We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993)
Animation/Talking Dinosaurs
Juvenile animated film from Amblin Entertainment concerning dinosaurs whose intelligence is raised to human level and they are let loose in the present-day
Family Entertainment
When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001)
Children's Halloween Film
Halloween film for children from the pen of horror author R.L. Stine of Goosebumps fame. The children’s horror story (and tv movie) is filled with many insipid and formulaic entries but this is a decent one that is not unafraid to scare people
The Wild (2006)
Animation/Talking Zoo Animals
Likeable animated film about a group of zoo animals making an escape that ended up being overshadowed by the similar, more high-profile Madagascar
The Wild Robot (2024)
Animation/Robot’s Adventure
A winning animated film about a robot trying to find its way among the animals on an island. Tender and heart-warming, the sort of film that Pixar used to do so well
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Disney Animation/Talking Animals
On the slight side as a Disney theatrical film, nevertheless this keeps to the essence of the original tales and comes with some appealingly playful fourth-wall breaking visuals
The Witches (1990)
Evil Witches/Roald Dahl Adaptation
Nicolas Roeg and Jim Henson collaborate on an adaptation of a Roald Dahl book. Roeg leaves the grotesquerie and gleeful malice intact making this one of the best Dahl adaptations
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Adventures in a Magical Land
An indisputable classic fantasy … a gorgeous sparkling fantasy that made full use of Technicolor in an era dominated by black-and-white and is told in such bold and earnestly heartfelt tones that it becomes the nearest we have to a piece of genuine American mythology
World of Cars: Planes (2013)
Disney Animation/Talking Aircraft
A spinoff from Pixar’s Cars series (although is not in itself a Pixar film but comes from Disney) that sets out to do the same with anthropomorphic planes. Amiable, even likeable but more a wannabe that seems like it is trying to be than actually hits the cleverness and creative heights of Pixar
The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)
Disney Comedy/Jungle Boy Super-Athlete
A Disney live-action comedy that puts a Tarzan character on the athletics field for some inspired nonsense
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
Teenage Sherlock Holmes/Adventure Film
Steven Spielberg produced film about an adolescent Sherlock Holmes often feels like it is Holmes being pitched as an Indiana Jones adventure but comes with some beautifully made touches
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Space Opera Boardgame
Enjoyable sequel to Jumanji and actually a much superior film in the hands of Jon Favreau. This expands the idea of the Jumanji boardgame that brings things from a jungle to life to a space theme
Zoom: Academy for Superheroes (2006)
School for Superheroes
Family-friendly superhero film that places more focus on slapstick than superheroics and contains an embarrassing return to the screen for Chevy Chase
Zootopia (2016)
Disney Animation/World of Talking Animals
A really good Disney animated film set in a world that imagines what might happen if animals lived in cities, this is an ingenious reworking of the talking animals premise that overflows with visual ingenuity and warm humour
Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney Animation/World of Talking Animals
Zootopia was one of Disney’s freshest animated works in a decade largely marked only by mediocrity. This is a sequel where the fantastically original world of the first film slips into being just another Disney IP