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Top 10 DVDs for Kids

By: Noel S Byrne

Can you remember the great movies from your childhood, ones that really had an impact; maybe some are on this list, maybe not. There are so many great movies for kids that this Top 10 really can't do the category justice. There were many note-worthy possibilities that stand out from my own childhood that did not make the list. I've also included movies I've seen as an adult that I'm sure I would have enjoyed had they come out when I was a child.

In reverse order here are my top 10...

10. Return to Oz

In this sequel to The Wizard of Oz (made 46 years after the original) it has been six months since Dorothy returned to Kansas from Oz. Although making a good physical recovery after her tornado ordeal Dorothy can't stop thinking about Oz and can't sleep at night. Worried about Dorothy's mental health Auntie Em' decides to take her to a "special" doctor in another town. The doctor is planning electro-shock treatment for Dorothy, but with the help of a mysterious girl Dorothy escapes and returns to Oz to find things have changed, for the worse!

9. Escape to Witch Mountain

I'm really showing my age by listing this film but it may be the first movie I ever watched at the movie theatre. Tia and Tony Malone, two orphaned children, have special powers that enable them to move objects with their minds. Hot on their tail are a host of baddies who want to take advantage of the children and use them for their own gain. Befriended by a widower, they go on the run and attempt to Escape to Witch Mountain – this is a great DVD for kids.

8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

A group of alien botanists visiting Earth are disturbed by humans and make a hasty exit. In the rush one of the extra-terrestrials is left behind. A 10-year-old boy named Elliot befriends the alien after discovering it looking for food in the family's garden shed. It's a race against time to help the alien send a message home before being found by scientists and government agents.

7. Ghostbusters

After their grant runs out parapsychologists Drs. Venkman, Stantz and Spengler are fired from their easy jobs at Columbia University in New York City. They quickly set up business in an old fire station and begin investigating and ridding Manhattan of unwanted apparitions. After an encounter with a creature named Zuul, it becomes apparent that the sudden increase in paranormal activity is indicating an unavoidable confrontation with an ancient Sumerian god known as Gozer the Gozerian.

6. Back to the Future

Marty McFly is a regular American teenager growing up in the eighties. His good friend Doc Brown has created a plutonium-powered time machine made from a DeLorean sports car. One night whilst Marty is helping out, Doc is gunned down by a group of Libyan Nationalists who Doc cheated out of their plutonium. In an effort to go back in time and stop the Doc from being killed, Marty inadvertently goes back 30 years. On his arrival he tracks down the now much younger Doc Brown and tries to convince him of who he is and enlist his help to send him Back to the Future.

5. Finding Nemo

After the tragic loss of his wife, Marlin the clown fish is left to bring up his only son Nemo on his own. Disaster strikes again when on Nemo's first day at school he swims off alone to investigate a boat. Marlin looks on helplessly as his son is scooped up by a diver and taken away. In need of help, Marlin teams up with the friendly (but forgetful) Dory to embark on a daring mission to find his lost son. One of the high points of this animated movie is Ellen DeGeneres hysterical performance as the voice of Dory.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Johnny Depp stars as Captain Jack Sparrow in this pirate adventure set in the 17th Century. Jack strikes up an unlikely alliance with Will Turner after Jack's ship, The Black Pearl, is stolen by Captain Barbossa. Will Turner's motivation comes in the form of Elizabeth Swann, a childhood friend, who has been kidnapped by Barbossa. What Will doesn't know is that Captain Barbossa and his crew are cursed to live as the undead unless once-plundered treasure is returned to its "rightful" owner.

3. Toy Story

Woody (a pull string talking cowboy) is Andy's favorite toy and spends a lot of his time reassuring the other toys that they won't be replaced. Woody's position as top toy is put in jeopardy with the arrival of space action figure Buzz Lightyear. Woody hatches a plan to get rid of Buzz, but it backfires and they both find themselves lost in the outside world with only each other for company. Their only chance of getting home is to join forces; this eventually leads to genuine friendship.

2. Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

I've lost count of the times I watched this film growing up – it's an unbeatable classic. The story revolves around Charlie Bucket whose impoverished family barely makes ends meet. Charlie lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents and has heard many stories about the reclusive candy maker Willy Wonka. The eccentric Wonka holds a contest in which five Golden Tickets are hidden under the wrappers of his chocolate bars. The prize is a day-long tour of the Chocolate Factory.

The 2005 remake of this movie was quite weak, even the acting skills and charisma of Johnny Depp and modern special effects could not compete with the genius of Gene Wilder and the totally over-the-top production of the original.

1. The Wizard of Oz

This is the story of Dorothy Gale, a young farm girl from Kansas and her dog Toto who are thrust into the eye of a tornado and transported to the Land of Oz (complete with house). On arrival Dorothy lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East. Pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West (her sister) Dorothy travels to the Emerald City in the hope that the Wizard can help her return home. On the way she makes friends with a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion who all have an important journey of discovery to make.

Article Source: http://www.topicinfo.com

Noel Byrne is a web developer and article author. If you are looking for a great DVD for kids visit www.pennydvds.com/uk-childrens-dvds.php

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