7. Little Giants (1994)

Starring Rick Moranis, Ed O'Niell, and a very young Devin Sawa (so young, in fact, he had not yet proliferated the cover of Teen Bob), there are few other kids' based 90's sports films as quintessentially 90's as the little gem: Warner Bro's 1994 entry, Little Giants.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by the man who brought you Homeward Bound & Halloweentown, inspired by a 1992 McDonald's Super Bowl commercial, featuring cameos by Emmitt Smith and John Madden, and based upon a budding sibling pee-wee football rivalry (the fraternal foes here are the coaches) in the small Ohio town of Urbania, this film is as about American as apple pie.

The only non-Disney entry in our bracket/cluster/tournament of movies about underdog pre-teens who valiantly triumph over evil (whether that invidious force appear in the guise of The Hawks / The Knights / Iceland / Tony Perkins / Shitty Dads / Eden Hall Academy's Varsity Squad), the Little Giants is a worthy inclusion: a seminal kids' film from this wickedly rich decade of the genre.

Revolving around familial conflict, the culture of bullying, and the obnoxious stereotypes of gender-based prejudice, Little Giants exudes a realism and naturalness that feels fresh, and yet it still makes sure to pile in all of the usual juvenile antics for a welcoming bevy of laughs: including snot bubbles, concussions, go-kart races, pratfalls, crappy / eclectic equipment choices, milquetoast warriors, and chubby kids who hide food in unlikely places (a PB&J in a football helmet) / torment their environment with hilariously puerile bouts of unstoppable flatulence.

So get a PB&J yourself and perhaps a roll of toilet paper to toss around with a friend, and treat yourself to our very personal breakdown of this incredibly nostalgic film: a dissection that is hopefully as brilliant and elaborate as the ingenious Annexation of Puerto Rico trick play. Plus, enjoy a mid-episode interview with Michael Visy, a fellow Little Giants enthusiast, a lifelong NY Giants fan, and a co-host from the wildly charming Michael Scott Guarantee Podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/908746).