Film The Best '50s Kids Movies  

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List Rules Vote up your favorite children films that were released in the 1950s

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The top ‘50s kids movies are a diverse group of genre classics that have been delighting audiences for decades. Many of the characters and stories modern audiences associate with the genre of children’s films can be traced back to the 1950s.


One of the greatest ‘50s kids movies is Alice in Wonderland, adapted from the beloved Lewis Carroll novel. Walt Disney unsuccessfully tried to adapt this title throughout the 1930s, but it wasn’t until 1951 that his dream was realized. The film was derided by critics upon its release, but in later years it went on to achieve cult-classic status and came to be regarded as one of the best Disney animated films of all time. The actress who voiced Alice, Kathryn Beaumont, also went on to appear in another good ‘50s kids movie classic, Peter Pan.


Also on this list of the best ‘50s kids movies, you will find 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and Peter Lorre. The film was the only sci-fi picture to be personally produced by Walt Disney, and it stands as one of the earliest American examples of the steampunk sub-genre. Vote up the best '50s kids movies below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.
list ordered by

1
56 13
Cinderella is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
June Foray, Mike Douglas, Verna Felton Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault, it is ...more

2
48 10
Lady and the Tramp is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Peggy Lee, Stan Freberg, Dallas McKennon Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated romantic musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on 22 June 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The 15th film in the ...more

3
48 15
Peter Pan is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
June Foray, Bobby Driscoll, Heather Angel Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated fantasy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the 14th film in the ...more

4
42 13
Alice in Wonderland is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Ed Wynn, Heather Angel, Sterling Holloway Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated musical fantasy comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ...more

5
43 14
Sleeping Beauty is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Marvin Miller, Mary Costa, Verna Felton Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney based on The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault and Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm. The 16th ...more

6
30 17
Old Yeller is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Chuck Connors, Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire Old Yeller is a 1957 American family tragedy film produced by Walt Disney. It stars Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire and Beverly Washburn. It is about a boy and a stray dog in Texas. It is based upon ...more

7
20 17
Darby O'Gill and the Little Pe... is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Sean Connery, Janet Munro, Estelle Winwood Darby O'Gill and the Little People is a 1959 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery and Jimmy O'Dea, in a tale about a wily Irishman and his ...more

8
19 17
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American Technicolor adventure film starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. It was the first CinemaScope science fiction film and ...more

9
5 5
Snow White and the Seven Dwarf... is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Doris Weikow, Marianne Christina Schilling Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge is an East German film. It was released in 1962. The picture sold 7,597,495 tickets.

10
15 18
Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Patrick Troughton, Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial Treasure Island is a 1950 live action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. It stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim ...more

11
10 13
Davy Crockett: The River Pirat... is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Mike Mazurki Davy Crockett and the River Pirates is a 1956 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. This film acts as a prequel to ...more

12
10 14
The Story of Robin Hood and Hi... is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Richard Todd, Peter Finch, Michael Hordern The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men is a 1952 live action Disney version of the Robin Hood legend made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence ...more

13
9 14
Tom Thumb is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Peter Sellers, Stan Freberg, Alan Young Tom Thumb is a 1958 fantasy-musical film directed by George Pal and released by MGM. The film, based on the fairy tale of the same name, is about a tiny man who manages to outwit two thieves ...more

14
7 12
The African Lion is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Winston Hibler The African Lion is a 1955 feature-length documentary that was released by Walt Disney Productions as part of its True-Life Adventures series. The film, which was shot over a three-year period ...more

15
7 15
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, Kathryn Crosby The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is a 1958 Technicolor fantasy film from Columbia Pictures, produced by Charles H. Schneer and directed by Nathan H. Juran. This was the first of three Sinbad feature ...more

16
6 14
The Red Balloon is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Renaud Séchan, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov The Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy featurette directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse. The thirty-four minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a ...more

17
3 11
Long John Silver is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Rod Taylor, Robert Newton, Connie Gilchrist Long John Silver, also known as Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island, is a 1954 United States film production made in Australia about the eponymous pirate from Treasure Island, starring ...more

18
3 12
A Kid for Two Farthings is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Diana Dors, Sid James, Primo Carnera A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his own novel of the same name.

19
4 15
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
George Chakiris, Hans Conried, Tony Butala The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a musical fantasy film, the only feature film written by Theodor Seuss Geisel, who was responsible for the story, screenplay and lyrics. It was directed by Roy ...more

20
3 13
It's a Dog's Life is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Dean Jagger, Richard Anderson, Edmund Gwenn It's a Dog's Life is a 1955 drama comedy film based on the story by Richard Harding Davis, written by John Michael Hayes and directed by Herman Hoffman.

21
3 13
Westward Ho the Wagons! is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Fess Parker, George Reeves, Iron Eyes Cody Westward Ho, The Wagons! is a 1956 live-action Disney western film, aimed at family audiences. Based on Mary Jane Carr's novel Children of the Covered Wagon, the film was produced by Bill Walsh, ...more

22
3 13
Kim is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Errol Flynn, Dean Stockwell, Paul Lukas Kim is a 1950 adventure film made in Technicolor by MGM. It was directed by Victor Saville and produced by Leon Gordon from a screenplay by Helen Deutsch, Leon Gordon and Richard Schayer, based ...more

23
2 11
Father of Four is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Poul Reichhardt, Ove Sprogøe, Ib Schønberg Far til Fire, is a 1953 Danish family comedy directed by Alice O'Fredericks and starring Ib Schønberg and Birgitte Bruun. The film is based on the comic strip by Kaj Engholm and Olaf ...more

24
3 14
Superman and the Mole Men is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
George Reeves, Jeff Corey, Stanley Andrews Superman and the Mole Men is a 1951 superhero film starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. The motion picture is the first theatrical feature film based on the DC ...more

25
2 12
The Red Horses is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best '50s Kids Movies
Poul Reichhardt, Tove Maës The Red Horses, is a 1950 Danish romantic drama directed by Alice O'Fredericks and Jon Iversen, based on the popular novel by Morten Korch. The film stars Poul Reichhardt and Tove Maës as ...more