35. The never ending story, 1984, Wolfgang Petersen
My 35th spot was a last minute decision between The dark crystal and The never ending story. Both among the best in pre cgi fantasy imagery and they still look better then cgi in places.
After watching both again the choice was clear. The dark crystal did age better and still looks stunning on blu-ray. The amount of craftmanship that went in the decors and characters is unmatched. However as a movie the neverending story beats it hands down.
The first time I saw The never ending story was when I was 11. We saw it in the classroom on our teacher's birthday. Curtains closed, big old crt tube on a tall dolly with a vcr the size of a pc under it. I was totally blown away by the movie at the time. It still has the power to make me feel 11 years old again.
I read the book later, which is even better in certain aspects. The book's ability to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the reader is portrayed in the movie, however it's a bit like watching somebody else play the psycho mantis scene in mgs instead of playing it yourself. Not that it really matters, it's one of the best children's movies regardless.