Greatest Adventure Movies (Revision Version)

[Brian]

Editor: Brian

Definition: The adventure film is a broad genre for which there is some disagreement about what qualifies. However, the three paragraphs that follow provide three definitions that when taken together provide a good general understanding of what this list includes.

Adventure films are a cinematic genre that takes viewers on exhilarating journeys to exotic locations, often involving quests for treasure, exploration of unknown lands, or heroic battles against formidable odds. These films emphasize excitement, discovery, and the triumph of the human spirit. – criticfilm.com

Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in that the genre required a setting that was both remote in time and space to the film audience and that it contained a positive hero who tries to make right in their world. – Wikipedia

The Adventure film genre, characterized by its emphasis on thrilling expeditions, daring heroes, and breathtaking landscapes, has captivated audiences for over a century. Rooted in the human desire for exploration and discovery, these films transport viewers to extraordinary worlds, offering escapades filled with danger, mystery, and the unknown. – Europeanstudios.com

Criteria: They were NOT chosen for how highly rated they are overall, but how they rate as adventure films based on their initial and lasting acclaim, influence as well as initial and lasting popularity. Many adventure films also fall within other genres, especially action, fantasy, science fiction, and war. Such films are eligible for the list unless they are only adventure films to a very secondary degree.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman)
2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean) (Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Peter O’Toole)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939, Victor Fleming) (Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley)
4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, John Huston) (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen)
7. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Michael Curtiz, William Keighley) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland)
8. The Princess Bride (1987, Rob Reiner) (Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Mandy Patinkin)
9. Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg) (Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum)
10. King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack) (Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot)
11. The African Queen (1951, John Huston) (Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn)
12. Back to the Future (1985, Robert Zemeckis) (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson)
13. Stand by Me (1986, Rob Reiner) (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell)
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen)
15. The Great Escape (1963, John Sturges) (Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn)
16. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
17. The Goonies (1985, Richard Donner) (Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Freldman, Kerri Green)
18. Star Wars: Ep. IV - A New Hope (1977, George Lucas) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
19. Star Wars: Ep. V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
20. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush)
21. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones) (Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle)
22. The Man Who Would Be King (1975, John Huston) (Sean Connery, Michael Caine)
23. The Hidden Fortress (1958, Akira Kurosawa) (Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara)
24. Captain Blood (1935, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland)
25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, Frank Lloyd) (Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone)
26. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, Werner Herzog) (Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo)
27. Life of Pi (2012, Ang Lee) (Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu)
28. Spartacus (1960, Stanley Kubrick) (Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton)
29. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954, Richard Fleischer) (Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorre)
30. Avatar (2009, James Cameron) (Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver)
31. Fitzcarraldo (1982, Werner Herzog) (Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale)
32. To Have and Have Not (1944, Howard Hawks) (Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall)
33. Gunga Din (1939, George Stevens) (Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.)
34. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw)
35. Only Angels Have Wings (1939, Howard Hawks) (Cary Grant, Jean Arthur)
36. Lost Horizon (1937, Frank Capra) (Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt)
37. The Last of the Mohicans (1992, Michael Mann) (Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe)
38. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959, Henry Levin) (Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl)
39. The Thief of Bagdad (1940, Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan) (Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez)
40. Gladiator (2000, Ridley Scott) (Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix)
41. The Poseidon Adventure (1972, Ronald Neame) (Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons)
42. Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
43. Into the Wild (2007, Sean Penn) (Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener)
44. Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg) (Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary)
45. Captains Courageous (1937, Victor Fleming) (Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore)
46. Swiss Family Robinson (1960, Ken Annakin) (John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro)
47. The Gold Rush (1925, Charlie Chaplin) (Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray)
48. Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola) (Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, Laurence Fishburne)
49. Ben-Hur (1959, William Wyler) (Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd)
50. The Wages of Fear (1953, Henri-Georges Clouzot) (Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter Van Eyck)
51. North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock) (Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason)
52. Time Bandits (1981, Terry Gilliam) (Craig Warnock, Sean Connery, John Cleese)
53. Interstellar (2014, Christopher Nolan) (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain)
54. Walkabout (1971, Nicolas Roeg) (Jenny Agutter, Lucien John, David Gulpilil)
55. The Thief of Bagdad (1924, Raoul Walsh) (Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston)
56. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, Peter Weir) (Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany)
57. Labyrinth (1986, Jim Henson) (Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie)
58. Planet of the Apes (1968, Franklin J. Schaffner) (Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell)
59. Stagecoach (1939, John Ford) (John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt)
60. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, David Lean) (Alec Guinness, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa)
61. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick) (Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood)
62. Deliverance (1972, John Boorman) (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty)
63. Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Don Chaffey) (Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Nigel Green)
64. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, Nicholas Meyer) (William Shatner, Ricardo Montalban)
65. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, Alfonso Cuaron) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
66. Papillon (1973, Franklin J. Schaffner) (Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman)
67. Excalibur (1981, John Boorman) (Nigel Terry, Nicole Williamson, Liam Neeson)
68. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Sergio Leone) (Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach)
69. The Mark of Zorro (1920, Fred Niblo) (Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De La Motte)
70. Tarzan the Ape Man (1932, W. S. Van Dyke) (Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton)
71. Star Trek (2009, J. J. Abrams) (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana)
72. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001, Chris Columbus) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
73. Tarzan and His Mate (1934, Cedric Gibbons) (Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton)
74. Hatari! (1962, Howard Hawks) (John Wayne, Hardy Krüger, Elsa Martinelli, Red Buttons)
75. The Mark of Zorro (1940, Rouben Mamoulian) (Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone)
76. Cast Away (2000, Robert Zemeckis) (Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy)
77. The Sea Hawk (1940, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains)
78. Romancing the Stone (1984, Robert Zemeckis) (Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner)
79. King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) (Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody)
80. Moby Dick (1956, John Huston) (Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn)
81. Conan the Barbarian (1982, John Milius) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones)
82. Fantastic Voyage (1966, Richard Fleischer) (Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch)
83. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958, Nathan Juran) (Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant)
84. Where Eagles Dare (1968, Brian G. Hutton) (Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood)
85. The Abyss (1989, James Cameron) (Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
86. The Four Feathers (1939, Zoltan Korda) (John Clements, Ralph Richardson, June Duprez)
87. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988, Terry Gilliam) (John Nevile, Oliver Reed, Eric Idle)
88. The Guns of Navarone (1961, J. Lee Thompson) (Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn)
89. The Three Musketeers (1921, Fred Niblo) (Douglas Fairbanks)
90. The Revenant (2015, Alejandro G. Iñárritu) (Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy)
91. Sorcerer (1977, William Friedkin) (Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou)
92. Apocalypto (2006, Mel Gibson) (Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo)
93. The Mummy (1999, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
94. The Neverending Story (1984, Wolfgang Petersen) (Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Deep Roy)
95. The Black Stallion (1979, Carroll Ballard) (Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Clarence Muse, Hoyt Axton)
96. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000, Joel Coen) (George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson)
97. Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott) (Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis)
98. King Solomon’s Mines (1950, Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton) (Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson)
99. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965, Robert Aldrich) (James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger)
100. The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau) (Neel Sethi, Ritesh Rajan)

