So I was reading this FireDogLake post that used the movie “The Wizard of Oz” as a metaphor for the changing of the guard in Washington, DC, and it got me to thinking about how I can’t wait till my girls are old enough for that movie so I can watch it with them. I remember how much I looked forward to that film’s annual airing on TV, back in the Stone Age days when that was our only option for viewing a favorite movie. Anyway, based on the warm fuzzy feelings I got from that spate of nostalgia, here’s a list of the Top Ten movies I’m looking forward to watching with Olivia and Audrey some day:
1. The Wizard of Oz. – I just hope the flying monkeys don’t freak them out as much as they did me.
2. Miracle on 34th Street – The original, of course. I love me some “It’s A Wonderful Life”, but this one is my favorite Christmas movie of them all.
3. A Christmas Story – And this is the first runnerup behind “Miracle”.
4. Star Wars – I wonder if they’ll love Han Solo as much as Tiffany does.
5. The Princess Bride – Some of these movies are here just to ensure they get the references I make to them. Well, that and the fact that they’re great movies.
6. Better Off Dead – This one will have to wait a little longer, but that’s okay.
7. Snow White – I could pick just about any classic Disney animated movie here (other than “Bambi”, which is a movie I do not want them to watch any time soon), but we’ll start with this one.
8. The Sound of Music – Yeah, I like musicals. Deal with it.
9. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – We recently watched the episode of “The Muppet Show” that had Ethel Merman as the guest star. She stole every scene she played in this movie, no mean feat given the vast amount of star power it contained.
10. The Harry Potter movies – And the accompanying books will be on the list of books I can’t wait to read with the girls, along with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. But that’s a list for another day.
So. What movies have you enjoyed/do you plan to enjoy with your kids? Let me know.
Just this weekend we got Grace’s playroom put together — complete with TV and VCR/DVD. So I dug all my old Disney VHS tapes out of the attic, and now we’re watching Snow White. Also have Cinderella, 101 Dalmations, Pinocchio and Fantasia. Those last two will probably need to wait a while before showing.
My girls are 2, 5, and 10 so I’m a bit ahead of you. Here are some others to add to your list. They may be old enough for them already:
Mary Poppins
Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder version)
Sound of Music
ET
Parent Trap (original Hayley Mills, although the Lindsey Lohan wasn’t bad)
National Velvet
Black Stallion
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
As for when they get a bit older?
Raiders of the Lost Ark
When they get a bit older, you might take a look at The Education of Little Tree. A wonderful and thoughtful movie – and one of my favorites.
they need to get a little older for my faves:
– Holiday Inn
– All the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby “Road” movies
– The Worst Witch
– Rocky Horror Picture Show… lots of fun to teach them how to do the time warp dance.