these movies made the 1980s a great time
to be a kid welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 movies that are iconic to
80’s kids before we begin we publish new
videos every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
films that came out between 1980 and
1989 that helps define the childhoods of
the children born during that same
period nice that’s a high number 10 The
Breakfast Club and we’re all pretty
bizarre someone less you’re just better
hiding it that’s all teenagers or kids
too and John Hughes was the king of teen
movies in the 80s the writer/director
had plenty of films that just clearly
missed the cut for this list like
pretty-in-pink but The Breakfast Club
stands out thanks to its excellent mix
of comedy and drama 8 my short the 5
teens in detention play off each other
in ways that are both funny and very
real despite being archetypal characters
each of them is given depth rarely seen
in contemporary films and their
struggles to meet their parents
expectations are highly relatable for
young audiences all in all it’s a movie
80s kids won’t forget about anytime soon
[Music]
number nine The Princess Bride
Philby supporter
please as you wish
given that the majority of its plot is a
fairy tale read to a sick young boy is
it any wonder that this is so many 80s
kids comfort movies the story of Wesley
and Buttercup is one that can be enjoyed
in sickness and in health though my name
is Inigo Montoya you killed my father
prepare to die chock full of harrowing
action romance and oh so many quotable
hilarious and legendary lines The
Princess Bride has a little something
for everyone and it knows it too thanks
Shane fighting torture revenge Giants
monsters chases escapes true love
miracle if you don’t love this movie you
may want to check your pulp because
you’re probably at least mostly dead
it’s a big difference between mostly bed
and all of it number 8 the Karate Kid
wax on wax off all things Asian began to
gain huge traction in the West during
the 80s and karate was no exception
while martial arts act as a nice
backdrop and means for the plot to
advance it’s the young protagonist
Daniel and his story that really drew in
kids of the time remember pilots may
cook like Daniels experience with
bullying is something many young people
experienced and his journey of
self-improvement ultimately allows him
to stand up for himself this spoke a lot
to a tease kids much in the same way
rocky spoke to adults in the 70s right
down to the cheesy montage music which
is fitting since both films had the same
director
[Applause]
number seven Raiders of the Lost Ark few
things were more synonymous with
adventure in the 80s than Indiana Jones
older viewers loved the movies for their
celebration of Pulp adventure serials
but for kids they were often their first
introduction to the genre our pick had
to go to Raiders of the Lost Ark since
it began the series so well oh my go the
film is an iconic piece of work all
around with director Steven Spielberg
packing nearly every scene full of charm
humor and action
tying it together with one of cinema’s
greatest heroes and soundtracks for that
matter
[Music]
number six Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Bueller Bueller Bueller well The
Breakfast Club maybe John Hughes most
mature work Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is
pure adolescent fantasy many kids dream
of skipping school for the perfect day
out in the real world and Ferris Bueller
has the wit and guile to realize their
desires on screen in this impeccable
high school paper where Cameron goes
berserk
when you’re young it can feel like your
sibling or your teachers are out to get
you so even the antagonists feel like
they’re lifted straight out of a kid’s
mind with its relatability hilarious
humor and unforgettable music Ferris
Bueller’s Day Off is a movie 80s kids
love to revisit whatever miles we put on
will take off Wow drive home backwards
number 5 The Goonies continuing the
theme of portraying kids fantasies this
film sees a group of misfits on a quest
to save their neighborhood by finding a
pirate’s treasure while the Goonies
adventure which sees them facing
mobsters in a race to acquire the
legendary gold may be fantastic but the
kids themselves are firmly rooted in
reality and they all feel identifiable
come on guys long time because they seem
like real kids this made the young
audiences of the time engage all the
more in The Goonies local treasure hunt
and probably inspired them to have
adventures in their own backyard
don’t say I never say that Tony never
say die number 4
ghostbusters the city is headed for a
disaster of biblical proportion what do
you mean Biblical Ghostbusters was a
smash hit especially with children while
most of the film’s dry and witty humor
went right over their heads there was
still plenty of Brod humor entertaining
action and creepy cool effects but still
hold up by the way all of which kept
them enthralled and singing right along
with that catchy theme song strange
you going to call perhaps the biggest
impact of it though was the way it fired
their imagination his love pretending to