25 More Worth Mentioning:
101. Jumanji (1995, Joe Johnston) (Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt)
102. The Martian (2015, Ridley Scott) (Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig)
103. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, A. Adamson) (W. Moseley, S. Keynes, L. Pevensie)
104. Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) (Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak)
105. The Three Musketeers (1973, Richard Lester) (Oliver Reed, Raquel Welsh, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York)
106. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985, Tim Burton) (Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton)
107. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989, Stephen Herek) (Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin)
108. The Vikings (1958, Richard Fleischer) (Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh)
109. The Lost World (1925, Harry O. Hoyt) (Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes)
110. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004, Wes Anderson) (Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston)
111. Beau Geste - (1939, William A. Wellman) (Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston)
112. Flash Gordon (1980, Mike Hodges) (Sam Jones, Max Von Sydow, Music by Queen)
113. The Lost City of Z (2016, James Gray) (Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland)
114. The Naked Prey (1965, Cornel Wilde) (Cornel Wilde, Ken Gampu, Gert Van den Bergh)
115. Zulu (1964, Cy Endfield) (Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Caine)
116. Jeremiah Johnson (1972, Sydney Pollack) (Robert Redford, Will Geer, Allyn Ann McLerie)
117. The Sand Pebbles (1966, Robert Wise) (Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna)
118. Duck, You Sucker! (aka A Fistful of Dynamite) (1971, Sergio Leone) (Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli)
119. Robinson Crusoe (1954, Luis Buñuel) (Dan O'Herlihy, Jaime Fernández, Felipe de Alba)
120. The Three Musketeers (1948, George Sidney) (Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Angela Lansbury)
121. Outcast of the Islands (1952, Carol Reed) (Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley)
122. Hook (1991, Steven Spielberg) (Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams)
123. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp)
124. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973, Gordon Hessler) (John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker)
125. The Wind and the Lion (1975, John Milius) (Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston)

