John, this is a private example of what a Screenwise page could look like for you.
We made it from one of your lists to show how Screenwise Voices works. Google can't see it, and it isn't listed anywhere on Screenwise. Only people with this link can open it.
Writers in Screenwise Voices publish original essays and lists under their own name, to reach about 2 million parents a month. You can also bring over a post you've already written. It points Google to your original, so your site keeps the search credit.
The NeverEnding Family Movie List: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A list by John Perritt
John Perritt's G/PG family movie list from his Family Movie Night newsletter (johnperritt.substack.com), from The Wizard of Oz (1939) to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). John's note: not every film here is an endorsement, so check the content before you press play.
- 1
The Wizard of Oz
Movie · 1939
“The ultimate 'there's no place like home' story—if your kids can handle flying monkeys and can sit through 1939 pacing.”
IMDb 8.1RT 98% - 2
Treasure Island
Movie · 1950
“Robert Newton rolls his eyes and growls through the definitive pirate performance that invented every 'arrr, matey' trope in history.”
- 3
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Movie · 1954
“Steampunk submersibles and a giant squid fight that still holds up, even if the 1954 pacing is as slow as a deep-sea trench.”
- 4
Mary Poppins
Movie · 1964
“The iconic singing nanny is lovely in theory, but 139 minutes of 1960s pacing is a tough sell for kids raised on Bluey's seven-minute perfection.”
IMDb 7.8RT 97% - 5
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Movie · 1971
“Gene Wilder's iconic but genuinely unsettling candy man teaches kids about greed—through mild psychological torture.”
IMDb 7.8RT 90% - 6
Star Wars
Movie · 1977
“The OG space opera that launched a thousand lunchboxes—but will your kid actually sit through two hours of 1970s pacing?”
IMDb 8.6RT 94% - 7
The Empire Strikes Back
Movie · 1980
“The darker, richer middle chapter that proved Star Wars wasn't a fluke—and gave us the most famous plot twist in cinema history.”
IMDb 8.7RT 93% - 8
Flash Gordon
Movie · 1980
“A campy 1980s sci-fi spectacle that's aged like milk left in a disco ball—visually wild but genuinely hard to sit through.”
IMDb 6.5RT 83% - 9
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Movie · 1981
“Spielberg's iconic adventure is still a blast—just wait until your kid can handle melting Nazi faces without years of therapy.”
IMDb 8.4RT 94% - 10
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Movie · 1982
“Spielberg's iconic alien-friendship tale that your parents loved—but will your kids sit through two hours of 1982 pacing?”
IMDb 7.9RT 99% - 11
Tron
Movie · 1982
“The 1982 computer-world pioneer that's more interesting to read about than actually watch.”
IMDb 6.7RT 60% - 12
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Movie · 1983
“Luke faces Vader, rescues Han, and befriends teddy bears with spears in the OG trilogy's feel-good finale—still holds up, mostly.”
IMDb 8.3RT 83% - 13
The Karate Kid
Movie · 1984
“Wax on, wax off—the original underdog karate story that launched a thousand crane kicks and taught kids that the best revenge is a well-executed tournament win.”
IMDb 7.3RT 81% - 14
The Last Starfighter
Movie · 1984
“Kid beats arcade game, gets drafted by aliens—charming '80s concept trapped in genuinely slow execution.”
IMDb 6.7RT 76% - 15
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Movie · 1984
“The Indy sequel so intense it invented PG-13—darker, gorier, and way less fun than Raiders.”
IMDb 7.5RT 77% - 16
The NeverEnding Story
Movie · 1984
“A beloved '80s fantasy that celebrates books and imagination—but prepare for genuine emotional trauma and a pace that tests modern attention spans.”
IMDb 7.3RT 84% - 17
Cloak & Dagger
Movie · 1984
“An 80s spy thriller where an 11-year-old witnesses a murder and goes on the run—imaginative premise, but emotionally heavy and showing its age.”
- 18
The Goonies
Movie · 1985
“The OG kids' treasure hunt that Gen X parents remember fondly but is way scarier and cruder than they recall.”
IMDb 7.7RT 77% - 19
The Karate Kid Part II
Movie · 1986
“Mr. Miyagi takes Daniel to Okinawa for family drama and another predictable showdown—but this time with higher stakes and lower ratings.”
- 20
Flight of the Navigator
Movie · 1986
“80s Disney time-travel adventure that's sweet in theory but moves at the speed of a dial-up modem for today's kids.”
- 21
Labyrinth
Movie · 1986
“Jim Henson's puppet masterpiece is visually stunning and deeply weird, but the creepy older-man-pursues-teen vibe hasn't aged well.”
IMDb 7.3RT 77% - 22
The Princess Bride
Movie · 1987
“The ultimate quotable fairy tale—true love, sword fights, and ROUSes—that's somehow both genuinely romantic and hilariously self-aware.”
IMDb 8.0RT 96% - 23
Willow
Movie · 1988
“An 80s fantasy quest with heart and magic—if your kid can handle the dated effects and genuinely creepy monsters.”
- 24
Honey I Shrunk The Kids
Movie · 1989
“Kids get accidentally shrunk to ant-size and must survive the backyard jungle while Dad frantically searches—'80s effects included.”
IMDb 6.4RT 76% - 25
Field of Dreams
Movie · 1989
“Farmer hears voices, builds baseball field in corn, ghosts show up—it's either magical or he needs a therapist.”
IMDb 7.5RT 88% - 26
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Movie · 1989
“Two lovable idiots time-travel through history in a phone booth—peak 80s absurdity that's aged like milk left in the sun.”
IMDb 6.9RT 83% - 27
Home Alone
Movie · 1990
“The Christmas classic where an 8-year-old defends his house with paint cans and blowtorches—heartwarming AND borderline Home Depot assault.”
