Category:Children--1990s (film subject)

Children--1990s (film subject)

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Home Alone (1990)
Europa Europa (1990)
Lord of the Flies (1990)
Il ladro di bambini (1992)
Flight of the Innocent (1992)
Radio Flyer (1992)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Matinee (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Jona che visse nella balena (1993)
The Man Without a Face (1993)
Jack the Bear (1993)
The Good Son (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
The Boy from Lebanon (1994)
The Client (1994)
Jumanji (1995)
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1995)
Homecoming (1996)
A Call to Remember (1997)
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
The Full Monty (1997)
The Thief (1997)
Goodnight Mister Tom (1998)
Central Station (1998)
Wide Awake (1998)
The Cup (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Tea with Mussolini (1999)

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1990

March 16, 1990 (US Wide Release) -- Lord of the Flies (Hook), film -- Balthazar Getty & Danuel Pipoly -- A raw and tense color adaptation of William Golding’s celebrated allegorical novel. A very young Balthazar Getty as Ralph and Danuel Pipoly as Piggy lead a cast of American military schoolboys who find themselves stranded on a remote desert island in the Pacific. The film depicts with a disturbing, modern realism the rapid disintegration of the boys' democratic rules and values as they split into opposing factions, progressively giving in to tribal savagery and psychological barbarism.

May 6, 1990 (Poland Wide Release) / May 11, 1990 (Cannes Film Festival Screening) -- Korczak (Wajda), film -- Wojciech Klata & Anna Mucha -- A monumental and heartbreaking biographical black-and-white masterpiece directed by Andrzej Wajda and written by Agnieszka Holland. Although the adult protagonist is the famous Jewish pediatrician and educator Janusz Korczak (Wojciech Pszoniak), the dramatic core of the film rests on a large and extraordinary ensemble of child actors, notably young Wojciech Klata (Szloma) and Anna Mucha (Sabinka). The film chronicles the doctor's heroic efforts to protect and maintain the dignity of over 200 orphans confined within the Warsaw Ghetto, leading up to the tragic, historic moment when he chooses to peacefully accompany them onto the train bound for the Treblinka extermination camp.

## May 16, 1990 (Cannes Film Festival Premiere) / September 19, 1990 (France Wide Release) -- The Hairdresser's Husband / Le Mari de la coiffeuse (Leconte), film -- Henry Salomon -- A visually sensual, melancholic, and critically acclaimed French romantic drama. While the majority of the film follows an adult protagonist looking back at his life, the foundational first act relies entirely on the captivating performance of young Henry Salomon as Antoine as a child. Salomon beautifully captures a unique, highly specific childhood obsession and romantic fixation with the local village hairdresser, carrying the complete narrative weight and establishing the indispensable psychological blueprint that dictates the entire film's plot and tragic adult themes.

May 25, 1990 (UK Wide Release) / August 24, 1990 (US Wide Release) -- The Witches (Roeg), film -- Jasen Fisher -- A splendid and grotesque dark fantasy fable adapted from Roald Dahl’s celebrated novel. Young Jasen Fisher delivers an exceptional and highly expressive performance as Luke, a boy who accidentally stumbles upon a secret convention of witches plotting to turn all the children of England into mice. Even after being transformed into a rodent himself, Fisher's physical and vocal performance—brilliantly supported by the revolutionary animatronic effects of Jim Henson's Creature Shop—infuses the adventure with immense courage and energy.

October 17, 1990 (US Wide Release) -- Avalon (Levinson), film -- Elijah Wood -- A deeply moving, semi-autobiographical epic drama that chronicles the multi-generational evolution and slow fragmentation of a Jewish immigrant family in Baltimore. Nine-year-old Elijah Wood delivers a remarkably natural, intuitive, and soulful breakout performance as Michael Kaye. Wood carries the essential narrative perspective of the family's youngest generation, serving as the central moral bridge, keen witness, and indispensable companion to his storytelling grandfather (Armin Mueller-Stahl) as modern post-war consumerism and television begin to erode their tight-knit family culture.

November 10, 1990 (US Sneak Preview) / November 16, 1990 (US Wide Release) -- Home Alone (Columbus), film -- Macaulay Culkin -- An unprecedented global box-office success and an absolute pillar of 1990s pop culture. At ten years old, Macaulay Culkin delivers an iconic performance as Kevin McCallister, a vivacious boy who is accidentally left behind when his family flies away for Christmas vacation. Culkin completely dominates the screen with extraordinary comic timing and a charismatic stage presence, transforming his fierce domestic defense against a pair of bumbling burglars into a universal triumph.

November 14, 1990 (France Wide Release) / June 28, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- Europa Europa (Holland), film -- Marco Hofschneider -- An international historical-dramatic masterpiece directed by Agnieszka Holland and based on the incredible autobiography of Solomon Perel. A very young and masterful Marco Hofschneider portrays Solomon as a teenager, a German-Jewish boy who miraculously manages to survive the Holocaust by concealing his true identity. Hofschneider delivers a performance of incredible intensity and psychological subtlety, capturing the harrowing journey of a youth forced to disguise himself first in a Soviet orphanage and later as an unwitting war hero enrolled in a prestigious Hitler Youth academy.

