Movies I Saw As a Kid, I Want My (If Ever) Kids to Watch
by Celestron1980 | created - 18 Mar 2012 | updated - 26 Feb 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Making Contact (1985)
PG | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Believing to be able to communicate with his deceased father, a young boy develops psychic powers where he uses them to try to stop supernatural forces threatening his family and friends, especially a possessed ventriloquist dummy.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Joshua Morrell, Eva Kryll, Tammy Shields, Jan Zierold
Votes: 1,788
2. The Ewok Adventure (1984 TV Movie)
TV-G | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Wicket the Ewok and his friends agree to help two shipwrecked human children, Mace and Cindel, on a quest to find their parents.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Eric Walker, Warwick Davis, Fionnula Flanagan, Guy Boyd
Votes: 12,595
3. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985 TV Movie)
TV-G | 94 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Marauders raid the Ewok village and steal a power supply they believe to be magical. Wicket helps Cindel escape the evil witch Charal, and they befriend a hermit who may help them save the village.
Directors: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat | Stars: Wilford Brimley, Warwick Davis, Aubree Miller, Siân Phillips
Votes: 10,846
4. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney
Votes: 157,735 | Gross: $20.16M
5. Labyrinth (1986)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.
Director: Jim Henson | Stars: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson
Votes: 150,393 | Gross: $12.73M
6. The Dark Crystal (1982)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and to restore order to his world.
Directors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz | Stars: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
Votes: 71,869 | Gross: $40.58M
7. Short Circuit (1986)
PG | 98 min | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton
Votes: 66,665 | Gross: $40.70M
8. Short Circuit 2 (1988)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Robot Johnny Five comes to the city and gets manipulated by criminals who want him for their own purposes.
Director: Kenneth Johnson | Stars: Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Tim Blaney, Cynthia Gibb
Votes: 27,027 | Gross: $21.63M
9. SpaceCamp (1986)
PG | 107 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
The young attendees of a space camp find themselves in space for real when their shuttle is accidentally launched into orbit.
Director: Harry Winer | Stars: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott
Votes: 15,952 | Gross: $9.70M
10. Explorers (1985)
PG | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A boy obsessed with '50s sci-fi movies about aliens has a recurring dream about a blueprint of some kind, which he draws for his inventor friend. With the help of a third kid, they follow it and build themselves a spaceship. Now what?
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Bobby Fite, Bradley Gregg
Votes: 23,874 | Gross: $9.87M
11. The Goonies (1985)
PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Votes: 299,940 | Gross: $61.50M
12. *batteries not included (1987)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Aliens help a feisty old New York couple in their battle against the ruthless land developer who's out to evict them.
Director: Matthew Robbins | Stars: Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña
Votes: 37,908 | Gross: $32.95M
13. Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
The Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch but have a hard time trying to keep the legend of 'Bigfoot' a secret.
Director: William Dear | Stars: John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy
Votes: 38,503 | Gross: $29.76M
14. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, Kristine Sutherland
Votes: 167,207 | Gross: $130.72M
15. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy
Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, John Getz, Josh Charles
Votes: 38,178 | Gross: $25.20M
16. Back to the Future (1985)
PG | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Votes: 1,313,139 | Gross: $210.61M
17. Back to the Future Part II (1989)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Tom Wilson
Votes: 575,415 | Gross: $118.50M
18. Back to the Future Part III (1990)
PG | 118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Stranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Tom Wilson
Votes: 483,186 | Gross: $87.73M
19. The Clean Machine (1992)
90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three children, Benoît, Charles and Marie, provide housekeeping services to creatively spend their time during the summer school vacations while making extra pocket money. Their small ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Beaudry | Stars: Vincent Bolduc, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Delphine Piperni, Alexandra Laverdière
Votes: 188
20. Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1988)
G | 105 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
When the joker Tommy Tricker plays some practical jokes on some of his friends, his best friend Ralph, a stamp collector, discovers the secret of "stamp travel" to make him travel around ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Rubbo | Stars: Lucas Evans, Anthony Rogers, Jill Stanley, Andrew Whitehead
Votes: 1,147
21. The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Peanut butter is the secret ingredient for magic potions made by two friendly ghosts. Eleven-year-old Michael loses all of his hair when he gets a fright and uses the potion to get his hair back.
Director: Michael Rubbo | Stars: Mathew Mackay, Siluck Saysanasy, Alison Darcy, Michael Hogan
Votes: 2,713
22. Ghostbusters (1984)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Votes: 452,233 | Gross: $238.63M
23. Ghostbusters II (1989)
PG | 108 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Votes: 225,853 | Gross: $112.49M
24. Mac and Me (1988)
PG | 99 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
An alien trying to escape from NASA is befriended by a wheelchair-bound boy.
Director: Stewart Raffill | Stars: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary, Lauren Stanley
Votes: 14,587 | Gross: $6.42M
25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
PG | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Four teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.
Director: Steve Barron | Stars: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, David Forman
Votes: 105,389 | Gross: $135.27M
26. Moving Violations (1985)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy
The goofy students of a remedial drivers education class find themselves butting heads with their abusive police instructors.
Director: Neal Israel | Stars: John Murray, Jennifer Tilly, James Keach, Brian Backer
Votes: 4,369 | Gross: $10.60M
27. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
PG | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Turtles discover their origins while they endeavour to save New York City from the evil Shredder and his Foot Clan.
Director: Michael Pressman | Stars: Paige Turco, David Warner, Michelan Sisti, Leif Tilden
Votes: 61,395 | Gross: $78.66M
28. Police Academy (1984)
R | 96 min | Comedy
The mayor declares that anyone can enroll in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and many misfits descend on the academy, including a young troublemaker who's forced to apply or go to jail.
Director: Hugh Wilson | Stars: Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith
Votes: 138,024 | Gross: $81.20M
And all the sequels.
29. The Addams Family (1991)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya
Votes: 180,923 | Gross: $113.50M
30. Addams Family Values (1993)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy
The Addams Family try to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold-digging new love, a black widow named Debbie.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack
Votes: 110,190 | Gross: $48.92M
31. Garfield in Disguise (1985 TV Short)
Not Rated | 25 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
When Garfield and Odie are out trick-or-treating, they end up at a haunted house.
Director: Phil Roman | Stars: Lorenzo Music, Thom Huge, Gregg Berger, C. Lindsay Workman
Votes: 2,322
32. Samson & Sally (1984)
Not Rated | 59 min | Animation, Family, Romance
Samson is a young whale that doesn't have friends. He spends his time listening to his mother's stories about the legendary whale Moby Dick. Samson becomes fascinated about it and decides to go on a journey to find Moby Dick.
Director: Jannik Hastrup | Stars: Jesper Klein, Helle Hertz, Per Pallesen, Bodil Udsen
Votes: 866
33. Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)
PG | 95 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
A paleontologist and her husband discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, and try to protect them from a group of hunters intent on capturing the dinosaurs.
Director: Bill Norton | Stars: William Katt, Sean Young, Patrick McGoohan, Julian Fellowes
Votes: 3,520 | Gross: $14.97M
34. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 217,898 | Gross: $156.45M
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