be ghostbusters
it’s like being a fireman but instead of
putting out fires you’re capturing goats
with stream number three Star Wars
Episode five The Empire Strikes Back
bleep fish why you fan it was only a
matter of time before we got to Star
Wars of the two movies in the original
trilogy to come out during the 80s we
have to give the edge to Empire the film
has a darker atmosphere and higher
stakes than Return of the Jedi and for a
lot of kids who grew up during the
decade it was their initial exposure to
more serious storytelling not to mention
their first plot twist I saw the Star
Wars movies are pretty iconic in general
so the only reason this isn’t higher on
our list is that we feel the following
entries managed to capture 80s childhood
a little better the possibility of
successfully navigating an asteroid
field is approximately 3,720 to 1 ever
tell me VR number 2 ET the
extra-terrestrial
[Music]
if a plot about a young boy discovering
an alien taking care of it and helping
it return home sounds familiar that’s
because et influenced a lot of movies
and other media that followed it
however this Steven Spielberg film had a
certain magic and charm that profoundly
impacted 80’s kids the recurring
eighties movie motif of children
understanding things in ways adults
can’t and having adventures of their own
may have gotten its start here young
Elliot makes for a fantastic and
empathetic child protagonist and his
friendship with ET tugs at your
heartstrings no matter what age you are
[Music]
before we get to our top pick here are
some honorable mentions that it’s really
neat my where’s your butt so on
everybody’s weird number one back to the
future wow this is heavy the logic of
time travel can give some people
headaches but this film is far from
heavy it may seem strange that a movie
set mostly in 1955 is topping our list
of films iconic to 80 kids but rest
assured that Back to the Future had a
tremendous influence on that generation
and many others you tell me you go to
Time Machine sort of a DeLorean the
story of Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s
quest to get Marty’s parents together
and return him to with proper time made
time-travel accessible to and beloved by
everyone see if you bastards can do 90
with its likable hero’s quality
storytelling hysterical comedy and
infectiously grandiose music back to the
future is simply a timeless movie
experience do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
watch mojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
[Music]
to be a kid welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 movies that are iconic to
80’s kids before we begin we publish new
videos every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
films that came out between 1980 and
1989 that helps define the childhoods of
the children born during that same
period nice that’s a high number 10 The
Breakfast Club and we’re all pretty
bizarre someone less you’re just better
hiding it that’s all teenagers or kids
too and John Hughes was the king of teen
movies in the 80s the writer/director
had plenty of films that just clearly
missed the cut for this list like
pretty-in-pink but The Breakfast Club
stands out thanks to its excellent mix
of comedy and drama 8 my short the 5
teens in detention play off each other
in ways that are both funny and very
real despite being archetypal characters
each of them is given depth rarely seen
in contemporary films and their
struggles to meet their parents
expectations are highly relatable for
young audiences all in all it’s a movie
80s kids won’t forget about anytime soon
[Music]
number nine The Princess Bride
Philby supporter
please as you wish
given that the majority of its plot is a
fairy tale read to a sick young boy is
it any wonder that this is so many 80s
kids comfort movies the story of Wesley
and Buttercup is one that can be enjoyed
in sickness and in health though my name
is Inigo Montoya you killed my father
prepare to die chock full of harrowing
action romance and oh so many quotable
hilarious and legendary lines The
Princess Bride has a little something
for everyone and it knows it too thanks
Shane fighting torture revenge Giants
monsters chases escapes true love
miracle if you don’t love this movie you
may want to check your pulp because
you’re probably at least mostly dead
it’s a big difference between mostly bed
and all of it number 8 the Karate Kid
wax on wax off all things Asian began to
gain huge traction in the West during
the 80s and karate was no exception
while martial arts act as a nice
backdrop and means for the plot to
advance it’s the young protagonist
Daniel and his story that really drew in
kids of the time remember pilots may
cook like Daniels experience with
bullying is something many young people
experienced and his journey of
self-improvement ultimately allows him
to stand up for himself this spoke a lot
to a tease kids much in the same way
rocky spoke to adults in the 70s right
down to the cheesy montage music which
is fitting since both films had the same
director
[Applause]
number seven Raiders of the Lost Ark few