December 14, 1990 (US Wide Release) -- Mermaids (Benjamin), film -- Winona Ryder & Christina Ricci -- A brilliant, witty, coming-of-age comedy-drama set in 1963. Alongside a superb teenage performance by Winona Ryder, the film is historically memorable for marking the dazzling cinematic debut of a very young Christina Ricci as little Kate Flax. Ricci literally commands the screen with an irresistible spontaneity and a funny obsession with swimming and holding her breath under water, instantly revealing the magnetic talent that would make her one of the most sought-after child stars of the decade.

1991

March 31, 1991 (Disney Channel Premiere) -- Perfect Harmony (Mackenzie), film -- Justin Whalin & Eugene Byrd -- A touching and emotionally resonant historical drama produced by Walt Disney Television. Set in 1959 South Carolina during the Civil Rights Movement, very young Justin Whalin (as Taylor Bradshaw) and Eugene Byrd (as Landy Allen) deliver two extraordinarily mature performances rich with musical sensitivity. The plot follows the birth of their deep and courageous friendship centered on a mutual love for singing and the blues, beautifully rising above the rigid barriers of institutional racism and hostility within a prestigious, all-white private prep academy.

Jul 03, 1991 -- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Cameron), film -- Edward Furlong -- A revolutionary science-fiction action blockbuster celebrated for ushering in modern CGI filmmaking. In his acting debut, 13-year-old Edward Furlong plays the rebellious future leader of humanity, John Connor, who is protected by a reprogrammed cyborg while forming a unique father-figure relationship with the machine.

August 30, 1991 (Deauville Film Festival Premiere) / October 4, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- The Man in the Moon (Mulligan), film -- Reese Witherspoon -- A poetic, poignant, and acclaimed coming-of-age romantic drama set in rural 1950s Louisiana. The film is widely celebrated for marking the absolute big-screen debut of a fourteen-year-old Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon gives a wonderfully nuanced, intense, and natural performance as the young tomboy Dani Trant, capturing with absolute truth the first burning awakenings of adolescence, the joys of first love, and the devastating grief of a sudden family tragedy.

## September 18, 1991 (Initial Release) / October 4, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- Paradise (Donoghue), film -- Elijah Wood & Thora Birch -- A deeply touching and atmospheric emotional drama that explores grief, healing, and companionship. Ten-year-old Elijah Wood delivers a remarkably soulful and intuitive performance as Willard Young, a shy boy sent to spend the summer in a rural town with a married couple torn apart by family tragedy. Alongside a brilliant nine-year-old Thora Birch as his precocious best friend Billie Pike, the children carry the complete emotional and narrative weight of the film. Their natural chemistry and pure perspectives become the indispensable catalyst that forces the grieving adults to confront their loss and begin to mend their broken lives.

October 18, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- Little Man Tate (Foster), film -- Adam Hann-Byrd -- A sensitive, intelligent, and deeply moving drama that marked the directorial debut of Jodie Foster (herself a former child prodigy). Young Adam Hann-Byrd delivers a performance of extraordinary delicacy, composure, and emotional depth as Fred Tate, a seven-year-old child prodigy with an astonishing IQ and immense artistic talent. Hann-Byrd masterfully conveys the deep existential loneliness of a young genius torn between the grounded warmth of his working-class single mother and the sterile rigor of an institute for gifted youths.

## October 25, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- Curly Sue (Hughes), film -- Alisan Porter -- A highly memorable and heartwarming comedy-drama that served as the final directorial effort of John Hughes. Ten-year-old Alisan Porter delivers an endlessly charismatic, vibrant, and scene-stealing performance as the titular orphan girl, Curly Sue. Surviving on the streets of Chicago alongside her homeless con-artist guardian (James Belushi), Porter's performance serves as the absolute motor of the entire plot. Her disarming innocence, perfect comedic timing, and deep emotional vulnerability are entirely indispensable to the narrative, effortlessly melting the icy exterior of a wealthy, cynical divorce lawyer who decides to take them in.

November 27, 1991 (US Wide Release) -- My Girl (Zieff), film -- Anna Chlumsky & Macaulay Culkin -- A sweet, melancholic 1990s generational classic and a massive commercial success. In her major feature film debut, Anna Chlumsky delivers a memorable and extraordinarily nuanced performance as Vada Sultenfuss, an eleven-year-old hypochondriac growing up inside a funeral home. Her exceptional chemistry with Macaulay Culkin—who portrays her shy, allergy-prone best friend Thomas J.—serves as the beating heart of an unforgettable summer marked by first kisses and the sudden, profound trauma of unexpected loss.

1992

February 21, 1992 (US Wide Release) -- Radio Flyer (Donner), film -- Elijah Wood & Joseph Mazzello -- An intense and moving family drama that explores the theme of domestic abuse through the lens of magical realism and childhood imagination. Elijah Wood (Mike) and Joseph Mazzello (Bobby) deliver performances of extraordinary vulnerability as two young brothers who try to protect themselves from the violence of their alcoholic stepfather. To escape their painful reality, the boys retreat into a world of ingenious fantasy, deciding to convert their beloved little red wagon (the "Radio Flyer") into a homemade spaceship capable of flying them away to safety.

