The 10 Best Early '90s Kids Sports Movies, Ranked

Nothing is more important to millennial moviegoers than the powerful pull of nostalgia. Plot? Character development? Nah, give us the feels pulled straight from our childhoods and we'll be wearing your movie's proverbial jersey with pride. When you add sports to the mix, you get a potent potion of blissful movie memories that last a lifetime. 

After all, the greatest sports movies of all time endure for a reason: There's nothing more inherently cinematic than athletic competition, whether it's the crack of a bat, the spiral of a pigskin, or the slap of the puck. For many of us, these films from the early '90s were our first introduction to two of the most omnipresent parts of pop culture – sports and movies.

But more than that, the sports movies of our youth taught us about teamwork, self-reliance, romance, how to play by the rules, when to follow our own path, what it was like to be a kid, and what it meant to be a grownup. Is it any wonder we loved them so much? Yet while all of these films were a part of our collective childhood experience, not all of them were winners. Which of these deserve their place in the sports film hall of fame, and which belong on the bench? See if you agree: Here are the 10 best kids' sports movies of the early '90s.

Disney probably figured they'd capture some of the magic of "The Sandlot" by putting that film's star, Patrick Renna, on the poster for "The Big Green." That tells you all you need to know about how recycled and unoriginal this movie is. Sure, nobody does inspirational movies like The Mouse House, but this soccer "comedy" never should have made the team. 

Perhaps it was a matter of timing, as "The Big Green" came out in 1995, five years into the '90s. By that point, its tired premise of "misfits playing sports" was thoroughly played out. So lacking any new ideas, it just decided to stuff the film with nut shots instead.

"The Big Green" stars Steve Guttenberg, so that's your first clue this isn't exactly "Rocky" or "Bull Durham." Guttenberg plays a small-town Texas sheriff who agrees to help coach a kids' soccer team in order to impress the cute teacher Miss Anna (Olivia d'Abo) who's new in town and wants to lift the kids' spirits. Stop us if you have heard this before: The kids stink, hilarity ensues, they eventually get good enough to win games, wash-rinse-repeat. You have seen this movie before, even if you've never actually seen this movie. Sure, that premise could describe most of the films on this list, but they overcome their cliche stories with memorable characters. "The Big Green" has nothing to offer the genre, unless you like really bad slapstick.

Going back in time to watch a movie like "Ladybugs" reminds you that the world used to be a very different place. The film features a scenario that doesn't age very well — which is putting it delicately. To be honest, we're surprised the movie flew in 1992, but that's the '90s for you.

Rodney Dangerfield plays Chester Lee, an unscrupulous salesman desperate for a promotion, who lies to his boss about his former soccer prowess and agrees to coach the company-sponsored girl's soccer team, the Ladybugs. Lee figures winning another championship with the dominant Ladybugs will be a piece of cake. But when he finds out that their new crop of players is pretty terrible, he decides to recruit his fiancee's soccer star son (Jonathan Brandis) to throw on a wig and join the team.

There's a lot to unpack here, and you can probably see why this film wouldn't fly today. The "fish out of water" coach premise was overplayed even in 1992, but it could still work based on the talent of the star. The late comic mastermind Rodney Dangerfield may have gotten no respect, but he could make reading the phone book funny. Alas, even Dangerfield has a hard time saving "Ladybugs," which might make some modern moviegoers cringe, despite a few solid chuckles from the film's star.

There's an old saying that the sequel is never as good as the original. Except for a few rare outliers — "The Godfather Part II," "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," "The Dark Knight" — that rule tends to be true. Alas, "D2: The Mighty Ducks" belongs in the "not as good" category, but it also earns its spot as one of the best early '90s kids' sports movies.

The 1994 followup finds Coach Gordan Bombay (Emilio Estevez) reuniting The Mighty Ducks to compete for Team U.S.A. in an international competition for junior league hockey teams. The only thing standing in their way is a corrupt and greedy promoter, and their arch-enemies, Team Iceland. Y'know, normal kids stuff.