15 Greatest Animated Adventure Movies
1. Toy Story (1995, John Lasseter)
2. Finding Nemo (2003, Andrew Stanton)
3. Toy Story 3 (2010, Lee Unkrich)
4. Up (2009, Pete Docter)
5. Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
6. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, Hayao Miyazaki)
7. The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
8. Toy Story 2 (1999, John Lasseter)
9. Castle in the Sky (1986, Hayao Miyazaki)
10. Princess Mononoke (1997, Hayao Miyazaki)
11. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926, Lotte Reiniger)
12. The Jungle Book (1967, Wolfgang Reitherman)
13. Howl's Moving Castle (2004, Hayao Miyazaki)
14. Moana (2016, John Musker, Ron Clements)
15. The Adventures of Tintin (2011, Steven Spielberg)

[Brian]

The hardest thing about this list was determining what should be eligible and what shouldn’t be, because I wanted to be neither too narrow nor too broad. I didn’t want to limit the list to films that fit the adventure genre better than they fit any other genre, but I also didn’t want to make eligible every film that had only a minor adventure aspect to it. While I tried to be as consistent as I could about what to make eligible and what not to, there may well be some inconsistencies. Below is a list of great films that have at least a minor adventure aspect that I thought probably didn’t have enough of an adventure aspect to include on the list. One area of input would be whether you see anything on the list below that’s more of an adventure film than something that’s on the list. Of course, if you see any error, believe I may have overlooked something, or think an entry is too low or high or not worthy of a spot on the list, that input is also welcome.

Planet of the Apes (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Inception (2010)
Jaws (1975)
The Lion King (1994)
Wall-E (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Aladdin (1992)
Gladiator (2000)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Stagecoach (1939)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Shanghai Express (1932)
The Right Stuff (1983)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
North by Northwest (1959)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The Matrix (1999)
Aliens (1986)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Tom Jones (1963)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)

[Area Man]

This list rocks. I'm happy to see it.

However, while Lawrence of Arabia is more prestigious than Raiders of the Lost Ark and would probably be ranked higher on a regular "greatest of all time" list, I could see ROTLA being higher on a list weighted towards adventure film elements. ROTLA is what springs to mind for most people when they think of "action-adventure movie" (it's basically 50% adventure and 50% action), while LOA has a lot of drama-biopic and war movie elements to it. Not a demand for a change, just my thoughts.

Of the motion pictures that were borderline, I'd say the following (that I've seen) could qualify as adventure movies:
-Planet of the Apes
-2001: A Space Odyssey (well, probably)
-Jaws
-The Gold Rush
-Gladiator
-Stagecoach
-Ben-Hur
-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
-North by Northwest
-The Bridge on the River Kwai
-Conan the Barbarian

In other words, of the ones on the borderline list that I've seen, I wouldn't consider the following to be adventure: Inception, Inglourious Basterds, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Aliens, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Here are some other suggestions that could potentially make the list, some that may or may not be considered adventure films:
-A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - Definitely more of a sci-fi-drama, but the main characters are on a dangerous journey/quest for a lot of the runtime.
-Metropolis (1927) - The last third is a bunch of action-adventure-style set-pieces piled on, one after the other.
-The Wind and the Lion (1975) - Action-adventure swashbuckler.
-The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Western in the action-adventure mold.
-Khartoum (1966) - Similar to Lawrence of Arabia, it's a desert war-drama with strong adventure elements.
-Island of Lost Souls (1932) - South Seas adventure-sci-fi-horror.
-Duck, You Sucker (1971) - "Zapata western" in the action-adventure mold.
-The Wild Robot (2024) - Animated family sci-fi-adventure movie that was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars.
-Zulu (1964) - War epic in the action-adventure mold.
-The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Oft-imitated action-adventure-horror.
-Flow (2024) - Animated family fantasy film that won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
-Vera Cruz (1954) - War-western movie in the action-adventure mold.
-Mighty Joe Young (1949) - Spiritual sequel to the original King Kong that was later remade with the same title.
-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - I mean, I guess it's an adventure movie.
-The Sand Pebbles (1966) - War-drama epic in the adventure mold.
-Pinocchio (1940) - I guess it counts as an adventure film.
-Wonder Woman (2017) - Action-adventure superhero movie.
-The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) - The world's oldest surviving feature-length animated movie.
-Gallipoli (1981) - I guess that this war-drama could also be considered an adventure picture.
-Walker (1987) - Well, it did get a Criterion Collection release, so this surreal biopic with adventure elements could be considered prestigious enough for the list, I suppose.
-Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - Mountain man adventure-western.
-Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - This anime has adventure elements.
-The Wild Bunch (1969) - Western in the action-adventure mold.
-Winchester '73 (1950) - Western in the action-adventure mold.
-West of Zanzibar (1928) - Adventure-drama that was later remade as Kongo (1932).
-The Professionals (1966) - Western in the action-adventure mold.