May 1992 (Cannes Film Festival World Premiere) / March 4, 1993 (Italy Wide Release) -- The Stolen Children [Il ladro di bambini] (Amelio), film -- Valentina Scalici & Giuseppe Ieracitano -- An absolute triumph of Italian and international cinema, celebrated for winning the Special Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Young non-professionals Valentina Scalici (Rosetta) and Giuseppe Ieracitano (Luciano) deliver performances of astonishing, neorealistic intensity as two siblings rescued from a tragic situation of exploitation and entrusted to a young carabiniere (Enrico Lo Verso) to be escorted to a Sicilian orphanage. The journey evolves into a poignant portrait of Italy and a slow, deeply moving process of rediscovering trust in adults, earning the children a Special David di Donatello Award for their acting.

September 9, 1992 (Venice Film Festival World Premiere) / October 9, 1992 (Italy Wide Release) -- Flight of the Innocent [La corsa dell'innocente] (Carlei), film -- Manuel Colao -- A highly tense and acclaimed Italian dramatic thriller that earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Young Manuel Colao delivers an extraordinarily expressive and pathos-filled performance as Vito, a ten-year-old boy belonging to a Calabrian organized crime family involved in ransoming kidnap victims. As the sole survivor of a brutal massacre of his family by a rival gang, Vito embarks on a desperate, solitary escape across Italy in search of redemption and a new life, beautifully symbolizing the purity of childhood rebelling against a destiny of violence.

## October 30, 1992 (US Limited Release) / December 11, 1992 (US Wide Release) -- Lorenzo's Oil (Miller), film -- Zack O'Malley Greenburg -- A devastatingly powerful, critically acclaimed medical drama based on an extraordinary true story. Seven-year-old Zack O'Malley Greenburg delivers a shattering, physically demanding, and deeply visceral performance as Lorenzo Odone, a young boy struck down by the rare, degenerative nerve disease ALD. Greenburg's performance serves as the absolute, indispensable catalyst for the entire narrative; his harrowing portrayal of regression, silent suffering, and ultimate resilience is the sole force that drives his desperate parents (Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte) to defy the entire medical establishment to invent a cure, cementing the child's presence as the beating heart of the film.

December 6, 1992 (CBC Television World Premiere) -- The Boys of St. Vincent (Smith), TV miniseries -- Johnny Morina -- A monumental and multi-award-winning Canadian television production universally acclaimed for its dramatic weight and civil courage. Very young Johnny Morina delivers an extraordinary, complex, and psychologically heartbreaking performance as Kevin Reevey, one of the small orphans trapped inside a Newfoundland religious institution plagued by systemic physical and emotional abuse inflicted by the superiors. The series stands out for the remarkable emotional truth with which the orphan children—all played by acting newcomers—confront their fear and collective trauma.

1993

April 2, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- Jack the Bear (Herskovitz), film -- Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. & Miko Hughes -- A touching and emotional Hollywood family drama that delicately addresses themes of grief, alcoholism, and childhood trauma. Fifteen-year-old Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. (as Jack) and a very young Miko Hughes (as Dylan) deliver performances of exceptional depth as the two sons of an eccentric, grief-stricken horror-TV host who is recently widowed (Danny DeVito). The story explores with exquisite suburban sensitivity the boys' efforts to keep their family together and protect one another amidst their father's eccentricities and vulnerabilities, as well as the dangers of the neighborhood.

April 7, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- The Sandlot (Evans), film -- Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar & Co. -- One of the most beloved, nostalgic, and frequently quoted sports coming-of-age comedies of 1990s pop culture. The film boasts a tightly knit ensemble cast of very young actors led by Tom Guiry (as Scotty Smalls) and Mike Vitar (as Benny Rodriguez). Set in the summer of 1962, it follows the daily adventures of a group of neighborhood kids bonded by their love for baseball on a local field ("the sandlot"), who are forced to band together and overcome their childhood fears to retrieve a priceless baseball autographed by Babe Ruth that landed in a yard guarded by a gargantuan, mythical dog.

April 16, 1993 (Italy Wide Release) / July 1993 (Moscow International Film Festival) -- Jonah Who Lived in the Whale [Jona che visse nella balena] (Faenza), film -- Luke Petterson & Jean-Hugues Anglade -- A dramatic masterpiece of immense historical and emotional value, honored with the David di Donatello Award. Young Luke Petterson (joined by Jenner Del Vecchio portraying the character at a different age) delivers a performance of astonishing innocence and heartbreaking intensity as Jona Oberski, a four-year-old Jewish boy living in Amsterdam who is deported with his parents to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Through the innocent eyes of the young protagonist, hunger, the cruelty of the guards, and daily suffering are filtered through a childlike perspective that desperately seeks to maintain hope and the beauty of life amidst the tragedy of the Holocaust.

