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There's really only one line that will go over their heads if they haven't seen the first two ("Ark of the Covenant." "You sure" "...Pretty sure."). The rest is filled with Harrison Ford at his charming best, Steven Spielberg's well-choreographed action scenes, and a delightful Sean Connery as Indy's rascally father. No, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is not as monumentally awesome as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it is easily the second best film of the series, and is wildly enjoyable for everyone in your clan.

Mary Poppins

Now, I realize that some of the adults here will wither and moan at the mention of this movie, which may bring pain-filled remembrances of dancing chimneysweeps, a spoonful of sugar, a lengthy nonsense word, goofy penguins and, worst of all, Dick Van Dyke's awful attempt at an English accent. That last part aside (I'm not about to defend that voice), the 1964 Disney movie that made Julie Andrews a household name and Academy Award winner is the ultimate in family entertainment. This fantasy is about the Banks family: the father is a work-obsessed banker, the mother is a flighty socialite, and the children are lonely for well-deserved attention. When a magical nanny with some tricks up her sleeves becomes their new governess, adventure ensues.

Like it or not, the movie has some of the most memorable songs ever put to film, dazzling animation effects (at least, dazzling for the time in which it was released), and two very good performances: Andrews, of course, is a delight as the titular character, but David Tomlinson, as the Banks patriarch, is the only other actor in the movie who doesn't play things wildly over-the-top. He grounds his character in a little bit of reality, even if his daily commute involves saying hello to a military man who shoots cannons off his roof. The kids will love the animation and high-flying excitement; you might even end up humming along to a song like "Chim Chim Cheree," even if you try to hide it.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Even though I'm a big fan of the 2005 remake from director Tim Burton, it's not hard for me to recommend the 1971 children's movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, about a poor boy who ends up being one of five lucky kids who gets to visit a chocolate factory run by a reclusive oddball. It's what would happen if Walt Disney made chocolate and didn't like people...kind of. Though the child actors, all playing gross caricatures of the worst traits kids can have (and the best, as well), are fine, it's Gene Wilder as the title character who delivers an iconic performance. From his memorable entrance to the chilling final scene, which begins with him excoriating our hero for being, if only temporarily, exactly like all the other children, Wilder is breathtaking to watch.

Wilder's quirks are a bit more natural than those of Johnny Depp, who took on the role a few years back. This movie is not nearly as technically proficient as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not just because the movies were separated by over three decades; who cares, though, if the chocolate factory is a bit too plastic? If anything, it feels more realistic than the stylized version we saw in Burton's vision. If you've got to choose between one Willy Wonka or the other, stick with the poetry-spewing Wilder.

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