Ah, childhood movies. They just don’t seem to make them like they used to.
Of course, sometimes that’s a good thing. (We all know the feeling of being shocked by something in an old movie that we did *not* remember was in there!)
But, I feel like many movies nowadays are missing the heart and humanity that older films had.
So, just to help you rediscover that nostalgia, here’s a list of 80s films to enjoy with your kids.
(I mean, they have to see what good moviemaking looks like at some point!)
Oh, and just so you know, I used Kids-in-Mind and Common Sense Media to help me with the ratings on these films. I highly recommend them as free resources for vetting shows!
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
It’s a classic movie, and a fun take on what life might be like if we were suddenly only 1/4 inch tall.
I’d recommend this movie for most ages. Though, there is a little bit of language and one reference to tongue-kissing that might bother some parents. (It’d go right over most kid’s heads.)
Common sense media suggests this one for 7 and up, and I would probably agree.
An American Tail
This movie was one of my favorites as a kid. It follows a little mouse (Fievel) and his Jewish mouse family as they leave Russia to go to America. (They go under the false assumption that “there are no cats in America.”)
Unfortunately, little Fievel gets separated from his family and lost at sea. When he washes up in New York, he has to figure out how to handle life on the streets (where, unfortunately, there are cats) until he can find his family again.
It’s a very sweet movie with fun music and thought-provoking themes about family, immigration, and not giving up. I’d be willing to watch it with any age.
(Though, there is some drinking/smoking and a few scary parts. I’d personally supervise any children younger than 6 or so).
The Flight of the Navigator
This is a fun sci-fi movie about a boy who’s kidnapped by an alien and taken to the future.
I personally watched it for the first time this past year, and while the film kept my attention, it wasn’t my favorite ever. (I’m sorry for all the huge fans out there—I know many of you are likely heartbroken.)
However, I do think it’s a fun, one-time watch! The time-travel aspect in and of itself is intriguing.
Plus, I know lots of folks love it for the nostalgia.
Personally, I’d recommend watching this with ages 9 and up, since there is some body-shaming and language. (Think the “s-word” multiple times and “b*stard”).
The Princess Bride
I love this movie. It’s hilarious, action-packed, and dumb-but-lovable in so many ways.
The premise? A peasant girl falls in love with a boy who disappears. Years later, she’s chosen by a prince to be his bride. Then she gets kidnapped by a gang of idiots (and one supposed genius).
Oh, and she gets kidnapped again by a mysterious man. And . . . there’s a lot more to it, but you’ll just have to watch and see!
I’d recommend this one for ages 8 and up. There’s a good bit of action, some torture, and some language.
The Christmas Story
I have a confession: I have never seen the Christmas Story.
However, the internet and members of my husband’s family assure me that it’s a great, nostalgia-filled show. It’s set in 1941 and follows the childhood capers of a kid named “Ralphie” as he strives to be good so he can get the perfect Christmas gift.
According to Common Sense Media, there is a good bit of language, some racial stereotyping, and a couple sexual references. Based on that, I’d agree with their assessment of it as an age 8 and up movie.
The Brave Little Toaster
This movie both fascinated and terrified me as a kid. It is definitely weird; there are a lot of old household items, and many discussions about being trash.
(Speaking of which, here’s my post of 25 things you can get rid of without thinking twice. Yes, I know that was terrible of me. Sorry Toaster. Sorry Kirby.)
But at its core, I think this is a heartwarming film. And, it’s fun to see how everyday items might act if they were alive.
I’d happily watch this with kids of just about any age, though I’d recommend supervising because of the few scary scenes.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
This is such a classic film. Who doesn’t recognize the imagery of Indiana Jones running from a giant, rolling boulder?
(I learned while writing this that apparently Harrison Ford had to actually outrun the 22-foot, fiberglass and steel boulder 10 different times while filming. Who knew, right?!)
Anywho, no one can claim they’re an adventure movie fanatic until they’ve seen this.
Though, that being said, I personally wouldn’t watch this with my kids until they were at least 12 or 13. There are lots of swear words, lots of violence, several creepy scenes, and a couple sexual innuendos. Plus, there’s some disappointing racial stereotyping (so be aware of that).
The Karate Kid
I had somehow never actually seen the Karate Kid until just a few years ago, but man, it’s such a great movie! I think it’s aged well.
It follows the story of a teen who moves cross-country to California and ends up getting taught Karate by a master to help him handle bullying.
I’d recommend this for ages 10 and up or so, because there is a good bit of language and violence, and some intense discussion of loss.
But I think older kids and teens would have a blast with this one.
The NeverEnding Story
Not gonna lie; this is definitely a very unique movie (In kind-of a dream-turned-fake-looking-nightmare sort of way).
But, this article wouldn’t be a list of classic 80s films without it. So, it’s here.
Basically, it’s about a boy who gets sucked into magical land through a book. And, spoiler alert, the land’s in trouble and he needs to save it. (Why do magical lands always need saving in stories like this? Is it a law for magical world travel or something?)
But I digress.
I think this movie is great for ages 8 and up. It teaches the power of imagination, though it does have some scary sequences and one somewhat upsetting death scene.
Labyrinth
I haven’t ever actually watched this, but I kept coming across it on 80s film lists, so I figured it deserved a place here.
It follows the story of a girl named Sarah who must rescue her little brother from the center of a fantastical labyrinth, which is full of illusions and mythical creatures.
Common Sense Media recommends this for 8 and up because of some mild language and the scariness of the labyrinth.
It’s now on my long list of movies I need to watch in the future!
The Great Mouse Detective
This is such a cute film! I enjoyed it a lot as a kid.
(And I just realized that cartoon mouse films must’ve been all-the-rage in the 80s, because this is the second out of three on this list).