All of these are just food-for-thought. Feel free to disregard.

[ManPerson]

I agree with Raiders at #1, and you misspelled J.J. Abrams as J.J Adams.

[Tim]

I see Brian is our main film lists guy these days.

[Tim]

Do wonder if it would be better to add voice actors to animated movies entries.

[Area Man]

Peter O'Toole should probably be listed in the Lawrence of Arabia cast.

[Tim]

For sure.

[Dubrow555]

Peter O'Toole should probably be listed in the Lawrence of Arabia cast.

Who??????????

[Brian]

I switched the top two, replaced Jose Ferrer with Peter O'Toole for Lawrence of Arabia's actors, and corrected J. J. Abrams.

I didn't include voice actors on the animated movie listings because if it's just the voice, that's a considerably lesser contribution/participation in the film, and I saw at least one other DDD list that was that way.

I'm considering adding the 11 films that I had listed as being borderline as adventure films that Area Man thought did qualify. And of the other films he suggested, I think that I should add at least The Adventures of Prince Achmed. It may be that there are enough films that I'll want to add that I'll want to make the list a little longer. Another thing that I could do is keep the length the same, but remove the animated films and give them a separate sublist.

Other films that Area Man mentioned that I'm considering are The Wind and the Lion (1975), Duck, You Sucker (1971), Zulu (1964), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), and Howl's Moving Castle (2004).

[Tim]

I didn't include voice actors on the animated movie listings because if it's just the voice, that's a considerably lesser contribution/participation in the film, and I saw at least one other DDD list that was that way.

Guess I can see that. Other way about it would be something like this:

23. Toy Story - (1995, John Lasseter) (Voice cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen)

[Brian]

Below is my second draft of the list. I decided to make a separate sublist of the animated films and included The Lion King and The Adventures of Prince Achmed with them. I also dropped National Treasure, Stardust, Flight of the Navigator, and Zathura: A Space Adventure. This freed up 16 positions, making room for 16 of the 18 films that I mentioned that I was considering adding in my previous post. The only 2 that I didn't add were The Most Dangerous Game and The Wind and the Lion, with the latter coming very close to making it.

