The Secret Garden (1949)

When young Mary Lennox loses her parents, she finds herself on a boat headed for England and her Uncle Craven’s house. The mysterious house contains over one hundred concealed rooms and overlooks the haunting moors. With her uncle distracted and absent, Mary wanders around until she finds a locked door in the garden, where it leads will become her own secret world, where the other children of the household and Mary can escape to and call their own. Starring Margaret O’Brien and Dean Stockwell, The Secret Garden was far ahead of its time and set the bar high for future adaptations.