The critics were particularly harsh on this hockey film, while its $45 million box office total was just a hair shy of its 1992 predecessor's $50 million gross. But does it deserve a proverbial hockey puck to the face? Not quite. Sure, "The Mighty Ducks" infused a predictable premise with a fresh coat of feeling, while the sequel feels like, well ... a sequel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as any '90s kid would be thrilled to take another turn on the ice with Charlie Conway, Fulton Reed, Greg Goldberg, and of course, Coach Bombay himself. Besides, there's something special about rewatching "The Mighty Ducks" franchise and catching everything you missed as a kid.

The 1994 movie may be called "Little Giants," but it definitely stands tall amongst kids sports films of the early '90s. For starters, it stars Rick Moranis doing what he does best, playing the lovable and supportive (albeit very twerpy) dad every unconventional kid wishes he had. (We're still sad he left Hollywood, but we understand the reasoning behind his decision to quit acting). You also have Ed O'Neill doing what he does best, playing a loud-mouthed blowhard who would make his "Married With Children" character Al Bundy look like Dr. Niles Crane. The fact that Moranis and O'Neill are supposed to be brothers stretches credulity, but it's a kids' movie, so we'll let it slide.

O'Neill plays Kevin, a former college football star turned youth football coach who rejects his niece — the daughter of Moranis' character, Danny — from his team for being a girl. Faster than you can say "Early '90s Feminism," Moranis brings together a team of misfits, with his daughter as the star player, to take on his brother in the playoffs.

The story is a bit "been there, done that," but only because we're old and jaded millennials. But for a '90s kid seeing "Little Giants" for the first time, the homage to the "Bad News Bears" is sure to entertain and maybe even inspire, especially with Moranis and O'Neill elevating the material.

What kid doesn't dream of growing up and playing professional sports? Well, "Rookie of the Year" imagines that same scenario, only this time the kid doesn't have to wait until he's an adult. In the 1993 film, a 12-year old Little Leaguer named Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) undergoes a freak accident that — stop us if you have heard this before — leaves him with superpowers. Okay, so not technically "super powers," though he does become such a skilled pitcher that he can make the Chicago Cubs play well, a nigh-on miracle in the early 1990s.

Sure, it's a silly setup with a preposterous premise, but it's also pure, candy-coated wish fulfillment for anyone who grew up dreaming of pitching in the big leagues. Plus, it is the only movie on this list to feature Gary Busey, doing what Busey does best, as an aging pitcher with the pitch-perfect name of Chet Steadman who takes young Henry under his wing. And that has to count for something.

Most kids' sports movies from the 1990s, or any decade for that matter, are about young athletes playing sports. "Little Big League" stands out because the pre-teen isn't on the team — he's actually its owner. 12-year-old baseball lover Billy Heywood (Luke Edwards) inherits the Minnesota Twins after his wealthy grandfather (Jason Robards) passes away, leaving him with a ball club on a losing streak filled with grumpy players who want to win, but don't want to work for a middle schooler. Hey, it's a movie that anybody working for a Gen-Z manager can relate to, right?

It might seem like a silly concept, but then again, is it really that much different than the beloved Apple TV+ show "Ted Lasso?" What makes movies like this work is whether the moviegoer is willing to buy into its premise. On that front, "Little Big League" hits a home run because, as the late Roger Ebert put in his three-and-a-half-star review, "It's one of those rare baseball movies that has a real feel for the game, instead of using it as a backdrop for bizarre characters." 

How about that — a baseball movie that actually understands and loves the game it is based on. It's what helps make "Little Big League" one of the best of its genre in the early '90s.

Grown-up film critics may scoff at "Angels In The Outfield," but for viewers under the age of 10 — or for those who stay young at heart — baseball movies don't come much better than "Angels In The Outfield." The film stars a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Roger, a kid stuck in the foster care system whose estranged father promises to reunite the family if the Anaheim Angels make the World Series, a prospect that seems about as far-fetched as angels playing baseball.