IMDb 7.7RT 66% - 28
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Movie · 1990
“Four wisecracking turtles fight a teen ninja cult in a version of New York City that’s way grittier and more tactile than anything in a modern CGI reboot.”
- 29
The Hunt for Red October
Movie · 1990
“Sean Connery with a Russian accent so bad it’s legendary, in a sub movie that actually uses its brain.”
- 30
Hook
Movie · 1991
“Spielberg's bloated but heartfelt 'what if Peter Pan became a corporate lawyer?' adventure—Robin Williams vs. Dustin Hoffman in tights.”
- 31
Home Alone 2 Lost In New York
Movie · 1992
“Kevin tortures the Wet Bandits again, this time in Manhattan—with even more bricks to the face and your credit card bill.”
IMDb 6.9RT 35% - 32
The Sandlot
Movie · 1993
“Nine kids, one legendary summer, and a terrifying dog that guards the greatest baseball of all time—peak 90s nostalgia for 60s childhood.”
IMDb 7.8RT 66% - 33
Jumanji
Movie · 1995
“Robin Williams plays a board game that tries to kill everyone—and the CGI monkeys from 1995 are here to haunt your dreams.”
IMDb 7.1RT 53% - 34
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Movie · 2001 · J.K. Rowling
“The movie that launched a thousand Hogwarts letters—magical, heartwarming, and yes, occasionally nightmare-inducing for the littles.”
IMDb 7.7RT 80% - 35
Harry Potter Chamber Of Secrets
Movie · 2002
“Year two at Hogwarts brings giant spiders, a killer snake, and some uncomfortable conversations about wizard racism—significantly scarier than round one.”
- 36
Holes
Movie · 2003
“A wrongfully convicted kid digs holes in the desert and uncovers a multi-generational mystery involving curses, treasure, and deadly lizards.”
IMDb 7.0RT 78% - 37
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Movie · 2004
“The HP film where things get real—time travel, soul-sucking Dementors, and the realization that Hogwarts might need better background checks.”
IMDb 7.9RT 91% - 38
National Treasure
Movie · 2004
“Nicolas Cage steals the Declaration of Independence and somehow makes it wholesome family fun.”
IMDb 6.9RT 47% - 39
“Four kids, one wardrobe, a talking lion, and a battle for a frozen kingdom—C.S. Lewis's classic gets the big-budget treatment.”
IMDb 6.9RT 76% - 40
Night at the Museum
Movie · 2006
“Museum exhibits come alive, Ben Stiller runs around a lot, and your kid suddenly wants to visit the Smithsonian.”
IMDb 6.5RT 42% - 41
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Movie · 2008
“Siblings discover a magical field guide and fight off genuinely creepy goblins in this 2008 fantasy that's darker than you remember.”
IMDb 6.5RT 81% - 42
The Chronicles Of Narnia Prince Caspian
Movie · 2008
“The Pevensies return to a war-torn Narnia in this darker, battle-heavy sequel that trades wonder for swordplay and runs about 45 minutes too long.”
IMDb 6.5RT 66% - 43
Cinderella
Movie · 2015
“Kenneth Branagh ditches the snark for a lush, sincere, and visually stunning take on the classic that actually lives up to its own 'be kind' mantra.”
- 44
Pete's Dragon
Movie · 2016
“A gentle boy-and-his-dragon tale that trades spectacle for heart—think E.T. with fur and wings in the Pacific Northwest.”
IMDb 6.7RT 88% - 45
The Jungle Book
Movie · 2016
“A visually stunning, surprisingly intense survival story that swaps the catchy 1967 jazz for some actual jungle grit.”
- 46
The BFG
Movie · 2016
“Spielberg's Roald Dahl adaptation has heart and whimsy, but honestly? Most kids find it kind of a slog.”
- 47
Sonic the Hedgehog
Movie · 2020
“A hyperactive blue hedgehog teams up with a small-town cop to stop Jim Carrey from taking over the world—it's exactly as chaotic as it sounds.”
IMDb 6.5RT 64%
Got your own favorites?
Make a list like this in about a minute — we suggest the picks, you choose.
More Lists to Explore
Book Series for Kids Who Hate Reading
by Gretchen Gales · 5 picks
Gretchen Gales's picks from Writing Gales (writinggales.com) for kids who would rather do anything than read, chosen from the series her own students fight over. Percy Jackson is the one she has seen turn a non-reader into a bibliophile, and Ranger in Time, a time-traveling golden retriever, pulls in readers well past its 6-to-10 label.
Sitcoms to Watch With Your Teens
by Sheryl Gould · 41 picks· 1
Shows to watch on the couch together with a teenager, from Moms of Tweens and Teens (momsoftweensandteens.com). It opens with one family's top ten, led by The Office and Parks and Rec, and continues with picks from the site's community of moms, from I Love Lucy to Kids Baking Championship.
Books if you like Dave Eggers
by Dan · 6 picks· 1
Discover moving stories about animals and unique characters that capture the same spirit of wonder, friendship, and philosophical depth found in The Eyes and the Impossible.
Cozy Lap Reads for Wandering Toddlers
by Dan · 5 picks· 1
These engaging, interactive, and gentle picture books are perfect for those fleeting moments when your little one settles in for a story. They are designed to hold attention even when the reading session is cut short.
Gentle Movies for Little Ones
by EllieVi Movies · 28 picks
A collection of calm and heartwarming films perfect for a four-year-old and a toddler to enjoy together. These stories focus on friendship, wonder, and gentle adventures that are safe for the youngest viewers.
STuff that my 14 year old likes
by Janell mom of Jada (age 14 8th grade) · 8 picks
Stuff that we use at home without throwing a thumper tarshion