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Best Family Movies

of the 1980s

The 20 highest-rated family movies released between 1980 and 1989, ranked by IMDb score.

1

Anne of Green Gables(1985)

8.5 IMDb83% RT

At the turn of the century on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla decide to take on an orphan boy as help for their farm. But they get an unexpected jolt when they're mistake

2

The Snowman(1982)

8.2 IMDb80% RT

A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

3

My Neighbor Totoro(1988)

8.1 IMDb94% RT87 Meta

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When t

4

The Princess Bride(1987)

8 IMDb96% RT78 Meta

In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicili

5

Castle in the Sky(1986)

8 IMDb96% RT78 Meta

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

6

A Christmas Story(1983)

7.9 IMDb87% RT77 Meta

The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.

7

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982)

7.9 IMDb99% RT92 Meta

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his litt

8

Kiki's Delivery Service(1989)

7.8 IMDb85 Meta

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

9

The Goonies(1985)

7.7 IMDb77% RT62 Meta

Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they r

10

The King and the Mockingbird(1980)

7.7 IMDb100% RT87 Meta

A young shepherdess and a chimneysweep plan to get married and escape the clutches of a tyrannical king in love with her, assisted by the guile of a cheeky mockingbird, the king's archenemy.

11

The Little Mermaid(1989)

7.6 IMDb92% RT88 Meta

This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Me

12

The Secret of NIMH(1982)

7.5 IMDb93% RT76 Meta

A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to tran

13

Little Lord Fauntleroy(1980)

7.4 IMDb

Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marry

14

The Karate Kid(1984)

7.3 IMDb81% RT61 Meta

New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-b

15

The NeverEnding Story(1984)

7.3 IMDb84% RT49 Meta

While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a you

16

The Last Unicorn(1982)

7.3 IMDb75% RT70 Meta

A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the tr

17

The Dark Crystal(1982)

7.1 IMDb78% RT66 Meta

On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use th

18

Scooby-Doo! Meets the Boo Brothers(1987)

6.9 IMDb

After the death of Shaggy's Uncle Beaureguard, he, Scooby and Scrappy arrive at the late uncle's Southern plantation to collect the inheritance. But as soon as they arrive, they find it is haunted by

19

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School(1988)

6.8 IMDb

Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are on their way to a Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls, where they've been hired as gym teachers. Once there, however, they find that not only is it actually an al

20

Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf(1988)

6.6 IMDb

Shaggy is turned into a werewolf, and it's up to Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy's girlfriend to help him win a race against other monsters, and become human again.

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