Anywho, this is basically a Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery. It follows the story of a girl mouse, named Olivia, who seeks out the help of famous detective, Basil of Baker Street, to rescue her kidnapped father.
It’s clean, fun, and great for kids younger than 13 or so (though you may still want to supervise really little kids—I guess that’s basically a given for most films, but I wanted to mention it anyway).
Not Quite Human
This is a more obscure 80s film, but I feel like it deserves a spot here for two reasons:
- I loved it as a kid. The concept of a robot learning to be human fascinated me.
- As AI and robotics get more and more advanced, I think it’s interesting to think about how that could affect society. This film provokes thought about that.
If you’ve never heard of this movie and have no idea what I’m talking about, the plot is essentially this: a genius (named Dr. Carson) creates a robotic son to go high school with his daughter as an experiment. Unbeknownst to the genius, his daughter, and his robotic son; there is a defense contractor stalking them who wants to use new technology as a weapon.
There are lots of funny moments (As you can imagine with a robot in high school). That being said, I think that kids ages 7 to 14 or would probably enjoy this the most.
From what I can find, you can’t stream it anywhere, but you can watch it for free on the Internet Archive.
E.T.
I literally couldn’t make an 80s film list without this film. It would be like offering someone French fries without salt.
But, as you know, the ultimate message of E.T. is that friendship matters. And, the film makes that message stick with funny visuals, great storytelling, and a suspenseful plot.
The one caveat I have with this movie is that there is some strong swearing and a racial slur (from the book Peter Pan). I personally wouldn’t recommend it for kids under the age of 9 or 10 because of that.
The Land Before Time
If you were to ask me what my favorite childhood movie was, this would be it.
The characters held a place of honor in my pretend games for years.
The basic plot is that a young apatosaurus loses his mother in an earthquake but determines to make his way to “The Great Valley” anyway. There, he can live out the rest of his days in peace.
Along the way he meets different kinds of dinosaurs (some friendly, and some not) and learns valuable life lessons.
For me, the messages of not giving up, overcoming differences, and coping with loss are ones that still resonate today. I’d be excited to watch this with kids of any age.
Though, you should be prepared to explain and discuss the death of the mother as needed.
Anne of Green Gables
This technically isn’t a single film (it was sold as a two-VHS set), but it is a single, wonderful story with excellent actors.
The plot from L.M. Montgomery teaches awesome morals and is entertaining for a wide range of ages. I’d happily watch it with just about anyone (no fine print needed).
Back to the Future
This is another of those films that this list just couldn’t do without. It would be sad to eliminate it.
The story follows the adventures of a teenager who accidentally gets sent back in time to 1955. There, he accidentally prevents his parents from meeting.
Of course, Hilarity and action ensue as he tries to fix his mistake and get back home.
The downside to this show is that there is a good bit of language, violence, an implied groping/assault that gets interrupted, and a teenage boy spying on a girl undressing through her window. (Yeah, I know, it’s a lot. It’s sad. Buuuut, it is still such a cool story for a movie.)
So, I personally would watch this with kids age 11 and up (and I’d probably fast forward through the undressing scene—though she thankfully doesn’t go past her bra and underwear).
SpaceCamp
This is a lesser known, but fun sci-fi film about teenagers at a NASA summer camp who accidentally get launched into space and have to use their smarts to get back home.
It’s a good one if you have younger teenagers and tweens who are at all interested in science and physics because, of course, it’s about space travel.
I’d recommend it for ages 9 to 14 or so because there is a bit of language, but the movie may not be quite as engaging for older teens.
The Secret of Nimh
This is an interesting film about a mother mouse who’s trying to get help to move her family’s house. She has a sick son, and the only way to keep him from being wiped out by a local farmer (who’ll be plowing soon) is to move her family’s home with him in it.
The film’s unique in that it stars a mom—which I love—and it also sparks some discussion about the ethics of animal experimentation (a significant topic in the film that I think is worth talking about).
That being said, The Secret of Nimh does have some darker themes. (Especially when it shows animal experimentation.)
Because of that, I would watch this with kids and tweens ages 7 or 8 and up.
The Dark Crystal
This is a very cool movie made by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It’s set on a fantastical world and follows the fight of 2 Gelflings (the last of their species) to save their planet from an oppressive race known as the Skeksis.
The film was groundbreaking in the 80s because it was the first ever live-action film to feature purely puppets and animatronics with no people.
And it’s beautiful.
I remember enjoying it a lot as kid, though looking back, the puppets were a little eerie. On Common Sense Media they recommend it as 10+ for that and some disturbing behavior from the Skeksis (Mind control, mal treatment, etc.)
Personally, I’d say that 8 and up could safely watch it (I definitely did), but you might want to preview it and be prepared to discuss it with kids just in case.
WarGames
This is a fast-paced show about a smart teen programmer who accidentally interacts with an AI in the department of defense. The result? The AI sets off a countdown to a nuclear missile launch.
FBI confrontations, chase scenes, and mind games with a supercomputer ensue, leaving viewers with an age-old, (but thought-provoking) message: we can’t trust tech with all the decisions.
I watched this with my husband just a couple years ago and loved it. There is some language, though, and some intense scenes (including someone being held at gun point), so I would suggest watching this with tweens and teenagers older than age 10.
That’s probably when they could best appreciate the movie’s message anyway.
Bring the 80s Magic Home
You made it to the end of the list! Thank you for reading.
I hope you can have fun rediscovering some of the nostalgia of your childhood with your kids.
(And, maybe you’ll get some good discussions out of it too.)
Share your favorite 80s films for movie night down below!
And, if you want more show ideas, check out my post with 1990s films to watch with your kids.
