Best movies with child leads.

[tigermoth]

I overhead two guys while at the cinemas early today having a conversation about something when I overheard one of them say "kids can't carry a movie, never happened and never will" Ummm yeah. Got me thinking that there have been a lot of child led movies that are great. The best reviewed movie of last decade was a child led movie in Pan's Labyrinth. What are some of the best child led movies to you?

Pan's Labyrinth
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Whale Rider
Stand by Me
Harry Potter
Home Alone
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Annie
My Girl

I'm just talking about movies where a kid is the central main character, the kid is carrying the film.

[Tony208]

Would you watch any of these movies specifically for the kids performance?

[Visco.]

Hugo
Half Nelson
The Tree of Life

[nolfoc]

Ill add Let Me In and The Sandlot to this list

[remake]

Let Me In
Frankenweenie
Paranorman

[jasonjl]

Let Me In
Empire of the Sun
Orphan

[octagon]

Whale Rider
Let the Right One In
The Innocents

Doh, The Bad New Bears (1976)

[DisneyWorld]

Super 8
Free Willy
E.T.

[Galactus]

Radio Flyer says that guy is wrong.

[Shanester]

Going back to the 70's young Jodie Foster was so good in "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane"

She was such a badass even at 13 years old

[Al_The_Strange]

First things that come to mind are:

Adventures in Babysitting
Beasts of the Southern Wilds
ET
The Goonies
Home Alone 1 and 2
Kick-Ass (for Chloe Grace Moretz specifically)
Super 8
Uncle Buck
Anything with Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, AI, Pay It Forward, etc)

Probably more out there. Kids can be amazing actors.

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

First things that come to mind are:

Adventures in Babysitting
Beasts of the Southern Wilds
ET
The Goonies
Home Alone 1 and 2
Kick-Ass (for Chloe Grace Moretz specifically)
Super 8
Uncle Buck
Anything with Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, AI, Pay It Forward, etc)

Probably more out there. Kids can be amazing actors.

She isn't the lead though

[Fist of Doom]

I'll add:

A Christmas Story
Paper Moon
The NeverEnding Story

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

She isn't the lead though

Still quite a major character...dammit.

[jasonjl]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Still quite a major character...dammit.

yeah, she stole the show

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Still quite a major character...dammit.

Since I am feeling nice today I will let you have it


My List:

Goonies
Flight of the Navigator
Super 8


There aren't really that many great movies where Kids are the outright lead.

[Shanester]

I also thought young Asa Butterfild was fantastic as the lead in Hugo

[Shanester]

Originally Posted by jasonjl

yeah, she stole the show

I concur with both of you. She was awesome!

[Foggy]

Beasts of the Southern Wild is probably the best one.
Super 8 is great as well.
Let Me In kids are good (although the film simply works better in it's original setting)
E.T is a great example as well, along with The Goonies.

No one has mentioned Son of Rambow yet though, which is a really fantastic film led completely by kids.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Thirteen
Leon: The Professional