Seal-worthy kids' films

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that publishes reviews of media and tech products for the benefit of parents, educators and policymakers, has awarded its inaugural "Common Sense Seal" to the upcoming Disney film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Per the organization's website, "the Common Sense Seal recognizes and champions films that delight families with enriching stories and positive messages."

The phrase "enriching stories" is open to broad interpretation, but there is unarguably a rich tradition of children's movies with affecting narratives, tales apt to move parents and babysitters as well as (often more than) younger viewers. If we were to compile a truly comprehensive list of kids' films worthy of seals of approval, the endeavor would likely grow to resemble the title of one of our entries, The Neverending Story. From older classics of the Duck Soup variety, to '90s oddities of Rock-A-Doodle's ilk, a passionate case can be made for a wide variety of movies. We can't say whether Common Sense Media would approve of our our by-no-means-exhaustive selection, but there is certainly a wide variety of former and current kids who have felt their lives "enriched" by the stories below:

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

The Snowman

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Peter Pan (Mary Martin version)

Old Yeller

Home Alone

The Neverending Story

The Secret Garden

Heavyweights

Beauty and the Beast

 

Labyrinth

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 

A Christmas Story

The Goonies

The Dark Crystal

Bye Bye Birdie

 

The Year Without a Santa Clause

 
The Lion King

The Gold Standard: The Princess Bride