The films you grew up on, and the ones worth handing down.
the most-watched film in American television history
the most-watched Christmas film ever made, and much darker than its reputation
the courtroom Christmas film, still the template
the Disney musical at its absolute peak
Dahl wrote it, and the Child Catcher scarred a generation
a children's film that is genuinely unsettling
the orphan musical, permanently in circulation
the fantasy that traumatised a generation
the backyard as an alien planet
Burton's fable, and Depp's arrival
critically panned, beloved by everyone who was nine
the kooky household, permanently quotable
Goldberg, and a comedy that everyone has seen twice
the best Dickens adaptation, and it has Muppets
the underdog sports film for children, done right
the whale, the wall, the jump
dismissed on release, now the definitive Halloween ritual
the animal-journey film that made a generation cry
Williams, and much sadder than remembered
the definitive summer-childhood film
Allen's best vehicle, and permanently in rotation
practical-effects chaos and real menace
DeVito's best film as a director
Lohan twice, and a perfect studio comedy
critically mixed, permanently in December rotation
the teen fairy tale, executed flawlessly
the last Christmas film to enter the canon
the body-swap film a generation shares with its parents
a children's film with a real structure
the motion-capture is strange and the film endures anyway
the family blockbuster formula at its best
the Disney self-parody that's also a great Disney film
sold as a dog comedy, and it isn't
the revival that got the tone exactly right
the film that made the sequel possible
