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Considering Hollywood's dismal track record of adapting classic kids lit -- How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the Cat in the Hat should have filled moviegoers with joy, not left them with scars -- it's easy to forget that sometimes filmmakers actually get it right. As was the case with these five:
The Princess Bride (1987):
Rob Reiner's adaptation of William Goldman's fairy tale is the gentlest of send-ups: succeeding as both self-effacing comedy and forthright adventure. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright Penn are ideally cast as the prince and princess, while Mandy Patinkin's soulful swashbuckler steals the show.
Coraline (2009):
Henry Selick's brilliant stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman's story is both dazzling and dire -- a children's fantasy that will give you the creeps, and happily so.
The Outsiders (1983):
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There are no ghouls or princesses here, but the book -- penned by S.E. Hinton when she was still a teenager -- is keenly attuned to the yearnings of adolescents. So naturally Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation about greasers in Tulsa, Okla., is earnest hokum, propelled by the charisma of a young cast that included Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane.
Babe (1995):
You'll never look at sausage the same way again. This simple wry charmer, adapted from the book The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith, concerns a piglet who grows up to be a sheep herder. A sequel followed that was just as inventive but needlessly criticized for being too "dark" for tykes.
The Wizard of Oz (1939):
Fairly faithful to the source material -- despite the fact it's a musical starring Judy Garland -- this legendary film is a veritable collection of iconic moments, characters and dialogue. Is there anyone who doesn't know the ruby slippers, the Tin Man/Scarecrow/Lion triumvirate or lines like "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto"? Still, more than merely an archaic piece of cinema history, it's a movie that deserves to be cherished by new generations as well.