The Best Kids Movies Of The 1970s
To begin any discussion of the greatest ‘70s kids movies, we have to start with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The imagery, story, and legendary performance of Gene Wilder as Wonka have cemented this film as an all-time classic. Released in 1971, it earned Wilder a Golden Globe nomination as well as a nomination for Best Original Score, however, both awards went to Fiddler on the Roof.
This list of the best ‘70s kids movies contains numerous other classics, as well. You will find The Muppet Movie, the first live-action movie featuring Jim Henson’s Muppets. Noted for its metatheatrical nature, frequent celebrity cameos, and intelligent humor, the film remains a popular 1970s family movie and helped catapult the Muppets to a decades-long run of cultural significance. Animated movies are also featured prominently on this list of the top ‘70s kids movies include The Aristocats and The Rescuers.
Other fixtures in the American pop culture canon can also be found here, including Superman, Charlie Brown, and Robin Hood. Vote up the best '70s kids movies below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.
- The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five ...more
- The Imperial Forces -- under orders from cruel Darth Vader (David Prowse) -- hold Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hostage, in their efforts to quell the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke ...more
- E.B. White's beloved children's tale is brought to life in this animated film, which finds the young farm pig Wilbur (Henry Gibson) attempting to avoid a dire fate. Of all the barnyard creatures, ...more
- After Kermit the Frog decides to pursue a movie career, he starts his cross-country trip from Florida to California. Along the way, he meets and befriends Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and rock ...more
- Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), two New York City mice, are members of the Rescue Aid Society, an international team that operates beneath the United Nations and comes to the aid ...more
- During the Battle of Britain, Miss Eglantine Price (Angela Lansbury), a cunning witch-in-training, decides to use her supernatural powers to defeat the Nazi menace. She sets out to accomplish this ...more
- When a retired opera singer leaves her inheritance to her cat, Duchess (Eva Gabor), and three kittens, the woman's butler drugs the cats and abandons them in the countryside in order to inherit the ...more
- Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia Malone (Kim Richards) are two orphaned siblings with extraordinary psychic powers. When their abilities attract the attention of a cruel millionaire, Aristotle Bolt (Ray ...more
- A lighthouse keeper's (Mickey Rooney) daughter (Helen Reddy) befriends a runaway orphan (Sean Marshall) and his playmate, a great green dragon.
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the tenth prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, ...more
- Stray dog Benji doesn't need an owner, preferring to roam freely all over his friendly Texas town. He delights in hectoring the cat of a local widow (Frances Bavier), and can always rely on a kindly ...more
- Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan (Glenn Ford) and Martha Kent ...more
- An amiable rooster called Alan-a-Dale (Roger Miller) tells stories and sings songs of the heroic Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) and his trusty sidekick, Little John (Phil Harris), in this animated ...more
- Charlie Brown's (Chad Webber) beloved dog Snoopy (Bill Melendez) receives a letter from his original owner, Lila (Johanna Baer), who has been sick in the hospital. With his bird friend Woodstock, ...more
- The Cat in the Hat is an animated musical television movie first aired on CBS on March 10, 1971, based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss children's book of the same name, and produced by DePatie-Freleng ...more
- After three poor orphans are sent to live with gambler Russell Donovan (Bill Bixby), they discover they have actually inherited a large fortune from their dead father. Soon a series of greedy ...more
- A creature saves a forest.
- The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Christmas stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It ...more
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too is a 1974 animated feature from Disney released as a double feature with The Island at the Top of the World. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated ...more
- In this television special, Rudolph has just come back from delivering Christmas presents with Santa Claus when he is asked by Father Time to find the next Baby New Year before midnight on New Year's ...more
- Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia (Kim Richards) are other-worldly twins endowed with telekinesis. When their Uncle Bene drops them off in Los Angeles for an earthbound vacation, a display of their ...more
- Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is the 13th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on the CBS network on January 28, 1975 ...more
- Alec (Kelly Reno) encounters a magnificent black Arabian horse while traveling aboard a steamship around the coast of North Africa with his father (Hoyt Axton). When a disaster destroys the ship, ...more
- In this animated feature, Charlie Brown (Duncan Watson), Linus (Liam Martin) and the gang head to Camp Remote, located in the Rocky Mountains, where the big event is the annual river rafting race. ...more
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown is the 14th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on October ...more