I'm still not convinced of the need for voice actors for the animated films. I don't think there's any other DDD list, whether a main list or sublist, where voice actors are listed for animated films, and with the animated films now on a separate sublist, leaving out the voice actors doesn't give the appearance of something being missing.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman)
2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean) (Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Peter O’Toole)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939, Victor Fleming) (Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley)
4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, John Huston) (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen)
7. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Michael Curtiz, William Keighley) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland)
8. The Princess Bride (1987, Rob Reiner) (Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Mandy Patinkin)
9. Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg) (Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum)
10. King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack) (Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot)
11. The African Queen (1951, John Huston) (Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn)
12. Back to the Future (1985, Robert Zemeckis) (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson)
13. Stand by Me (1986, Rob Reiner) (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell)
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen)
15. The Great Escape (1963, John Sturges) (Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn)
16. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
17. The Goonies (1985, Richard Donner) (Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Freldman, Kerri Green)
18. Star Wars: Ep. IV - A New Hope (1977, George Lucas) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
19. Star Wars: Ep. V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
20. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush)
21. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones) (Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle)
22. The Man Who Would Be King (1975, John Huston) (Sean Connery, Michael Caine)
23. The Hidden Fortress (1958, Akira Kurosawa) (Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara)
24. Captain Blood (1935, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland)
25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, Frank Lloyd) (Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone)
26. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, Werner Herzog) (Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo)
27. Life of Pi (2012, Ang Lee) (Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu)
28. Spartacus (1960, Stanley Kubrick) (Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton)
29. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954, Richard Fleischer) (Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorre)
30. Avatar (2009, James Cameron) (Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver)
31. Fitzcarraldo (1982, Werner Herzog) (Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale)
32. To Have and Have Not (1944, Howard Hawks) (Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall)
33. Gunga Din (1939, George Stevens) (Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.)
34. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw)
35. Only Angels Have Wings (1939, Howard Hawks) (Cary Grant, Jean Arthur)
36. Lost Horizon (1937, Frank Capra) (Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt)
37. The Last of the Mohicans (1992, Michael Mann) (Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe)
38. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959, Henry Levin) (Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl)
39. The Thief of Bagdad (1940, Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan) (Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez)
40. Gladiator (2000, Ridley Scott) (Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix)
41. The Poseidon Adventure (1972, Ronald Neame) (Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons)
42. Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford)
43. Into the Wild (2007, Sean Penn) (Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener)
44. Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg) (Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary)
45. Captains Courageous (1937, Victor Fleming) (Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore)
46. Swiss Family Robinson (1960, Ken Annakin) (John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro)
47. The Gold Rush (1925, Charlie Chaplin) (Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray)
48. Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola) (Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, Laurence Fishburne)
49. Ben-Hur (1959, William Wyler) (Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd)
50. The Wages of Fear (1953, Henri-Georges Clouzot) (Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter Van Eyck)
51. North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock) (Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason)
52. Time Bandits (1981, Terry Gilliam) (Craig Warnock, Sean Connery, John Cleese)
53. Interstellar (2014, Christopher Nolan) (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain)
54. Walkabout (1971, Nicolas Roeg) (Jenny Agutter, Lucien John, David Gulpilil)
55. The Thief of Bagdad (1924, Raoul Walsh) (Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston)
56. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, Peter Weir) (Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany)
57. Labyrinth (1986, Jim Henson) (Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie)
58. Planet of the Apes (1968, Franklin J. Schaffner) (Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell)
59. Stagecoach (1939, John Ford) (John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt)
60. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, David Lean) (Alec Guinness, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa)
61. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick) (Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood)
62. Deliverance (1972, John Boorman) (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty)
63. Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Don Chaffey) (Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Nigel Green)
64. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, Nicholas Meyer) (William Shatner, Ricardo Montalban)
65. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, Alfonso Cuaron) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
66. Papillon (1973, Franklin J. Schaffner) (Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman)
67. Excalibur (1981, John Boorman) (Nigel Terry, Nicole Williamson, Liam Neeson)
68. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Sergio Leone) (Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach)
69. The Mark of Zorro (1920, Fred Niblo) (Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De La Motte)
70. Tarzan the Ape Man (1932, W. S. Van Dyke) (Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton)
71. Star Trek (2009, J. J. Abrams) (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana)
72. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001, Chris Columbus) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
73. Tarzan and His Mate (1934, Cedric Gibbons) (Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton)
74. Hatari! (1962, Howard Hawks) (John Wayne, Hardy Krüger, Elsa Martinelli, Red Buttons)
75. The Mark of Zorro (1940, Rouben Mamoulian) (Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone)
76. Cast Away (2000, Robert Zemeckis) (Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy)
77. The Sea Hawk (1940, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains)
78. Romancing the Stone (1984, Robert Zemeckis) (Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner)
79. King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) (Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody)
80. Moby Dick (1956, John Huston) (Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn)
81. Conan the Barbarian (1982, John Milius) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones)
82. Fantastic Voyage (1966, Richard Fleischer) (Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch)
83. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958, Nathan Juran) (Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant)
84. Where Eagles Dare (1968, Brian G. Hutton) (Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood)
85. The Abyss (1989, James Cameron) (Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
86. The Four Feathers (1939, Zoltan Korda) (John Clements, Ralph Richardson, June Duprez)
87. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988, Terry Gilliam) (John Nevile, Oliver Reed, Eric Idle)
88. The Guns of Navarone (1961, J. Lee Thompson) (Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn)
89. The Three Musketeers (1921, Fred Niblo) (Douglas Fairbanks)
90. The Revenant (2015, Alejandro G. Iñárritu) (Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy)
91. Sorcerer (1977, William Friedkin) (Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou)
92. Apocalypto (2006, Mel Gibson) (Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo)
93. The Mummy (1999, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
94. The Neverending Story (1984, Wolfgang Petersen) (Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Deep Roy)
95. The Black Stallion (1979, Carroll Ballard) (Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Clarence Muse, Hoyt Axton)
96. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000, Joel Coen) (George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson)
97. Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott) (Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis)
98. King Solomon’s Mines (1950, Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton) (Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson)
99. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965, Robert Aldrich) (James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger)
100. The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau) (Neel Sethi, Ritesh Rajan)