May 1993 (Cannes Film Festival Screening) / August 13, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- The Secret Garden (Holland), film -- Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse & Andrew Knott -- A splendid and acclaimed gothic family drama adaptation of the celebrated novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Very young Kate Maberly delivers an extraordinarily mature and complex performance as Mary Lennox, a spoiled orphan who is sent to live in a vast castle in the gloomy English moors of her uncle. Alongside her invalid cousin Colin (Heydon Prowse) and the young Dickon (Andrew Knott), the three children give a masterful performance, showing how the rediscovery of an abandoned secret garden becomes a magical tool to heal their loneliness and regenerate their joy of living.

## May 14, 1993 (Cannes Film Festival World Premiere) / February 4, 1994 (US Limited Release) -- The King of the Hill (Soderbergh), film -- Jesse Bradford -- A brilliant, highly acclaimed, and deeply atmospheric Depression-era biographical drama directed by Steven Soderbergh. Twelve-year-old Jesse Bradford delivers a tour-de-force, career-defining performance starring as Aaron Sullivan, a resourceful young boy left entirely abandoned inside a rundown St. Louis hotel room after his mother is sent to a sanatorium and his traveling salesman father hits the road. Bradford completely carries the narrative and emotional weight of the entire movie, executing a masterclass in silent resilience, hunger management, and absolute domestic survival that anchors the film's sharp historical realism.

June 9, 1993 (Washington D.C. World Premiere) / June 11, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- Jurassic Park (Spielberg), film -- Joseph Mazzello & Ariana Richards -- An unprecedented global blockbuster that revolutionized the history of cinema and special effects. Joseph Mazzello (as Tim) and Ariana Richards (as Lex) masterfully portray the grandchildren of tycoon John Hammond, catapulted into a technological nightmare on an island populated by cloned dinosaurs. The two young actors deliver extraordinary performances of emotional intensity and physical presence, transforming their genuine terror—such as in the legendary, highly tense velociraptor kitchen sequence—into one of the most iconic and unforgettable vehicles of suspense in Spielbergian cinema.

June 25, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- Sleepless in Seattle (Ephron), film -- Ross Malinger -- A delightful, iconic, and highly successful romantic comedy that has become an enduring classic of the 1990s. Young Ross Malinger delivers an extraordinarily charismatic, funny performance filled with warmth as Jonah Baldwin, the eight-year-old son of a widowed architect (Tom Hanks). Jonah literally steals the show, operating as the true engine of the plot: worried about his father's loneliness, he calls into a national radio show to find him a new partner, orchestrating his parent's eventual meeting with a Baltimore journalist (Meg Ryan) with absolute childlike determination.

Aug 11, 1993 -- Searching for Bobby Fischer (Zaian), film -- Max Pomeranc -- Steven Zaillian's critically acclaimed directorial debut chronicles the sensitive true story of Josh Waitzkin, a seven-year-old chess prodigy from New York City. Max Pomeranc delivers a remarkably grounded and quiet performance as the young boy torn between the aggressive, win-at-all-costs coaching of a rigid instructor and his own inherent decency and love for street-style speed chess.

August 27, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- The Man Without a Face (Gibson), film -- Nick Stahl & Gaby Hoffmann -- The dazzling and critically acclaimed directorial debut of Mel Gibson. A very young Nick Stahl delivers a performance of exceptional maturity and emotional intensity in the role of Chuck Norstadt, a twelve-year-old boy tormented by a complex family dynamic who desperately wishes to pass the entrance exam for a military academy. Supported by a brilliant Gaby Hoffmann as his half-sister, Stahl commands the screen in depicting the birth of a deep intellectual friendship and a mentor-student bond with a disfigured, reclusive former teacher (Mel Gibson), in a story steeped in dignity and the overcoming of social prejudices.

## September 15, 1993 (France Wide Release) / February 18, 1994 (US Limited Release) -- Germinal (Berri), film -- Jimmy Herman -- A monumental, epic historical drama masterpiece adapted from Émile Zola's celebrated novel exploring the brutal labor strikes of 19th-century French coal miners. While fronted by an immense adult ensemble cast, the ultimate tragedy and raw narrative spark of the film hinge on its youngest labor casting choices. The young child actors portraying the underage, impoverished miners working inside the dangerous underground shafts deliver remarkably intense, visceral, and hauntingly quiet performances. Their raw, physical presence under layers of soot serves as the absolute, indispensable moral center and structural catalyst for the violent worker rebellion, capturing the harrowing reality of a stolen childhood crushed by industrial greed.

