The 40 most popular 1970s family movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
1971 · 1h 40m · US
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a winner.


The Aristocats
1970 · 1h 18m · US
When Madame Adelaide Bonfamille leaves her fortune to Duchess and her children—Bonfamille’s beloved family of cats—the butler plots to steal the money and kidnaps the legatees, leaving them out on a country road. All seems lost until the wily Thomas O’Malley Cat and his jazz-playing alley cats come to the aristocats’ rescue.


The Rescuers
1977 · 1h 18m · US
Two agents of the mouse-run International Rescue Aid Society search for a little orphan girl kidnapped by sinister treasure hunters.


Robin Hood
1973 · 1h 23m · US
With King Richard off to the Crusades, Prince John and his slithering minion, Sir Hiss, set about taxing Nottingham's citizens with support from the corrupt sheriff - and staunch opposition by the wily Robin Hood and his band of merry men.


The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
1977 · 1h 14m · US
Whether we’re young or forever young at heart, the Hundred Acre Wood calls to that place in each of us that still believes in magic. Join pals Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger and Christopher Robin as they enjoy their days together and sing their way through adventures.


The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
1976 · 1h 22m · FR
Asterix and Obelix depart on an adventure to complete twelve impossible tasks to prove to Caesar that they are as strong as the Gods. You'll roar with laughter as they outwit, outrun, and generally outrage the very people who are trying to prove them "only human".


Treasure Island
1972 · 1h 34m · UK
Young Jim Hawkins finds himself serving with pirate captain Long John Silver in search of a buccaneer's treasure, in this short adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale.


Pete's Dragon
1977 · 2h 8m · US
Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora, and her father, Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue.


The Muppet Movie
1979 · 1h 37m · UK
The Muppets gather to watch their newly-finished big-budget rich-and-famous feature film: a talent agent persuades Kermit the Frog to leave the swamp to pursue a career in Hollywood. On his way there, he meets a bear, a pig, a whatever (his future muppet crew), and some special celebrity guest stars, while being chased by the desperate owner of a frog-leg restaurant!


Bedknobs and Broomsticks
1971 · 1h 57m · US
Three children evacuated from London during World War II are forced to stay with an eccentric spinster. The children's initial fears disappear when they find out she is in fact a trainee witch.


Herbie Rides Again
1974 · 1h 28m · US
The living Volkswagen Beetle helps an old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer.


Meena
1973 · 3h 3m · IN
Meena feels stifled by her mother who makes all of her choices for her. When she visits her aunt's house in the village, Meena falls in love with Krishna. But Krishna is already engaged and Meena's mother is planning her wedding to Sarathy.


The Goose Girl
1971 · CH
Once upon a time, a young princess set out for a distant kingdom with her maid and her faithful, talking horse, Fallada, to marry the young prince. But along the way, the deceitful maid turns against her mistress, steals her clothes and identity, and takes her place as the princess. Thus, the wicked maid arrives at the royal court as the supposed bride, while the true princess, dressed in a servant’s clothes, is forced to tend the geese. But Kürdchen, the young goose herder, soon notices something very special about his new companion: whenever she makes her hair, the goose girl can command the wind! When the old king learns of this, he sets out to uncover the truth! A short film produced by Ullstein AV for distribution through the Foto-Quelle catalog of the period, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.


Black Mountain
1971 · 1h 23m · SU
The heartrending story of the friendship of a young boy with Black Mountain, an Indian elephant.


Das Pferdemädchen
1979 · 1h 25m
Irka and Raya are best friends, one always knows immediately what the other wants. Irka is young, lively and a girl, Raya is old, blind and a proud mare who had great times as a show horse. The two are inseparable. But when Raya has a foal, Irka turns her attention to the small, helpless and cute animal. Her father had actually promised that she could keep both horses. One day, however, he tells her that she has to part with one of the horses. Irka has to decide for herself: The cute foal or the old mare?


A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
1973 · 25m · US
Turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie... and the Peanuts gang to share them with. This is going to be the greatest Thanksgiving ever! The fun begins when Peppermint Patty invites herself and her pals to Charlie Brown's house for a REALLY big turkey party. Good grief! All our hero can cook is cold cereal and maybe toast. Is Charlie Brown doomed? Not when Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock chip in to save the (Thanksgiving) Day. With such good friends, Charlie Brown - and all of us - have so many reasons to be thankful.


Magic Adventure
1973 · 1h 9m · ES
Children's stories in cartoon, about adventures experienced by two children while looking for their kite.


Stepan's Remembrance
1977 · 1h 25m · SU
The heiress of a gem mage travels to St. Petersburg to fulfill her father's dream and her destiny.


Godspell
1973 · 1h 42m · US
In modern-day New York City, John the Baptist calls out to a group of young men and women to learn from the teachings of Jesus. Through song and dance, they relive Christ's crucifixion.


Escape to Witch Mountain
1975 · 1h 37m · US
Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.


The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
1979 · 1h 38m · US
A collection of Warner Brothers short cartoon features, "starring" the likes of Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Wile E. Coyote. These animations are interspersed by Bugs Bunny reminiscing on past events and providing links between the individual animations which are otherwise unconnected. This 1979 feature-length compilation includes several of his best cartoons. Among the 11 shorts shown in their entirety are the classics "Robin Hood Daffy," "What's Opera, Doc?," "Bully for Bugs," and "Duck Amuck". The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie provides a showcase not only for Jones's razor-sharp timing, but for the work of his exceptional crew, which included designer Maurice Noble, writer Mike Maltese, composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, and voice actor Mel Blanc.


