Image credit: MGM, NTV, Jensen Farley Pictures, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, TriStar Pictures, Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, United Artists
The 80s era was a simpler time when movies could be about a kid befriending an alien or a bunch of teens hunting for treasure, and everyone was totally cool with it.
Now, let's take a look back to that rad era. We're talking about 29 family films from the 1980s that didn't just fill the screen – they defined a generation. These aren't just films; they're the cozy blanket of our collective childhood, the shared language of secret handshakes and movie quotes.
29. "Tummy Trouble" (1989) In this animated short, Roger Rabbit is left to babysit Baby Herman, who swallows a rattle and must be rushed to the hospital, leading to a series of slapstick, comedic misadventures in the hospital.
28. "The Wizard" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 27% A young boy, a prodigy at video games, sets out with his brother and a friend on a cross-country journey to compete in a video game championship, facing various challenges and revealing deeper emotional issues.
27. "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 44% A charming but roguish German Shepherd named Charlie is killed by his partner but returns from heaven to seek revenge and ends up caring for a young orphan, learning about love and selflessness.
26. "Little Monsters" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 44% A boy discovers a world of monsters under his bed where he befriends a mischievous creature, leading to wild adventures but also revealing a darker side to the monster world.
25. "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 45% A family accidentally hits a Sasquatch with their car and decides to take him home, leading to comical situations and a heartwarming bond.
24. "Willow" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 53% A reluctant farmer and aspiring sorcerer named Willow Ufgood is entrusted with the care of a special baby who is prophesied to bring down an evil queen, leading to an epic adventure filled with magic and danger.
23. "Oliver & Company" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 54% A modern, animated retelling of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," set in New York City and featuring a young orphaned kitten named Oliver who joins a gang of streetwise dogs.
22. "Benji the Hunted" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 55% After being lost at sea, the brave dog Benji finds himself in the wilderness, where he becomes the guardian of four orphaned cougar cubs, protecting them from danger as he searches for a way home.
21. "Return to Oz" (1985) Rotten Tomatoes score: 58% A dark, semi-sequel to "The Wizard of Oz," where Dorothy returns to a devastated Oz and teams up with new friends to save the land from the evil Nome King and Princess Mombi.
20. "The Black Cauldron" (1985) Rotten Tomatoes score: 57% A young pig keeper joins forces with a princess and a bard to prevent a wicked Horned King from using a powerful, magical cauldron to conquer the world.
19. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1983) Rotten Tomatoes score: 61% Two young boys in a small town encounter a mysterious and sinister carnival, dealing with themes of temptation, fear, and the battle between good and evil.
18. "The Boy Who Could Fly" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 64% A recently orphaned girl befriends her autistic neighbor who dreams of flying, leading to a journey of discovery, healing, and the power of belief.
17. "The Land Before Time" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 65% In a prehistoric setting, a group of young dinosaurs embarks on a quest to find the legendary Great Valley, a place of abundance and safety, while facing challenges and learning valuable lessons about friendship and perseverance.
16. "Cloak & Dagger" (1984) Rotten Tomatoes score: 67% A young boy, obsessed with video games and spy stories, finds himself caught up in a real-life espionage adventure after witnessing a murder and receiving a video game cartridge containing important military secrets.
15. "Batteries Not Included" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 67% The tenants of a soon-to-be-demolished building are helped by small alien robots to save their home, leading to a heartwarming tale of friendship and resilience.
14. "Explorers" (1985) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72% Three boys build a spaceship in their backyard and embark on a whimsical journey through space, eventually encountering friendly alien life forms.
13. "Labyrinth" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 75% A teenage girl embarks on a surreal journey through a mystical labyrinth to rescue her baby brother, who has been kidnapped by a goblin king.
12. "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% A wacky inventor accidentally shrinks his and his neighbor's kids with his electromagnetic shrinking machine, leading to a perilous journey through their backyard, which now seems like a jungle to the tiny children.
11. "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% In Victorian London, a mouse detective and his partner embark on a mission to save a toymaker and thwart the evil plans of their nemesis, Professor Ratigan.
10. "An American Tail" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% A young Russian mouse gets separated from his family while emigrating to America and goes on a quest to find them, dealing with the trials of an immigrant.
9. "The Last Unicorn" (1982) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% A lone unicorn, believing she is the last of her kind, embarks on a quest to find others, encountering various characters and ultimately transforming into a human to escape a wicked king.
8. "The Dark Crystal" (1982) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% In a mystical world, a young Gelfling embarks on a quest to repair the Dark Crystal and restore balance, confronting evil Skeksis in a struggle for the fate of their world.
7. "The Brave Little Toaster" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% A group of sentient household appliances, led by a brave toaster, embark on a perilous journey to find their original owner, facing various challenges and adventures along the way.
6. "The Adventures of Milo and Otis" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80% Originally released in Japan in 1986, this charming tale follows the adventures of a curious cat, Milo, and a pug-nosed puppy, Otis, as they embark on a perilous and heartwarming journey to find each other after being separated.
5. "The NeverEnding Story" (1984) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% A young boy discovers a magical book that tells the story of a young warrior's quest to save the fantastical world of Fantasia from destruction by a dark force called The Nothing.
4. "Flight of the Navigator" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 84% A 12-year-old boy goes on an extraordinary adventure with a wisecracking alien ship after being transported eight years into the future.
3. "The Little Mermaid" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% Ariel, a young and adventurous mermaid princess, makes a risky deal with the sea witch Ursula to meet a human prince on land, leading to a dramatic struggle to reclaim her voice and find true love.
2. "The Secret of NIMH" (1982) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% A widowed field mouse seeks the aid of genetically enhanced rats to save her home, uncovering a secret society and their escape from cruel human experiments.
1. "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 98% In this beloved Japanese animated film, a young witch named Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training, starting a flying delivery service.
