Top Ten Favorite Kids Movies (continued)

5. The Neverending Story- Even though this movie came out a few years before my time, I still remember loving it when I was a kid. A troubled boy finds a book that implants him into a world of fantasy and wonder. This one is full of all the things that make a movie great: drama, intrigue, suspense, laughter, adventure and learning. Plus, great characters (or creatures) like the racing snail and Gmork. And I can’t forget to mention the one character that still sticks in my mind, Falkor, the friendly dragon that I still think looks more like a flying dog.

4. E.T. the Extraterrestrial- An obvious classic, I have to admit that I was terrified of E.T. when I was younger. Even though I used to only watch the movie by hiding under a blanket whenever E.T. was on screen, it has since grown on me and it never gets old. From the cinematic masterpiece of the bike ride in front of the moon to the unforgettable line ”E.T. phone home”, Reeces pieces definitely became my favorite candy because of good old E.T.

3. The Mighty Ducks, all three- C’mon, who can forget the flying v?! These movies take the cake for the best characters. Gordon Bombay, Hans, Charlie Conway, Goldberg, Connie, Germaine and my favorite, Averman, and that’s only the start! Fulton Reed, Adam Banks, Julie “the cat” Gaffney, Dean Portman, Dwayne Robertson, the “bash brothers”, and so many, many more. So many great plays and great lines, like it’s knucklepuck time! Perfection.

2. The Sandlot- Many have uttered, “You’re killing me smalls,” yet don’t know this movie is to thank for that saying. It also taught us put downs after put downs, including the ultimate ”You play ball like a girl!”. The whole gang is memorable, from Smalls to Ham to Squints to Yeah-Yeah, and I still have a crush on Benny. The classic kids’ baseball movie naturally sits high on my list. It taught friendship, perseverance and never giving up. And The Babe taught us all a lesson that we can still abide by, “Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”

1. The Goonies- ”Hey you guuuyssss!!” This one is an easy favorite. Take a bunch of misfit kids trying to save their homes, a treasure map from 1632, the legend of One Eyed Willy and his treasure and murderous villains on their tail and we’re just getting started. Add in innocent romance, grand adventure and the truffle shuffle and you’re really in business. Not to mention, distinct characters like Mikey, Brand (aka a mid-80’s Josh Brolin!), Chunk, Mouth, Data, Andy, the Fratellis and the monster everybody loves, Sloth. And did I mention Steven Spielberg directed??! “The Goonies” is #1 in my book when it comes to kids movies. This is one that never gets old.