their take on Rasputin has to be my favorite cartoon villain of all time (sorry Mojo Jojo).

 

9. Toothless

 

I think I wore this VHS out. For those who don’t remember, in this one Kirstie Alley plays a dentist who awakes from her untimely death in Limbo where she learns she must do community service as a tooth fairy before she is allowed into heaven. Of course all sorts of hilarious troubles and challenges await her and I personally remember jumping on the bed laughing my head off trying to imitate her as she attempted to master the whole flying thing.

 

8.  Matilda

 

After watching this movie who didn’t wish Miss Honey was their first grade teacher? I know I did, although I definitely was fine without the Trunchbull or her hammer throws. I remember begging my parents to go the library and staring at carrots for hours on end wishing one would hurtle itself toward my sister (possibly just kidding).

 

7. The Prince of Egypt

 

I still remember Christmas morning decades ago when Santa brought us a deluxe Prince of Egypt gift set, it included an illustrated book, coloring pages, and tickets to go see the movie. I won’t lie, my own son knew the music long before he saw the movie thanks to it being a regular go to on my Spotify account. This movie is just as moving as an adult as it is when you are a child and it is one of the few movies that makes scripture approachable to children. Be prepared for some hard discussions though, my son wanted to know why the children were being killed and if we needed to mark our door to keep him safe.

 

6. We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story

 

Okay so I recently watched this one with my own son a few times and as an adult I’m having a hard time understanding WHY this was one of my favorite movies as a child. I mean talking dinosaurs are cool but the real draw probably was that even impossible wishes could come true. That being said, I left it this high on the list because my son loved it just as much as I did as a kid. ( Side note: Professor Screweyes seems even creepier as an adult.)

 

5.The Land Before Time

 

Littlefoot and his group of young dinosaurs embody what friendship should be about. Ducky was always my favorite because he was goofy and maybe inside I’m a bit of a chicken. Then again after watching it with my own son he kept asking for a “Tree Star” tree in our front yard and I’m not exactly sure how we are going to accomplish that one.

 

4. Balto

 

I own a Husky so maybe I’m partial (honestly if I would have had my way I would  have named her Jenna but our son just insisted on Moana). This one teaches children about loyalty more than most movies I’ve seen recently and that even the impossible can be accomplished if you are willing to try. Plus you can’t deny your children watching Boris and Balto’s antics.

 

3. The Rescuers

 

Remember poor Penny forced to mine for a diamond while battling rising tides for evil Madame Medusa? It’s one of the older movies on the list (1970) but I think it can be appreciated by every generation who watches it.

 

2.  Ferngully: The Last Rainforest

 

Maybe I’m the only one, but every time I think of this movie I can’t help but to start singing “My name is BATTY.” This was by far one of my favorite movies as a child, but as an adult I can appreciate it on a whole new level. It deals with complex concepts like ecological preservation, animal testing, and acceptance in a way which makes it approachable (and even fun) for kids. Regardless of if your kids pick up on those underlying themes, they are sure to love this movie as much as we did.

 

1. Thumbelina

 

As a child this was my favorite love story of all time, and I remember Berkley Beetle made me really wish I knew how to Jitterbug. As an adult I love the music and I won’t lie “Let me Be Your Wings” still brings tears to my eyes because I’m a sappy person like that.

If there are any movies you just loved as a kid that I missed be sure to let me know!