Turns out both happen thanks to Roger's prayer, with an angel named Al (Christopher Lloyd) and his friends showing up to help Danny Glover's Coach Knox set the once aimless Angels (including Tony Danza, Matthew McConaughey, and Adrien Brody as players) on an improbable winning streak. 

Is it schmaltzy, saccharine, sentimental, and all the other polysyllabic words grumpy grownups like to use when forced to sit through this type of film? Yeah, sure. But is it also a movie that tackles heavy topics like death, divorce, and family breakups in a way that is accessible to even the youngest viewers? Absolutely. We can't say for certain whether or not angels are available to help bring families back together through baseball. But we can say with 100% confidence that "Angels In The Outfield" is an uplifting family fantasy film that belongs on any list for the best kids' sports movies of the early '90s.

No, "Cool Runnings" doesn't feature youth athletes (they're all adults), but there's no denying the 1993 kids' classic belongs on this list, if only because it was in the family section at your local Blockbuster. Critics at the time may not have fully appreciated its charms, but there's something inherently engaging about four beach-dwelling Jamaicans trading the sand for the snow, and becoming Olympic-caliber bobsledders. What makes it even more remarkable is it is based on the true story of the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Okay, so maybe it's a true story laced with lots of Disney magic, as the movie gets plenty wrong about the real-life team. But hey, that's what kids' sports movies are for. And they don't come much better than "Cool Runnings," with charming performances from likable leads who are easy to root for, and whose final bravura moment is more impressive than winning any gold medal. Plus, there's no denying that "Cool Runnings" belongs in the John Candy canon as one of the late, great comedian's most memorable performances.

As kids growing up in the early '90s, we didn't need to see children competing to relate to the characters or enjoy the movie. Anybody who knows what it's like to be an underdog could see themselves in the team, and cheered with them as they chanted: "Feel the rhythm. Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it's bobsled time! Cool runnings!"

Every young athlete wishes they had a coach like Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) from "The Mighty Ducks." Sure, Coach Bombay started as a self-centered, reckless louse of a lawyer who also dabbles in drunk driving, which forces the former hockey player back on the ice for court-mandated community service. But he also is a guy who believes in his players, and knows how to motivate them to believe in themselves as well. Isn't that what every young person needs?

At the hockey film's heart is the realization that good coaching doesn't just change young people's lives; it changes the coach's life as well. Whether it's on the ice or on the field, young people learn from their coach what it means to be a fully formed adult, while their coach learns how to become a better grown-up too. 

Even though the story is a bit treacly and predictable, the reason why movies like "The Mighty Ducks" are made is they continue to inspire moviegoers of all ages. Which is why decades after the film's 1992 release, "The Mighty Ducks" can continue to make even grown-up, non-hockey fans chant, "quack, quack, quack!"

It was a photo finish for first place, but in the end, there can be only one winner for best kids' sport movie from the early '90s — "The Sandlot." What, did you think we'd select something else? To quote Ham, "You're killing me, Smalls."

While that line is probably the most memorable part of the movie, it's just one aspect of what makes "The Sandlot" such a spectacular slice of early '90s nostalgia. We recognize each player on the sandlot baseball team as if they were part of our own friend group growing up. Their adventures, while outrageous, feel somehow familiar to anyone who was a kid once. Perhaps that is what continues to make "The Sandlot" such a great film for kids, or anyone for that matter: It perfectly captures what it feels like to be a kid, no matter when or where you grew up.

While "The Sandlot" was released in 1993, it's set in the summer of 1962. Now just as much time has passed since the movie came out and today, as between its 1960s setting and its 1990s release. The stars of "The Sandlot" have changed a lot since 1993 – and so have we — but "The Sandlot" is arguably just as popular today as it was more than three decades ago. "The Sandlot" is a story about America's favorite pastime that will continue to stand the test of time.