Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

“The greatest film ever made.” Says Tom Hanks of “Jason and the Argonauts.” Damn it, he might not be right, but he’s not far off. How can you argue? This is absolute movie magic beauty: Giddy childish wonder watching wide-eyed as a group of men take on the gods and battle skeletal beings risen from the ground, all for honor. The director is Don Chaffey, but this is Ray Harryhausen’s gem: The special effects guru dreamed up those skeletons and the myriad giants and monsters and living ships that make up this classic. Screw CGI, this is the stuff of a boy (and girl’s) deepest imagination. The plot veers way off the Greek religious record as Jason (Todd Armstrong), lost son of a dead king, captures the Golden Fleece to –- unknown to him -– reclaim his rightful throne in an adventure that should spawn 100 sequels. Along the way, Jason finds a ship, Argo, brave warriors, and adventure and love, and monsters, and I will stop. Ditch Jason. The hero is Harryhausen. Dig those skeletons battling men to the death. This is what it meant to be young in 1963! A

The Muppet Movie (1979)

“The Muppet Movie” is perfection. This is one of the first movies I saw in a theater. The very Jim Henson fourth-wall tweaking story has Kermit the Frog making his way from his tiny swamp to Hollywood, meeting his felt gang (Fozzie, Piggy, Scooter, Gonzo, and even Big Bird) along the way, and outsmarting Charles Durning as a seller of fried frog legs. Yikes! The kick, so to speak, other than seeing the Muppets move freely, ride bikes, and drive cars: Henson’s unparalleled love of entertaining children with no pandering still warms my soul. He celebrates each child in the audience, upholding above all the joyous wonder, curiosity, imagination, and intelligence of the very young. No studio does that now. Not one. “Rainbow Connection” truly is one of the greatest film songs, that final verse saying you -– the children -- make all this possible. For the adults, the humor – loner Rowlf takes himself for a walk -- and guest stars –- Richard Pryor! -– never tip toward concession or ridicule. I can drone on forever of my love for “Muppet Movie.” I love it now as I did at age 5. A+

Hugo (2011)

Leave it to Martin Scorsese to not just set a new high bar for children’s films, but all 3D movies. “Hugo” is a – superlative! -- masterpiece, a tale of an orphan boy (Asa Butterfield) in love with machines, cinema and stories, living in a Parisian train station as a clock master. Thid 3D gem glows with a boundless joy of movies and books beloved by Scorsese, making his best film in years, and his brightest, most wide-eyed adventure in ... forever. Hugo – this will upset Fox viewers – is poor, and steals food and drink to survive. (Call Newt!) That thievery puts him at odds with a short-fused toy shop owner named Georges Melies, who you well know if you know cinema. The plot kicks into glorious gear when Georges (Ben Kingsley) confiscates a notepad from Hugo, not knowing it once belonged to the boy’s dead father (Jude Law). I will say nothing more of the plot, watch and enjoy. Everything in “Hugo” – from the scenery and special effects to the actors and words -- is for proudly childish dreamers of all ages, all the ones who ever held a film camera or took pen to paper and thought, “What world can I create today?” Amazing from start to finish. A