September 24, 1993 (US Wide Release) -- The Good Son (Ruben), film -- Macaulay Culkin & Elijah Wood -- A highly tense and world-renowned domestic psychological thriller that plays beautifully on the contrast and incredible talent of the two biggest child stars of the era. Elijah Wood plays Mark, a boy traumatized by grief who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Maine. There, he befriends his cousin Henry, played by a chilling and astonishing Macaulay Culkin, who for the first time abandons comedic roles to step into the shoes of a sadistic, ruthless child sociopath. The film is highly memorable for the unsettling skill of both boys as they weave a lethal psychological duel that culminates in an unforgettable final confrontation on a cliffside

May 15, 1993 (Cannes Film Festival World Premiere) / November 12, 1993 (US Limited Release) -- The Piano (Campion), film -- Anna Paquin -- An absolute cinematic masterpiece, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes and three Academy Awards. At just eleven years old, in her absolute acting debut, Anna Paquin delivers a legendary performance as Flora McGrath, the daughter of the mute protagonist (Holly Hunter). Paquin dominates the screen with a stunningly expressive dramatic presence, serving as her mother's sign-language interpreter and confidante in the isolated 19th-century New Zealand bush. Her extraordinary performance earned her a historic Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her one of the youngest winners in cinema history.

December 17, 1993 (US Limited Release) / March 4, 1994 (US Wide Expansion) -- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Hallström), film -- Leonardo DiCaprio -- A magnificent and acclaimed family coming-of-age drama that cemented the immense talent of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. At nineteen years old (but playing an adolescent), DiCaprio delivers a legendary, extraordinarily realistic, Academy Award-nominated performance as Arnie Grape, a boy with a severe developmental disability. His incredible spontaneity and visceral brotherly chemistry with the protagonist, Gilbert (Johnny Depp), serve as the beating heart of a memorable film centered on family responsibilities, tolerance, and unconditional love in small-town America.

1994

June 22, 1994 (France Wide Release) -- Killer Kid [The Boy from Lebanon] (Maistre), film -- Tewfik Jallab & Younesse Boudache -- A highly tense, touching, and award-winning French dramatic war film directed by acclaimed documentarian Gilles de Maistre. At ten years old, young Tewfik Jallab delivers a performance of striking psychological intensity as Djilali, an eleven-year-old Lebanese orphan sold by his family to a terrorist group and subjected to harsh brainwashing. Sent to Paris on a deadly political assassination mission, his emotional armor begins to crack when he forms a pure, vibrant friendship with Karim (Younesse Boudache)—a carefree, local Arab boy who loves rap music and skateboarding. The film evolves into a powerful, poignant anthem about the saving power of childhood connection against the horrors of exploitation.

July 15, 1994 (US Wide Release) -- Angels in the Outfield (Dear), film -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Milton Davis Jr. -- One of the most beloved and nostalgic sports fantasy comedies produced by Walt Disney Pictures during the 1990s. A very young and charismatic Joseph Gordon-Levitt masterfully portrays Roger, a foster child who prays earnestly for the struggling California Angels baseball team to win the pennant—the seemingly impossible condition his estranged father gave for them to become a family again. When his prayers manifest real-life guardian angels to help the players on the field, the young protagonist teams up with the short-tempered manager George Knox (Danny Glover) in a heartwarming fable full of slapstick comedy, childhood innocence, and big dreams.

July 18, 1994 (Westwood Premiere) / July 20, 1994 (US Wide Release) -- The Client (Schumacher), film -- Brad Renfro -- A highly tense, acclaimed, and masterfully crafted legal thriller adapted from the blockbuster novel by John Grisham. The film historically marks the extraordinary cinematic debut of Brad Renfro, who, at eleven years old, delivers a tour-de-force performance as Mark Sway—a street-smart kid who accidentally witnesses the suicide of a mob lawyer and uncovers a lethal state secret. Renfro commands the screen, radiating a powerful mix of bravado and profound childhood terror as he strikes an unforgettable bond of trust with defense attorney Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon) to survive the ruthless retaliation of Cosa Nostra and the pressure of an unscrupulous federal prosecutor.

Aug 05, 1994 -- The Little Rascals (Spheeris), film -- Bug Hall, Travis Tedford & Brittany Ashton Holmes -- A playful, modernized feature-length adaptation of Hal Roach's classic Our Gang shorts. The production relied entirely on a charismatic young ensemble cast, capturing pure childhood innocence and slapstick humor as the members of an anti-girl clubhouse attempt to sabotage a young romance.

September 14, 1994 (France Wide Release) / November 18, 1994 (US Wide Release) -- Léon: The Professional (Besson), film -- Natalie Portman -- An absolute masterpiece of international action-cinema and drama. At just twelve years old, in her absolute cinematic debut, Natalie Portman delivers a legendary, monumental performance as Mathilda Lando—a young girl who forms a unique bond of complicity and protective affection with an illiterate hitman (Jean Reno) after her entire family is massacred by corrupt DEA agents. Portman dominates the screen, showcasing a staggering dramatic and expressive maturity as her character navigates the heartbreaking space between a desperate need for family warmth and a cold, calculation-driven desire for revenge.

Nov 18, 1994 -- Léon: The Professional (Besson), film -- Natalie Portman -- A sleek, highly influential French-produced action thriller set in the gritty underbelly of 1990s New York City. In a phenomenal, star-making cinematic debut, an eleven-year-old Natalie Portman delivers a tour-de-force performance as Mathilda, a fiercely independent 12-year-old girl who enlists the help of an eccentric, solitary hitman to learn his dangerous trade and avenge the murder of her little brother.

