I would like to let you know about some of my favorite family-friendly movies from the 1980s. These movies are not listed or described in any particular order, but just some of the family-friendly movies that I remember from the 1980s. These are movies that are all rated so that the entire family can enjoy and watch and nobody has to worry about any profanity or nudity but just good family fun. Maybe there is even a lesson to be learned along the way, and each movie invites you to immerse yourself in the characters and live the movie with them as it plays out before your senses.
  | The Princess Bride (1987) When a young boy falls ill, his grandfather comes to visit him. To cheer his grandson up, Grandpa has brought a storybook; The Princess Bride, a tale of the love between Buttercup and Westley. Westley goes on his way to find his fortune but is apparently lost at sea, and Buttercup is heartbroken. Buttercup swears never to love again, but she accepts the marriage proposal of Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin; Unknown to Buttercup, Westley is not dead and in a story filled with swordsmen, giants, kidnappers, the love between Westley and Buttercup twists and turns on a path filled with adventure. Will the True Love of Westley and Buttercup win the day? Will Humperdinck's evil plans come to fruition? |
  | E.T. (1982) While visiting the Earth at night, a group of alien botanists is discovered by an approaching human task force. Because of the hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and companion in 10-year-old Elliot. While E.T. gets acquainted with the customs of Earth, members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from outer space. The wish to go home again is strong in E.T., and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others, E.T. starts building a device to send a message home for his people to come and pick him up. But before long, E.T. gets sick. The situation gets critical when the task force finally intervenes. By then, all help may already be too late, and there's no alien spaceship in sight. |
  | The Karate Kid (1984) Daniel and his mother move from New Jersey to California. Daniel quickly discovers that a dark haired Italian boy with a Jersey accent doesn't fit into the blond surfer crowd. Daniel manages to talk his way out of some fights, but he is finally cornered by several who belong to the same karate school. As Daniel is passing out from the beating he sees Miyagi, the elderly gardener leap into the fray and save him, by outfighting half a dozen teenagers. Miyagi and Daniel soon find out that the real motivator behind the boys' violent attitude is their karate teacher. Miyagi promises to teach Daniel karate and arranges a fight at the all-valley tournament some months off. When his training begins, Daniel doesn't understand what he is being shown. Miyagi seems more interested in having Daniel paint fences and wax cars than teaching him Karate. |
  | The Little Mermaid (1989) Young mermaid princess Ariel dreams of nothing more than to walk on the land above her undersea home. The only problem is that her royal father King Triton has forbidden her to go on land. But when Ariel rescues the handsome Prince Eric, she immediately falls head over heels in love for him. So what does she do? Ariel strikes a bargain with the evil sea witch Ursula to trade her fins for human legs. However, Ursula has her own plans on Ariel in order to get her own revenge on Ariel’s father. |
  | The NeverEnding Story (1984) Pursued by bullies, Bastian flees into a used book store where a strange leather-bound volume attracts him. The owner of the book store warns Bastian away from the book, explaining that it is dangerous: once entering its world, the reader cannot escape. Bastian borrows the now irresistible book and hides in the school attic. He reads of a beautiful, doomed land named Fantasia, and a brave boy desperately chosen by the princess to stop its mysterious ongoing destruction. Drawn into young Atreyu's quest as with no other book, Bastian discovers that the Fantasians hear Bastian scream and see Bastian in mirrors. Where is Fantasia, and where is he? Can Atreyu save Fantasia, or is the princess really summoning Bastian himself? |
  | Flight of the Navigator (1986) A 12-year-old boy, David Freeman goes missing in 1978, only to reappear once more in 1986. In the eight years that have passed, he hasn't aged. It is no coincidence that at the time he "comes back", a fantastic flying machine is found, entangled in power lines. David Freeman has returned to Earth possessing vast knowledge about the farthest reaches of the universe. With David’s sudden navigational powers, he is able to take the fantastic flying machine anywhere he desires. |
  | The Secret of Nimh (1982) A field mouse named Mrs. Brisby must move her family to a safe location before the farmer plows the field where they live, but her invalid son Timmy cannot go outside due to his pneumonia. She enlists the aid of some highly intelligent, escaped lab rats that have built a subterranean society inside a rose bush near the farmer's garden. The rats, led by the wise Nicodemus, decide to help her physically move her house to repay a debt of gratitude to her late husband, who made possible the rats' escape from the laboratory. But things become complicated when some of the rats decide to use the situation to kill Nicodemus and make it appear to be accidental. |
  | Ghostbusters(1984) After being kicked out of their university, parapsychology professors Spengler, Stantz and Venkman decide to go into business for themselves by trapping and removing ghosts from haunted houses. After some initial skepticism, business is soon booming as The Ghost Busters rid New York of its undead. When a downtown skyscraper becomes the focal point of spirit activity linked to the ancient god Gozer, however, the problem may be more than the team can handle. |
