What Movie Is On Top Of The New York Times Children's Movie List?

I was doing some research and found the Top 100 movie recommendations for children from the New York Times.(2004) As I opened the link, much to my surprise, Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein topped their list.

The New York Times rated this movie higher than all of the Disney and Pixar movies along with classics such as the Wizard Of Oz. And I think they were right.

Unfortunately, kids today have never heard of the movie. The only children exposed to Abbott and Costello most likely come from families in which their mothers or most likely fathers grew up on their comedy movies. The movie is black and white, and some children strongly dislike black and white film. Tragically, we are losing a treasure.

Luckily, I live in Rome New York. Home of the Capital Theater. The Capital serves up classic 35mm films throughout the year. My children love this movie. They show it every year and we never tire of seeing it on the big screen.

Historically, the movie was a huge box office hit. The idea of bringing all the Universal Monsters together was part of the reason. A formula the big studios would use time and time again. The idea of crossovers was new to the big screen. Contracts were strict, and the use of crossovers was restricted by binding agreements. Yet Abbott and Costello paved the way.

The movie is intense at times for younger children. However for the most part, it is a great story surrounded by great characters. Children young and old love this movie.