25 More Worth Mentioning:
101. Jumanji (1995, Joe Johnston) (Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt)
102. The Martian (2015, Ridley Scott) (Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig)
103. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, A. Adamson) (W. Moseley, S. Keynes, L. Pevensie)
104. Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) (Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak)
105. The Three Musketeers (1973, Richard Lester) (Oliver Reed, Raquel Welsh, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York)
106. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985, Tim Burton) (Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton)
107. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989, Stephen Herek) (Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin)
108. The Vikings (1958, Richard Fleischer) (Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh)
109. The Lost World (1925, Harry O. Hoyt) (Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes)
110. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004, Wes Anderson) (Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston)
111. Beau Geste - (1939, William A. Wellman) (Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston)
112. Flash Gordon (1980, Mike Hodges) (Sam Jones, Max Von Sydow, Music by Queen)
113. The Lost City of Z (2016, James Gray) (Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland)
114. The Naked Prey (1965, Cornel Wilde) (Cornel Wilde, Ken Gampu, Gert Van den Bergh)
115. Zulu (1964, Cy Endfield) (Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Caine)
116. Jeremiah Johnson (1972, Sydney Pollack) (Robert Redford, Will Geer, Allyn Ann McLerie)
117. The Sand Pebbles (1966, Robert Wise) (Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna)
118. Duck, You Sucker! (aka A Fistful of Dynamite) (1971, Sergio Leone) (Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli)
119. Robinson Crusoe (1954, Luis Buñuel) (Dan O'Herlihy, Jaime Fernández, Felipe de Alba)
120. The Three Musketeers (1948, George Sidney) (Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Angela Lansbury)
121. Outcast of the Islands (1952, Carol Reed) (Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley)
122. Hook (1991, Steven Spielberg) (Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams)
123. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp)
124. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973, Gordon Hessler) (John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker)
125. The Wind and the Lion (1975, John Milius) (Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston)

15 Greatest Animated Adventure Movies
1. Toy Story (1995, John Lasseter)
2. Finding Nemo (2003, Andrew Stanton)
3. Toy Story 3 (2010, Lee Unkrich)
4. Up (2009, Pete Docter)
5. Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
6. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, Hayao Miyazaki)
7. The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
8. Toy Story 2 (1999, John Lasseter)
9. Castle in the Sky (1986, Hayao Miyazaki)
10. Princess Mononoke (1997, Hayao Miyazaki)
11. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926, Lotte Reiniger)
12. The Jungle Book (1967, Wolfgang Reitherman)
13. Howl's Moving Castle (2004, Hayao Miyazaki)
14. Moana (2016, John Musker, Ron Clements)
15. The Adventures of Tintin (2011, Steven Spielberg)

[ManPerson]

I'd have Finding Nemo over Toy Story 3 and Up since I figure it's the most popular of the three, while everything else is close (and all fit cleanly within the adventure genre).

[Brian]

OK, I'll do that, though I don't think there's all that much difference in popularity between Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3.

[Area Man]

Looks phenomenal!

The only things I'd change is I'd add Michael Caine to the Zulu cast (he gets the "Introducing" credit, I believe, though it's not his first movie) and add Howl's Moving Castle to the animation section (which could free up a spot for either The Wind and the Lion or The Most Dangerous Game.

[Brian]

Thank you, Area Man, and thanks to everyone for your comments.

I added Michael Caine to the Zulu listing, and you're quite right that Howl's Moving Castle should be on the animated movies list, so I made that move. At least for now, I've added The Wind and the Lion to the list. I think's it's probably just a shade more deserving than National Treasure, which I think was the strongest of the 4 films that I dropped.