things were more synonymous with
adventure in the 80s than Indiana Jones
older viewers loved the movies for their
celebration of Pulp adventure serials
but for kids they were often their first
introduction to the genre our pick had
to go to Raiders of the Lost Ark since
it began the series so well oh my go the
film is an iconic piece of work all
around with director Steven Spielberg
packing nearly every scene full of charm
humor and action
tying it together with one of cinema’s
greatest heroes and soundtracks for that
matter
[Music]
number six Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Bueller Bueller Bueller well The
Breakfast Club maybe John Hughes most
mature work Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is
pure adolescent fantasy many kids dream
of skipping school for the perfect day
out in the real world and Ferris Bueller
has the wit and guile to realize their
desires on screen in this impeccable
high school paper where Cameron goes
berserk
when you’re young it can feel like your
sibling or your teachers are out to get
you so even the antagonists feel like
they’re lifted straight out of a kid’s
mind with its relatability hilarious
humor and unforgettable music Ferris
Bueller’s Day Off is a movie 80s kids
love to revisit whatever miles we put on
will take off Wow drive home backwards
number 5 The Goonies continuing the
theme of portraying kids fantasies this
film sees a group of misfits on a quest
to save their neighborhood by finding a
pirate’s treasure while the Goonies
adventure which sees them facing
mobsters in a race to acquire the
legendary gold may be fantastic but the
kids themselves are firmly rooted in
reality and they all feel identifiable
come on guys long time because they seem
like real kids this made the young
audiences of the time engage all the
more in The Goonies local treasure hunt
and probably inspired them to have
adventures in their own backyard
don’t say I never say that Tony never
say die number 4
ghostbusters the city is headed for a
disaster of biblical proportion what do
you mean Biblical Ghostbusters was a
smash hit especially with children while
most of the film’s dry and witty humor
went right over their heads there was
still plenty of Brod humor entertaining
action and creepy cool effects but still
hold up by the way all of which kept
them enthralled and singing right along
with that catchy theme song strange
you going to call perhaps the biggest
impact of it though was the way it fired
their imagination his love pretending to
be ghostbusters
it’s like being a fireman but instead of
putting out fires you’re capturing goats
with stream number three Star Wars
Episode five The Empire Strikes Back
bleep fish why you fan it was only a
matter of time before we got to Star
Wars of the two movies in the original
trilogy to come out during the 80s we
have to give the edge to Empire the film
has a darker atmosphere and higher
stakes than Return of the Jedi and for a
lot of kids who grew up during the
decade it was their initial exposure to
more serious storytelling not to mention
their first plot twist I saw the Star
Wars movies are pretty iconic in general
so the only reason this isn’t higher on
our list is that we feel the following
entries managed to capture 80s childhood
a little better the possibility of
successfully navigating an asteroid
field is approximately 3,720 to 1 ever
tell me VR number 2 ET the
extra-terrestrial
[Music]
if a plot about a young boy discovering
an alien taking care of it and helping
it return home sounds familiar that’s
because et influenced a lot of movies
and other media that followed it
however this Steven Spielberg film had a
certain magic and charm that profoundly
impacted 80’s kids the recurring
eighties movie motif of children
understanding things in ways adults
can’t and having adventures of their own
may have gotten its start here young
Elliot makes for a fantastic and
empathetic child protagonist and his
friendship with ET tugs at your
heartstrings no matter what age you are
[Music]
before we get to our top pick here are
some honorable mentions that it’s really
neat my where’s your butt so on
everybody’s weird number one back to the
future wow this is heavy the logic of
time travel can give some people
headaches but this film is far from
heavy it may seem strange that a movie
set mostly in 1955 is topping our list
of films iconic to 80 kids but rest
assured that Back to the Future had a
tremendous influence on that generation
and many others you tell me you go to
Time Machine sort of a DeLorean the
story of Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s
quest to get Marty’s parents together
and return him to with proper time made
time-travel accessible to and beloved by
everyone see if you bastards can do 90
with its likable hero’s quality
storytelling hysterical comedy and
infectiously grandiose music back to the
future is simply a timeless movie
experience do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
watch mojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
[Music]
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