The ‘90s were truly an amazing era of sports films for all ages, but today we’re going to focus specifically on feature films where kids were the stars of the show. So, while movies like Cool Runnings and Space Jam were certainly geared toward children, because kids don’t play a large role, they are disqualified from our list here. Also, we are only including films that released on the big screen, so while we may love Brink!, it doesn’t count as it was a TV movie (read more about Brink! here). But, trust us, there were still enough remaining sports films featuring kids in prominent roles to get the top 10 list we have below.
Without further ado, please find our ranking of the top 10 ‘90s kids sports feature films!
10. The Big Green (1995)
In The Big Green, a teacher on exchange from England is placed in an underachieving school in Texas, where she ends up coaching her class in soccer, slowly building up their confidence on and off the field. Let’s be honest, you know exactly what’s going to happen in this movie, and while most sports films are like that, this one doesn’t have much else going for it to make it stand out.
9. Air Bud (1997)
Air Bud is a fictional interpretation of real-life golden retriever Air Buddy, who was known as the Michael Jordan of dogs. In the film, Buddy plays the titular Air Bud, an abandoned dog who is found by a sad boy whose father recently passed away. Look, this movie is about a dog playing basketball and helping the kid’s team win, and because there are technically no rules against a dog playing, it’s okay? Yeah, makes total sense.
8. Little Big League (1994)
If you were a kid who loved baseball growing up, you undoubtedly imagined what it would be like if you could own your own professional baseball team. Well, that dream comes true for the main character in Little Big League. Somehow this 12-year-old kid is allowed to also be the team manager, and while he enjoys it at first, eventually he comes to realize he doesn’t want to be an adult quite yet, and steps down as manager.
7. Angels in the Outfield (1994)
In another of the many baseball movies featured here, Angels in the Outfield stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young foster child who prays for a chance to be a family with his widowed father again. He believes that if the California Angels baseball team wins the pennant, they’ll be reunited. In order to make this happen, some actual angels are assigned to help give the team a boost. Is the movie hokey? Definitely. But it features a good cast that also includes Danny Glover, Christopher Lloyd, and Tony Danza.
6. Rookie of the Year (1993)
Quite a few of these films feature something rather unrealistic happening to get the story going, and Rookie of the Year is no exception. A middling little league player, Henry, breaks his arm, and when the cast comes off, he discovers that he can now throw a ball extremely fast. This new talent leads him to be recruited as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, throwing him into the big leagues way before he’s ready. Many lessons are learned, but the one thing you probably remember most about this movie is the ending when, spoiler alert, Henry’s arm goes back to normal during the final game and the team must use all sorts of tricks, including Henry pitching a floater, to win.
5. D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
D2: The Mighty Ducks is the sequel to the original (keep reading, it’s on here), and features many of the original Ducks players joined by some newcomers as they head to the Junior Goodwill Games representing the USA in hockey. Trials, tribulations, enemy teams, a sing-along to “We Are the Champions” — this movie has it all. Though it is sometimes more entertaining than the original, the story isn’t quite as good, so that’s why it’s further down the list. As a side note, one of the lessons I learned from this movie has nothing to do with hockey: “Greenland is covered with ice, and Iceland is very nice.” Am I the only one?
4. Little Giants (1994)
Almost every sports movie features a misfit team having to learn and come together to defeat some other, more elite team. Little Giants fits that mold, but the difference this time around is that the two teams’ coaches are brothers played by Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill. Indeed, a family element pervades the whole film, as the misfits team coached by Moranis is led by his daughter Becky, the only girl on either team, and one of the best players between both. The movie also features a cute romance between Becky and one of her teammates played by ‘90s teen dreamboat Devon Sawa (click to read our article on Sawa). Funny and heartfelt, this movie doesn’t get talked about as often as some of the others on this list, but it definitely should.
3. The Mighty Ducks (1992)
While the misfit hockey team that makes up The Mighty Ducks is definitely the core of this film, the central character isn’t one of the kids, but is actually the man forced to be their coach — Coach Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez. The movie is really about him learning to have a heart and regaining his love for hockey, which he used to have when he was a kid himself. This series was definitely a staple for all ‘90s kids, and gave hockey a boost in popularity for a while.
2. Ladybugs (1992)
Though Ladybugs was fairly lambasted by critics, it was way more beloved by ‘90s kids. Rodney Dangerfield stars as a corporate guy trying to get a promotion by leading his company’s sponsored girls’ soccer team to victory. Of course, the team sucks. So, he brings in his girlfriend’s son, dresses him up as a girl, and has him help the team start winning. You know, just your typical plan. ‘90s teen dreamboat Jonathan Brandis (click to read our article on him) stars as the son, and honestly, it’s just a really funny movie.
1. The Sandlot (1993)
Set in the early ‘60s, The Sandlot is one of the only films on this list not to feature a ragtag team trying to overcome some rivals. Instead, it focuses on a new boy in town who struggles to fit in with others, and ends up hanging out with some kids who play baseball on the local sandlot together. Much of the movie is spent on the boys trying to get back the baseball signed by Babe Ruth that went into the neighbor’s yard, which is guarded by a dog they call “the beast.” It’s a great coming-of-age film that’s about not judging someone before you get to know them, and is one of the only movies that’s good for its own sake and not good “for a sports movie.”
Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments!
- Little Giants was inspired by a 1992 McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial developed by Jim Ferguson and Bob Shallcross. After it aired, Steven Spielberg called up Ferguson and signed him to write a script. Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment produced the film.
- Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for the role of Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks — Joshua Jackson eventually got the part.
- The writer and director of The Sandlot, David Mickey Evans, also provides the narration for the grown up version of “Smalls.”
- Rookie of the Year was directed by actor Daniel Stern, who also starred in the film as the pitching coach, Brickma. You’ll also remember him as Marv in Home Alone.
- Angels in the Outfield is a remake of a 1951 film of the same name, though that film was about the Pittsburgh Pirates rather than the California Angels.
- Little Giants was inspired by a 1992 McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial developed by Jim Ferguson and Bob Shallcross. After it aired, Steven Spielberg called up Ferguson and signed him to write a script. Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment produced the film.
- Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for the role of Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks — Joshua Jackson eventually got the part.
- The writer and director of The Sandlot, David Mickey Evans, also provides the narration for the grown up version of “Smalls.”
- Rookie of the Year was directed by actor Daniel Stern, who also starred in the film as the pitching coach, Brickma. You’ll also remember him as Marv in Home Alone.
- Angels in the Outfield is a remake of a 1951 film of the same name, though that film was about the Pittsburgh Pirates rather than the California Angels.
