Scarecrow suggests | Like Harry Potter? Find more family-friendly fantasy films on DVD

Years before Alfonso Cuarón directed "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," he'd already explored magic and boarding schools in the entertaining take on Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic story "A Little Princess." Of course, the magic is all imagined as an orphan girl helps her classmates to escape their miserable surroundings through tales of adventure and 10-headed dragons. With excellent performances by child actors and gorgeous cinematography, this must be one of the very few timeless G-rated classics made in the '90s.

There are more young witch adventures in 1986's "The Worst Witch," based on the novels by Jill Murphy. Mildred Hubble (Fairuza Balk) is a student at an elite witches' academy run by the kindly Miss Cackle (Charlotte Rae from "The Facts of Life") whose enthusiastic but bumbling performance in class make her an object of ridicule for her classmates and teachers, especially the stern Miss Hardbroom (the always wonderful Diana Rigg). But Mildred sees an opportunity to prove herself when she a catches wind of a devious plot to take over the school by Miss Cackle's twin sister Agatha (Rae in a duel role). The enjoyable story is peppered with musical numbers, including a special song by The Grand Wizard (Tim Curry) about the importance of Halloween. The books also spawned a TV show in the late '90s.

Three teenagers encounter a Welsh legend in the 1969 British miniseries "The Owl Service." Based on the novel by Alan Garner, the series focuses on step-siblings Alison and Roger as they vacation with their newlywed parents at a stately Welsh manner. In the attic, Alison finds a set of plates with a curious floral pattern that can fold itself into paper owls. The discovery sets off a chain reaction of supernatural events that throws Alison, Roger and the housekeeper's son Gwyn into the middle of a mythic murder mystery.

Other recommendations for family fantasy fare include the BBC's miniseries "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Box of Delights"; "The Witches" based on the book by Roald Dahl; Jim Henson's "Labyrinth" starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly; and the '80s kids classic "The Neverending Story."

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