Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

30 Most Intelligent Movie Children

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 9 June 2014

Pre-pubescent prodigies

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Billy Elliot (2000)

The Intelligent Child: The titular hero, aged 11, swaps boxing for ballet, and discovers a natural flair that sets him at odds with his macho family.

Cleverest Moment: Getting accepted at the Royal Ballet School, despite punching a boy at his audition!

Hugo (2011)

The Intelligent Child: Hugo Cabret, an orphan who hides in Montparnasse station, where he puts his mechanical knowhow to work repair the station's clocks.

Latest Videos From
You may like
  • Harry Potter The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
  • The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3 The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now

Cleverest Moment: Painstakingly putting together a automaton invented by George Méliès.

School Of Rock (2003)

The Intelligent Child: Let's face it, every pupil in Horace Green prep school is a brainiac. But none is smarter than class swot Summer Hathaway.

Cleverest Moment: In her new role as School Of Rock's band manager, she convinces a venue to let the band perform by pretending they are all terminally ill.

The 400 Blows (1959)

The Intelligent Child: Antoine Doinel, troubled youth whose only escape from uncaring parents and authorities is to lose himself in cinema.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Cleverest Moment: Antoine is street-smart, so uses his guile to abscond from a youth detention centre so he can fulfil his life's dream of seeing the ocean.

August Rush (2007)

The Intelligent Child: Runaway orphan Evan Taylor elopes to New York to find his parents, where his gift for music helps him live on the streets.

Cleverest Moment: Rebranded as guitar hero August Rush, Evan is enrolled into Juilliard, where he compose and conduct a rhapsody.

You may like
  • Harry Potter The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
  • The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3 The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

The Intelligent Child: Elliott, the Californian kid who discovers a lost alien in his garden, keeps it hidden from parents and authorities (for as long as possible, at least) and helps it to get home.

Cleverest Moment: Giving E.T. some fresh air at Halloween by disguising him as a ghost.

Leon (1994)

The Intelligent Child: 12-year-old Mathilde Lando, a tomboy who vows vengeance when her family is slaughtered by corrupt DEA agent Stansfield.

Cleverest Moment: Realising the benefits that having a hitman as a neighbour can bring, and convincing Leon to train her to become a 'cleaner,' too.

The Addams Family Values (1993)

The Intelligent Children: Wednesday and Pugsley Addams aren't about to let being sent to a hellishly upbeat summer camp stand in the way of their creepy cleverness.

Cleverest Moment: Wednesday pretending to be 'cured' of her Gothic tendencies in order to take the leading role in the camp's Thanksgiving play - the best place from which to stage a revolt.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

The Intelligent Child: We're cheating slightly here. Yes, Claudia is a girl but, technically, she's lived for hundreds of years as a vampire, which is what gives her an edge in the intelligence stakes.

Cleverest Moment: Overcoming fellow vampire Lestat by tricking him into drinking the blood from a corpse.

Ivan's Childhood (1962)

The Intelligent Child: 12-year-old Russian whose family were killed by the Nazis, and who has become an intuitive, intelligent fighter for the cause.

Cleverest Moment: Ivan's size makes him the perfect spy, and he crosses a treacherous swamp while dodging Nazi patrols.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Simon Kinnear
Read more
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
 
 
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
 
 
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
 
 
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Movies 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
Keanu Reeves as FBI Agent Johnny Utah and Patrick Swayze as Bodhi "Bodhisattva" in the movie Point Break.
Hulu The best movies on Hulu to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Movies
Shadow (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic 3
Live Action Movies Sonic the Hedgehog 4 director calls it the "best Sonic movie yet" as filming officially wraps
 
 
Bob Odenkirk as Ulysses in Normal
Action Movies Bob Odenkirk and John Wick creator's new movie isn't just an action flick – it also has a surprising amount of heart
 
 
Grogu uses the Force in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies What to watch before The Mandalorian and Grogu: 4 Star Wars movies and 5 shows to prepare
 
 
Vision
Marvel Movies Marvel is so secretive, Paul Bettany didn't even know he died in Avengers: Infinity War until the day it happened
 
 
Daniel Craig in No Time to Die
James Bond Movies The search for the next James Bond kicks off with Game of Thrones casting director at the helm
 
 
Doctor Strange wearing cape
Marvel Movies Marvel fans convinced Avengers: Secret Wars is getting delayed amid new filming date reports
 
 
Latest in Features
A destroyer from Marathon looking head-on, with a pale blue sky behind
FPS Games Killing Marathon would be self-sabotage for Sony
 
 
Bob Odenkirk as Ulysses in Normal
Action Movies Bob Odenkirk and John Wick creator's new movie isn't just an action flick – it also has a surprising amount of heart
 
 
Cities of Sigmar Cogfort box on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming If you miss weird old Warhammer, the new Cities of Sigmar models are for you
 
 
Image of a collection of Kojima game character merch on a light green GamesRadar+ background.
Toys & Collectibles This Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding merch is enough to unite all Hideo Kojima fans
 
 
Hand holding Scuf Omega PS5 controller
Gaming Controllers The Scuf Omega costs $220, but my favorite feature can be found in controllers at a fraction of that price
 
 
Grogu uses the Force in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies What to watch before The Mandalorian and Grogu: 4 Star Wars movies and 5 shows to prepare
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Grogu uses the Force in The Mandalorian and Grogu
    1
    What to watch before The Mandalorian and Grogu: 4 Star Wars movies and 5 shows to prepare
  2. 2
    Eiji Aonuma tried to "graduate" from Zelda after Wind Waker, but Shigeru Miyamoto said otherwise
  3. 3
    10 Games like World of Warcraft that'll take over your time next
  4. 4
    Sonic the Hedgehog 4 director calls it the "best Sonic movie yet" as filming officially wraps
  5. 5
    Crimson Desert Kliff actor says video game acting wasn't treated as "proper acting" by peers

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...