1995

January 1, 1995 (BBC One World Premiere) -- Little Lord Fauntleroy (Morgan), TV miniseries -- Michael Benz -- A superb and highly faithful six-part television adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s literary classic, produced by the BBC and written by Academy Award-winner Julian Fellowes. Young Michael Benz delivers an extraordinarily angelic, polite, and magnetic performance as Cedric Errol—the generous little American boy from Brooklyn who suddenly discovers he is the rightful heir to an immense fortune and a prestigious British earldom. Benz excels in portraying the tender cultural clash between the child's democratic spontaneity and the cold, austere, and strict aristocratic dogmatism of his grumpy grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (George Baker).

May 10, 1995 (US Limited Release) / May 19, 1995 (US Wide Release) -- A Little Princess (Cuarón), film -- Liesel Matthews -- A splendid and acclaimed historical fantasy-drama that marked the dazzling American directorial debut of Alfonso Cuarón. Twelve-year-old Liesel Matthews delivers a performance of extraordinary grace, pride, and intensity as Sara Crewe—a young girl gifted with an amazing imagination who is sent to a strict New York boarding school while her father fights in World War I. When her parent is reported missing and presumed dead, Sara is forced into a life of servitude by the cruel headmistress Miss Minchin. Matthews beautifully embodies the resilience of childhood, using the magic of her fairy tales and storytelling to preserve her dignity.

December 15, 1995 (US Wide Release) -- Jumanji (Johnston), film -- Kirsten Dunst & Bradley Pierce -- A massive commercial success and one of the most iconic, beloved, and spectacular fantasy adventures of 1990s cinema. A very young but already highly dependable Kirsten Dunst (Judy) and Bradley Pierce (Peter) deliver brilliant, high-energy performances as two orphaned siblings who discover and begin playing a mysterious, ancient, magical board game inside an old mansion. The children find themselves forced to join forces with a man who has been trapped inside the game for twenty-six years (the unforgettable Robin Williams) to survive and stop the lethal jungle hazards that materialize into reality with every roll of the dice.

1996

January 21, 1996 (Sundance Film Festival World Premiere) / August 15, 1996 (Australia Wide Release) / November 22, 1996 (US Wide Release) -- Shine (Hicks), film -- Noah Taylor & Alex Rafalowicz -- An award-winning and critically acclaimed Australian biographical drama that triumphed at the Academy Awards. The film follows the complex, dramatic life of classical piano prodigy David Helfgott. In the first act of the movie, young Alex Rafalowicz and especially a masterful adolescent Noah Taylor deliver two acting performances of staggering intensity and emotional fragility, perfectly portraying the psychological trauma caused by an obsessive, overbearing, and abusive father who pushes the young talent toward a catastrophic nervous breakdown.

July 28, 1996 (Los Angeles World Premiere) / August 2, 1996 (US Wide Release) -- Matilda (DeVito), film -- Mara Wilson -- One of the most beloved and iconic fantasy family comedies of the 1990s, adapted from the classic novel by Roald Dahl. A delightful and prodigious Mara Wilson delivers a charismatic, career-defining performance that has entered the hearts of entire generations as Matilda Wormwood—an exceptionally intelligent young girl gifted with psychokinetic abilities who is completely neglected by her coarse family. Wilson dominates the screen with a formidable blend of sweetness and childlike determination, leading a student rebellion against their tyrannical, monstrous headmistress, Miss Trunchbull.

September 1996 (Venice Film Festival World Premiere) / September 25, 1996 (France Wide Release) -- Ponette (Doillon), film -- Victoire Thivisol -- A French dramatic masterpiece of extraordinary and heartbreaking psychological intensity. At just four years old, little Victoire Thivisol delivers a legendary, tour-de-force performance as Ponette, a young girl who survives a car accident in which she tragically loses her mother. The film, filtered entirely through the gaze and purity of its protagonist, deeply analyzes the painful stages of childhood grief, loneliness, and resilient faith, earning Thivisol the historic Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival, making her the youngest winner in the festival's history.

Sep 13, 1996 -- Fly Away Home (Ballard), film -- Anna Paquin -- A visually breathtaking family adventure drama inspired by actual events and celebrated for its Oscar-nominated cinematography. Following her historic Academy Award win, a thirteen-year-old Anna Paquin gives a deeply emotional, understated performance as Amy Alden, a grieving young girl who finds healing after a tragedy by becoming the surrogate mother to a flock of orphaned Canada geese, eventually piloting an ultralight aircraft to lead them on a 500-mile winter migration.

1997

Feb 01, 1997 -- Children of Heaven (Majidi), film -- Amir Farrokh Hashemian & Bahare Seddiqi -- A universally acclaimed Iranian masterpiece that became the first film from Iran nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Shot on location in Tehran using hidden cameras, the heart-wrenching plot tracks a young boy who loses his sister's only pair of shoes, forcing them to share his sneakers in secret before he enters a regional footrace to win her a new pair.

