4. A Little Princess (1995)
While there is little doubt about this movie being a classic, and Cuaron's role as the director of this sublime children's tale, which tells the tale of a wonderful little girl who is left in a boarding school in New York after her father is called to fight for the British Army in World War 2. The film clearly outlines from the get go, the power of a child's imagination versus the strictures and "rules" of adult life. Sara Crewe, played by Liesel Matthews in her acting debut, is a fantastic character who looks to "escape" the drab confines of her boarding school, which is strictly controlled by Mrs Minchin, played by Eleanor Bronn, and her sister Amelia Minchin, played by Rusty Schwimmer. Cuaron entwines the story of Sara with an Indian fairy tale about Prince Rama and his wife Sita, known as the Ramayana. Cuaron's ability to express his story is seen featured prominently in the scenes featuring the Ramayana storyline, in which there is no talking, aside from Sara's narration and yet he manages to conjure up a lover story and a tale of heroism so passionately, despite the characters essentially remaining silent through out. The artistic portrayal of these scenes, where Cuaron was clearly given the freedom to create a open forest setting, which makes is used to contrast against the large boarding school, which is felt as small, to create the concept of the school being a prison due to it's restrictions, as opposed to the open aired jungle in Sara's imagination. The story is fantastic, but you can't help feel that Cuaron's creativity works best when he isn't confined by the restraint over content that is required for children's movies. All being said, A Little Princess ranks up among the classic children's movies of the 1990's.