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It's one of the most clichéd things you can read or hear from the blurb machines who promote movies: "This movie is fun for the whole family!" There's, of course, nothing wrong with a movie being entertaining for kids from age 1 to 92, but it's often very rare that movies live up to the discerning standards that everyone in your extended family may hold. Is it possible for a movie like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen be entertaining for everyone in the whole family? How about a movie like Night at the Museum 2: Battle at the Smithsonian" Certainly the latter movie is more family-friendly, but will we be talking about it in 20 or 30 years as a family classic? I doubt it. However, with the latest installment in the Harry Potter series upon us, we may have found a new family-friendly movie for the ages.

But what makes a movie sufficiently entertaining for adults and children alike? More often than not, such a film will be predominantly for kids. It's rare that movies rated PG-13 or higher can be successful for the youngest kids in your brood. On the other hand, some G-rated fare may be so determined to talk down to little kids that the adults being dragged to the theater will get no satisfaction from the movie. What you'll find from the following list is how many adventure or action movies are here. One of them, certainly, has the possibility to give kids nightmares, but some of the best movies for kids are the ones that scare the living daylights out of them. As much as you may cry about Bambi's mom getting shot, is it a movie you hate?

As time goes by, fewer movies are made for the entire family to enjoy. Even a great movie like this May's Up, which is a lot of fun for kids and something a little deeper for adults, isn't really perfect for the whole family. In some ways, the kids in the audience may not get much out of the movie's first 15 minutes, if only because...well, if you haven't seen it yet, just take heart that before balloons start lifting the main character's house up, the story's a bit darker than other Pixar movies. Either way, Up may not be remembered as a great family film, even if it is a great film. The movies on this list are great films and great for families; most stand the test of time despite many competitors. So, let's get to this week's A-List.

The Wizard of Oz

If you need any solid proof that great family films are still able to scare kids, look at the 1939 classic adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It's the story of Dorothy Gale, a farm girl who gets magically transported to a colorful land called Oz when a hurricane lifts her house up into the air. With only her cheerful dog, Toto, and a powerful pair of ruby slippers swiped off the unfortunate victim of her house landing into Oz, Dorothy goes on a journey to meet the title character, who may have the power to send the innocent child back home. There's songs, there's action, drama, comedy, and memorable characters. Not only that, but Judy Garland, one of the biggest stars Hollywood ever produced, got a huge break from being the lead of The Wizard of Oz.

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