55 Essential Movies Your Child Must See (Before Turning 13)

Another Friday, another movie night.  Here's a list I found a few weeks ago, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.  There are just a few that I haven't seen.  See my notes below in italics.

1. The Muppet Movie - the original.  always worth watching.  Seen by Brave Astronaut, LBA, and SoBA
2. Toy Story - the first and the best.  I can't watch the end of Toy Story 3 - I keep getting some dust in my eye.  Seen by all
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - do not, repeat, do not watch the Jim Carrey version.  Seen by all.
4. Babe - I've seen it. The boys have not.
5. Mary Poppins - a tradition like no other, no wait, that's the Masters.  But this is the film equivalent of the Masters.  We own the move, but the boys have not yet seen it.
6. Beauty and the Beast - Disney classic - not seen by the boys.
7. The Little Mermaid - I may not have seen this one all the way through - also not seen by the boys.
8. Finding Nemo - very popular at the Launchpad.
9. The Red Balloon - I saw this film in school.  It would not be interesting to the boys, I'm pretty sure.
10. Pinocchio - Brave Astronaut yes, LBA and SoBA not.
11. Annie - I saw the Broadway play.  It was also produced at my high school.  The movie version is OK.
12. The Kid (Charlie Chaplin) - one that I haven't seen.
13. Wall-E - two that I have not seen
14. The Sound of Music - see #5
15. The Lion King - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  Unfortunately LBA and SoBA have been duped by "unauthorized" (read bad) sequels.
16. The Wizard of Oz - the flying monkeys are still a bit much for me, definitely for SoBA.
17. Singin' in the Rain - the title track is on my iPod.  Not seen by the boys.
18. Miracle on 34th Street - again, the original, in black and white, not colorized. May not have been seen by the boys.
19. The Iron Giant - third I have not seen, but I think LBA has seen this.
20. ET, the Extra Terrestrial - I liked this move, but have not shown it to the boys.
21. Elf - when we were in NYC at Christmas last year, we all went on the Buddy the Elf tour of New York City.
22. How to Train Your Dragon - I haven't seen this, but the boys have, and saw the sequel last month.
23. Star Wars - another popular choice at the Launchpad, and the "crown" in the canon.
24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - I have never gotten into the Potter mania, but LBA enjoys the movies.
25. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure - was never a big fan, but have seen most of this movie.  Have no plans to show to the boys.
26. March of the Penguins - not seen in the movies, but seen on TV. When Mrs. BA was pregnant with SoBA, he used to kick at the sound of Morgan Freeman's voice.  Although, when it comes to penguins, the go to movie is more likely to be Happy Feet.
27. Home Alone - a good movie, but not one I think the boys need to see anytime soon.
28. The Black Stallion - not on the favorites list.
29. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - again, the original, not the Johnny Depp version.  Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka. Seen by me, I don't think the boys, yet.
30. Yellow Submarine - really, by age 13?
31. Who Framed Roger Rabbit - seen by Brave Astronaut and by both LBA and SoBA (I think)
32. The Incredibles - enjoyed by all of the members of the Launchpad.
33. The Lego Movie - because everything is awesome!
34. The Princess Bride - possibly the go-to movie at the Launchpad
35. The Goonies - I was never a big Goonies guy, but the boys have seen this recently.
36. A Christmas Story - I have never been a big fan of this movie, either.
37. West Side Story - see #30
38. It's a Wonderful Life - I own this movie and watch it at least once at Christmastime.
39. Duck Soup - not a big Marx brothers fan.
40. Back to the Future - seen by me and LBA.
41. Young Frankenstein (that's Frahnkensteen), I might need to show this to the boys.
42. Edward Scissorhands - not a big Tim Burton (or Johnny Depp) fan
43. Lord of the Rings - LBA has been making some noise about reading these books, and I think has seen parts of the movie.
44. The Karate Kid - LBA has seen the new one, but I don't think he has seen the original.
45. Stand By Me - In my top ten of favorite movies.
46. Fantastic Mr. Fox - LBA and SoBA have seen this, I have seen pieces of it.
47. Big - I have watched this movie a lot - but not yet for the boys.
48. Some Like it Hot - see #30, really?
49. Raiders of the Lost Ark - another very popular choice at the launchpad.  Mrs. BA and I make the boys close their eyes for the end - LBA asked the other day when he would be old enough to keep his eyes open.
50. Pirates of the Caribbean - see #42
51. The Avengers - LBA may be ready for this, but not SoBA yet.
52. Titanic - ship sinks, boy dies.  
53. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - not a big fan
54. To Kill a Mockingbird - Stand up, your daddy's passin'
55. Jurassic Park - may still be a little too scary for the boys.