August 13, 1997 (Locarno Film Festival) / August 29, 1997 (UK Theatrical Release) / September 19, 1997 (US Wide Release) -- The Full Monty (Cattaneo), film -- William Snape -- A massive global box-office sensation and one of the most beloved, award-winning British comedies of all time. Although the plot centers on a group of unemployed Sheffield steelworkers who decide to form a male striptease act to make money, young William Snape delivers a memorable and natural performance as Nathan Schofield. Nathan is the son of the protagonist, Gaz (Robert Carlyle); the young boy acts as a mature counterweight, silent accomplice, and guardian of his father's dignity, supporting him financially and morally through his legal and family misadventures.

August 30, 1997 (US Television World Premiere) -- A Call to Remember (Bender), TV movie -- Kevin Zegers -- A touching, intense, and emotional historical television drama inspired by a true story. While the adult protagonists are two Holocaust survivors portrayed by Blythe Danner and Joe Mantegna, young Kevin Zegers delivers a performance of remarkable depth and emotional delicacy as little Ben Tobias. The plot follows the family's quiet life in America, which is suddenly upended when they receive word that a child they believed had perished in the concentration camps might actually be alive, forcing Ben and his brother to grapple with the unhealed trauma of their parents' past.

August 31, 1997 (Venice Film Festival World Premiere) / October 13, 1997 (Russia Wide Release) -- The Thief [Vor] (Chukhray), film -- Mikhail Filipchuk -- An international historical-dramatic masterpiece from Russia, universally acclaimed and nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Young Mikhail Filipchuk delivers a neorealistic performance of stunning, heartbreaking intensity as Sanya, a six-year-old boy traveling through the impoverished post-war Soviet Union with his widowed mother. The boy's life is turned upside down when they meet Tolyan, a charming military officer who becomes his idol and a surrogate father figure, completely unaware that the man is actually a ruthless, charismatic professional thief using the family as a front for his heists—serving as a powerful metaphor for the disillusionment of childhood and homeland history.

December 20, 1997 (Italy Wide Release) / May 1998 (Cannes Film Festival Screening) -- Life Is Beautiful [La vita è bella] (Benigni), film -- Giorgio Cantarini -- A monumental triumph of Italian cinema worldwide, celebrated for winning the Grand Prix at Cannes and three Academy Awards. Young Giorgio Cantarini gives a legendary, wonderfully innocent performance that has become mythic as Giosuè Orefice. Deportated alongside his Jewish father, Guido (Roberto Benigni), to a Nazi concentration camp, the young boy becomes the center of a monumental act of paternal devotion: to shield him from the horrific reality of the Holocaust, his father convinces him that their imprisonment is a giant, adventurous contest where they must reach a score of one thousand points to win a real tank.

1998

January 16, 1998 (Switzerland Premiere) / April 3, 1998 (Brazil Wide Release) / November 20, 1998 (US Wide Release) -- Central Station [Central do Brasil] (Salles), film -- Vinícius de Oliveira -- A raw, visceral, and deeply humanistic pillar of modern Brazilian cinema, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin and nominated for two Academy Awards. Found by director Walter Salles while working as a real shoeshine boy at an airport, young Vinícius de Oliveira delivers an extraordinary cinematic debut of piercing honesty as Josué, a nine-year-old child who is suddenly left orphaned at Rio de Janeiro's central train station. Accompanied by a cynical, aging former schoolteacher (Fernanda Montenegro), the young boy embarks on a moving on-the-road journey through the remote Northeast in search of the father he never knew, crafting a profound tale of mutual redemption and emotional healing.

March 20, 1998 (US Wide Release) -- Wide Awake (Shyamalan), film -- Joseph Cross -- The first major big-screen film entirely written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, carrying a strong intimate and spiritual core. A very young Joseph Cross delivers an exceptional, mature, and deeply sensitive performance as the titular protagonist Joshua A. Beal, a ten-year-old boy attending a strict Catholic school in Philadelphia. Profoundly shaken by the recent passing of his beloved grandfather (Robert Loggia), the young boy embarks on a highly personal, stubborn, and secret childhood quest to "find God" in order to gain theological certainty that his grandfather is safe in Heaven, beautifully challenging the doubts of adults and nuns with his pure innocence.

July 20, 1998 (Los Angeles Premiere) / July 29, 1998 (US Wide Release) -- The Parent Trap (Meyers), film -- Lindsay Lohan -- The dazzling and spectacular cinematic breakthrough of a very young Lindsay Lohan. Utilizing advanced split-screen technologies for this remake of the classic 1961 Disney film, the then-eleven-year-old Lohan delivers a stunning double performance as identical twins Hallie Parker and Annie James, who were separated at birth by their parents' divorce. Meeting by chance at a summer camp, the two orchestrate an ingenious plan to switch places and reconcile their mother and father, instantly cementing Lohan's status as a major child star.