The Wiz
1978 · 2h 14m · US
Dorothy Gale, a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on a quest to return home.


Three Wishes for Cinderella
1973 · 1h 22m
Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.


The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
1973 · 1h 45m · UK
Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile, Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map.


Hej Stine!
1970 · DK
No overview available


Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
1977 · 1h 45m · US
Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, is racing in the Monte Carlo Rally. But thieves have hidden a cache of stolen diamonds in Herbie's gas tank, and are now trying to get them back.


The Birthday Party
1977 · 1h 11m · SU
This lyrical psychological film is about true friendship. The characters in the film are contemporaries in of late 1970s Azerbaijan SSR with differing visions of the world, yet sharing true and lasting friendship.


The Humpbacked Horse
1975 · 1h 7m · SU
Remake of the 1947 Soviet film directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow.


Panda! Go Panda!
1972 · 35m · JP
Cheerful Mimiko’s small family grows when she adopts a talking baby panda and his full-grown papa. Despite Mimiko's best efforts, the appearance of Panny and Papa Bear disrupts the quiet pace of life in town, prompting zookeepers to reclaim the escaped bear pair.


The Black Stallion
1979 · 1h 58m · US
While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.


Mother Hulda
1971 · DE
Once upon a time, a widow had two daughters: the lazy and wicked Blackmarie, her own beloved child, and the hardworking and kind Blondmarie, her despised stepdaughter. One day, Blondmarie—who was made to do all the housework—drops her spindle into the well, which had become stained with blood. When she leaps in after it, she finds herself in Mother Hulda’s otherworldly realm. There, Blondmarie diligently shakes out the old woman’s bedding, making it snow all over the world, and helps her with the housework. As a reward, Mother Hulda showers her with gold. Envious of her stepsister’s newfound wealth, Blackmarie then jumps into the well and enters Mother Hulda’s service. But laziness has its just reward! A short film produced by Ullstein AV for distribution through the Foto-Quelle catalog of the period, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.


Be-Imaan
1972 · 2h 13m · IN
Be-Imaan (Hindi: बेईमान, Urdu: بے ایمان) is a 1972 film directed by Sohanlal Kanwar. The film stars Manoj Kumar, Raakhee, Premnath, Pran, Prem Chopra and Tun Tun. The music is by Shankar Jaikishan.


The Apple Dumpling Gang
1975 · 1h 40m · US
A roving bachelor gets saddled with three children and a wealth of trouble when the youngsters stumble upon a huge gold nugget. They join forces with two bumbling outlaws to fend off the greedy townspeople and soon find themselves facing a surly gang of sharpshooters.


The Hobbit
1977 · 1h 17m · JP
The story follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a diminutive creative who resides in a place called Middle-Earth before he is compelled to go on a quest to find a treasure buried deep in the heart of the Lonely Mountain.


Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
1977 · 1h 53m · UK
Princess Farah refuses to marry Sinbad until Prince Kassim, her brother, is able to give his consent. However, the Prince's wicked stepmother, Queen Zenobia, has changed Kassim into a baboon in order to have her own son crowned as caliph. Sinbad, his crew, the Princess and the transformed Prince travel to a distant land, fighting every obstacle Zenobia places in their path, to seek the advice of a legendary wise man who can possibly tell how to end the spell.


The Star Wars Holiday Special
1978 · 1h 37m · US
Luke Skywalker and Han Solo battle evil Imperial forces to help Chewbacca reach his imperiled family on the Wookiee planet - in time for Life Day, their most important day of the year!


Benji
1974 · 1h 26m · US
Benji is a stray who has nonetheless worked his way into the hearts of a number of the townspeople, who give him food and attention whenever he stops by. His particular favorites are a pair of children who feed and play with him against the wishes of their parents. When the children are kidnapped, however, the parents and the police are at a loss to find them. Only Benji can track them down, but will he be in time? If he can save the day, he may just find the permanent home he's been longing for.


A csillagszemű
1977 · HU
The powerful, all-powerful lord, Bishop Ambrus, keeps the unfortunate serfs of his county kingdom in fear. But one day, a young man - the youngest son of the poorest serf - stands up to him. The people of the area call him Star-Eyed.


Freaky Friday
1976 · 1h 35m · US
School girl Annabel is hassled by her mother, and Mrs. Andrews is annoyed with her daughter, Annabel. They both think that the other has an easy life. On a normal Friday morning, both complain about each other and wish they could have the easy life of their daughter/mother for just one day and their wishes come true as a bit of magic puts Annabel in Mrs. Andrews' body and vice versa. They both have a Freaky Friday.


The Bears and I
1974 · 1h 29m · CA
When a man adopts three black bear cubs, he faces one of the hardest decisions of his life. Set in the wilderness of British Columbia, Canada, Robert Leslie struggles to keep his bears safe and maintain relations with native Americans and park rangers.
The 1970s are widely considered American cinema's strongest decade, when the studio system's collapse handed a generation of young directors unusual freedom. It ended with Jaws and Star Wars inventing the modern blockbuster.
Family films are made to work for two audiences at once, which is a harder brief than it sounds. The enduring ones layer real emotional stakes under the accessibility.