The film that saved Disney Studios from financial ruin is a magical family fantasy from beginning to end. A banker's children get the nanny they want (Julie Andrews) and she goes about using magic to help them explore their world. The increasingly disapproving father has to come to grips with his own distance from his family.
Bedknobs & Broomsticks D: Robert Stevenson (1971) 117m
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In WWII England three kids are placed in the care of a woman learning witchcraft from a dodgy correspondence school. She places the famous magic travelling spell on a bedknob leading to a host of magical adventures. From the director who made Marry Poppins, this is another tale in a similar vein. Partially animated.
Return To Oz D: Walter Murch (1985) 113m
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Dorothy is in shock therapy, the yellow brick road is a crumbling mess, Oz is in ruins and the Tin Man is a bit stony faced. If this doesn't sound like the Oz you know, it is exactly what creator L Frank Baum wrote in his original novels. It falls to Dorothy and her new friends to defeat Nome King and restore the throne. An interesting approach to a timeless favourite.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? D: Robert Zemeckis (1988) 104m
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In a world where cartoon characters coexist with humans, a studio hires a Toon-hating detective (Bob Hoskins) to snoop on star Roger Rabbit's wife. We see the seedy side of Toontown, with all the plots and bizarre intrigue one would expect of a story with cameos by Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker and others!
Toy Story D: John Lasseter (1995) 81m
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The first feature-length computer animated film of note - Disney's Toy Story is simply irresistible. It also provides the first plausible explanation of what really happens to toys that go missing. Cowboy Woody has always been Andy's favourite toy, but it's Christmas and Buzz Lightyear arrives on the scene. Buzz thinks he's real.
Toy Story 2 D: John Lasseter (1999) 95m
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A sequel that more than does the original justice, Toy Story 2 sees Woody kidnapped by a toy collector. Andy's other toys, of course, come to the rescue. A Disney film with special effects courtesy of Pixar, this is truly a film that will delight and educate. The message here is all about the importance of living a good life.
Monsters, Inc. D: Peter Docter (2001) 93m
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Another Pixar/Disney collaboration, with the new studio on the block again firing on all cylinders. The tables are turned when a little girl is accidentally admitted to the monster world, because as everyone knows - monsters are terrified of children. A fascinating exercise in confronting one's fears and an instant classic.
Pirates Of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl D: Gore Verbinski (2003) 143m
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Johnny Depp steals the show as the drunken rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. With some help from an expert swordsman and the governor's beautiful daughter, he's out to recapture the notorious 'Black Pearl' - a ghost ship now under the command of his arch-enemy Captain Barbossa. This one simply has it all.