October 25, 1998 (UK Television World Premiere) -- Goodnight Mister Tom (Gold), film TV -- Nick Robinson -- A poignant and unforgettable masterpiece of British television produced by Carlton Television and adapted from the celebrated novel by Michelle Magorian. Young Nick Robinson delivers an extraordinary, dramatic performance of immense sensitivity as William Beech, a timid and terrified London boy who, on the eve of World War II, is evacuated to the countryside and placed in the care of Tom Oakley (a monumental John Thaw)—a gruff, reclusive elderly widower. Robinson shines in portraying the slow rebirth of a child deeply scarred by his mother's physical and psychological abuse, finding in the sincere affection of old "Mister Tom" the key to healing and discovering the beauty of life.

December 15, 1998 (Los Angeles World Premiere) / December 25, 1998 (US Wide Release) -- Stepmom (Columbus), film -- Jena Malone & Liam Aiken -- A touching and highly successful comedy-drama directed by Chris Columbus centered on the complex dynamics of blended families. Young Jena Malone (Anna) and Liam Aiken (Ben) deliver brilliant, authentic performances of exceptional emotional depth as the two children of a divorced couple. The children command the screen, initially showcasing a fierce and understandable childhood hostility toward their father’s younger new partner (Julia Roberts); however, when their beloved biological mother (Susan Sarandon) is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the siblings must navigate a painful and mature path of growth to accept their impending loss and welcome a new maternal bond.

1999

March 12, 1999 (US Wide Release) -- The Deep End of the Ocean (Grosbard), film -- Ryan Merriman -- A heart-wrenching and extremely intense family drama based on the bestselling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Fourteen-year-old Ryan Merriman delivers an extraordinarily complex, nuanced, and emotionally charged performance as Sam K构造 (born Ben Cappadora), a young boy who was mysteriously kidnapped at the age of three in a crowded hotel. When, nine years later, he accidentally shows up at the door of his real biological mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) to mow the lawn, the truth abruptly re-emerges. Merriman excels in depicting the psychological drama of a contested child, beautifully torn between a traumatic return to a biological family he doesn't remember and the deep filial love toward the adoptive father who raised him.

March 26, 1999 (Italy Wide Release) / September 3, 1999 (US Release) -- Tea with Mussolini [Un tè con Mussolini] (Zeffirelli), film -- Charlie Lucas & Baird Wallace -- A refined and splendid semi-autobiographical historical fresco directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film leans its initial evolution on the shoulders of little Charlie Lucas (and later young Baird Wallace) as Luca, an illegitimate Italian child who, in 1930s Florence, is rejected by his natural father after his mother's death. Luca is welcomed and raised with loving care by a circle of cultured and eccentric Anglo-American ladies (including Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Cher), who transmit to him a deep love for art and literature, saving his childhood and his intellectual formation from the looming shadow of fascism and World War II.

May 22, 1999 (Cannes Film Festival World Premiere) / September 22, 1999 (Belgium Wide Release) / November 5, 1999 (US Limited Release) -- Rosetta (Dardenne), film -- Émilie Dequenne -- An absolute masterpiece of European neorealist cinema, winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Although actress Émilie Dequenne was at the end of her adolescence at her absolute debut, she plays the very young protagonist Rosetta with a disarming ferocity and honesty. The film feverishly follows the daily struggles of a girl who lives in a caravan with her alcoholic mother and fights tooth and nail to get a stable job and preserve her dignity against social abandonment.

August 6, 1999 (US Wide Release) -- The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan), film -- Haley Joel Osment -- One of the most shocking, intense, and mature child acting performances in the entire history of world cinema. Eleven-year-old Haley Joel Osment delivers a chilling, tour-de-force performance as Cole Sear, an isolated, sensitive, and terrified child who confesses to his child psychologist (Bruce Willis) that he possesses a frightening paranormal ability, whispering the most iconic line of the decade: "I see dead people." His acting, charged with a stunning level of vulnerability and psychological pathos, earned him a historic Academy Award nomination at only eleven years old.

August 29, 1999 (Montreal World Film Festival Premiere) / January 28, 2000 (US Theatrical Release) -- The Cup [Phörpa] (Norbu), film -- Orgyen Tobgyal & Neten Chokling -- A delightful, quirky, and brilliant international sports comedy that made history as the first feature film entirely produced in Bhutan. Written and directed by the Tibetan Lama Khyentse Norbu, the film recruits real novice Buddhist monks as actors and focuses on the figures of the very young novices Palden and Nyima. The little monks unleash a fun soccer fever within a peaceful and isolated monastery in the Himalayas: in order to be able to watch live the historic final of the 1998 World Cup between France and Brazil, the children orchestrate a thrilling and ingenious mission to rent a television and a satellite dish, beautifully uniting spirituality and profane passion.

December 8, 1999 (Westwood World Premiere) / January 7, 2000 (US Wide Release) -- Magnolia (Anderson), film -- Jeremy Blackman -- A monumental American choral drama that analyzes inherited traumas and loneliness in the San Fernando Valley. Within a cast of immense adult stars, twelve-year-old Jeremy Blackman delivers an exceptional performance as Stanley Spector, a child prodigy who competes on a famous television quiz show. Blackman beautifully embodies the heartbreaking psychological pressure of a young genius exploited by his father for money, culminating in a memorable rebellion on set that serves as the ethical fulcrum of the entire film.