Family Fantasy Collection: 4 Movies

The Neverending Story III: Escape From Fantasia (1994)

Spectacular special effects and a true sense of wonder highlight the third installment in the popular fantasy series. In it, the young hero and his new step-sister find themselves facing danger and adventures in the magical land of Fantasia. Jason James Richter of "Free Willy" fame stars. 95 min. C/Rtg: G

Pinocchio (2002)

"Life Is Beautiful" creator Roberto Benigni’s masterful take on the beloved classic features the comic in a tour-de-force performance as the wooden puppet who yearns to be flesh and blood. Despite love and encouragement from his "father" Geppetto and the beautiful Blue Fairy, Pinocchio embarks on a wild and wondrous quest to become real. With Nicoletta Braschi, Carlo Giuffrè; featuring the English-language voices of Glenn Close, Queen Latifah, James Belushi, Regis Philbin, and more. 111 min. Dubbed in English. C/Rtg: G

A Wrinkle In Time (2003)

Based on Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved children’s book, this majestic miniseries follows young siblings Meg and Charles as they embark on a perilous journey to find their missing physicist father. With the help of their neighbor Calvin and the mysterious guides Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, the kids travel to strange and wonderful worlds with hopes of reuniting their family. Gregory Smith, Alfre Woodard, Katie Stuart star. 128 min. C/Rtg: PG

Neverwas (2005)

Abandoning a prestigious career at Cornell for a job at the foreboding Millwood Clinic, psychiatrist Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) begins his difficult work with a clandestine agenda: to discover why his father (Nick Nolte), a former patient and children’s book author, committed suicide after receiving inadequate care. What Riley finds out from a deranged patient (Ian McKellen) shakes him to the core. William Hurt, Jessica Lange also star. 102 min. C/Rtg: PG-13