Over the last month, Rob and I have sat down a few times to watch a family movie with our kids. While the popcorn and company are great, we can't seem to find a movie that satisfies our adult need for a plot and appeals to our kids, without being scary. So far, Disney's Robin Hood is one of our favorites, followed by The Heffalump Movie. We also really enjoy Ratatouille.
A few weeks ago we tried Benji. While it was clean, it had a scene with two children getting kidnapped, gags and all. My kids were shocked! So of course, we turn it into a learning experience: "That's why we always say to stay by mom and dad." ;) Our next try was Babar, when the mom got shot in the first scene. After gasping in unison, our kids yelled, "Mom! Dad!" and were talking about it the rest of the week. I know that conflict and plot usually go hand in hand. I'm okay with that as long as I know what to expect.
We could really use some recommendations for clean movies geared towards young children, with more of a plot than Diego. It's a bonus if it has real people in it!
What are your favorites, now or when you were little?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Request for Family Movie Recommendations!
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We have struggled with this as well. We have resorted to Musicals in all shapes and sizes. The Princess Diaries has also been fun for my girls, although Adam could live without them. Mostly we stick with the animated movies because they are safe. Have you tried any of the Veggie Tale movies? They are hilarious and my kids love them. They don't have real people in them though. Hmmm...Enchanted was fun, but the Dragon in the end is a little scary (according to my kids). Most of the older Disney films are good. Flubber, Parent Trap, etc. Honey I shrunk the Kids is fun, although the scorpion is kind of scary. We still have a tendency to steer towards animated and musicals. We feel that the kids have plenty of time to experience the other stuff. (=
ReplyDeleteSo, no real people...but you should watch Meet the Robinsons (it is about a orphan boy and his story, so I guess it can be a sensitive topic, but a very cute story, very funny and I don't think it's really bad in any way). I LOVE that movie! I also don't think it's scary, but I'm not little anymore. There may be a small part at the end, but it's not that bad.
ReplyDeleteI'll see what else I can come up with. I do agree about Enchanted...I enjoyed that movie also, however I could see the dragon scene being frightening to some little ones. I don't think it was as scary as some kids movies are, however.
I talked with my kids about this and they told me that I forgot to mention anything with the Muppets in them. They love "The Great Muppet Caper". I also think the the Muppet show reruns are fun to watch as well. Adams favorite for awhile was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and they also love the older version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Noelle loves Summer Magic from Disney. Babes in Toyland is fun as well as the Gnome Mobile. They both have people in them. (= If I think of any more I will let you know.
ReplyDeleteDitto on Meet the Robinsons--I had the choice between watching it and napping and I ended up choosing watching (shocking, I know). Ditto on Veggie Tales and anything Muppet. I personally enjoy some of the Barbie movies, though I don't know how well they'll go across all the testosterone in your house. (We like the Princess & the Pauper, Swan Lake, the 12 Dancing Princesses and the Island Girl). My kids have ended up liking some of the campy stuff: Ernest Goes to Camp, Jail & Africa, but they may be too scary (not Goes to Camp). They also like The Three Amigos, the Pacifier, Napoleon Dynamite, and some other random things. Oh, and there's always Charlie Brown, but I've never liked Charlie Brown too much. The kids aren't very nice to each other... The Emperor's New Groove is hilarious and Kronk's New Groove is an okay follow up--plenty of chuckles in both for adults and kids. Then there's the High School Musicals and the Shreks (Shrek the Third is one of my favorite movies ever!)... That's all I can think of right now. Sorry, the only non-animated thing that we usual watch together is KidSongs because we can all sing along to the music! :)
ReplyDeleteWe also love muppet movies. We also just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then we watched the movie with our girls and they liked it. I would definitely read the book first. I actually can't remember the older version of Charlie and.....
ReplyDeleteI'll keep thinking....
our kids love the movie Sky High, Its a movie Mike and I have watched many times and still found something to laugh about.I have to agree with everyone else, Muppet movies are a hit. Our kids too love the barbie movies even Spencer. Ella Enchanted is one of our favorites as well as the Princess Diaries, even Mike will watch these.
ReplyDeleteAbout 12 years ago the movie BABE came out. It's the one with a talking pig. We love that movie! We're extremely picky about the movies we watch and own. We've had the best luck with the PIXAR movies since they are the cleanest, and still reated G. My girls and I just saw Enchanted and it's cute and clean enough to recomend. We also really love the Princess Bride...."Incomprehensiable....and my name Ingeo Montoya...you killed my father...now prepare to die..."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I forgot Veggie Tales...we own almost all of them and they are great!!
ReplyDeleteFly Away Home!!! Found it at Walmart for $5. It is sooo good. and the music is wonderful. Good for little girls and parents. Feel good movie.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the neatest website ever: www.kids-in-mind.com. It breaks down movies by violence, sex, profanity, etc and tells you EXACTLY what to expect so there's no surprises. Some of our favorite movies as a family are Polar Express, Racing Stripes, Stuart Little, and Parent Trap. Good luck! (Older Disney movies are great too) :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Enchanted and Meet the Robinsons! I also like Cars and Mary Poppins is usually played a couple times a month in my house. A random real person movie that Kelly likes to watch with us is Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. I think that movie is so hilarious and Kelly has memorized the song in the beginning--she usually just wants to watch the 80s music video in the beginning over and over.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I am finding a lot of the movies we loved when we were little are inappropriate--random swear words and the like. It's so funny what we missed though, so maybe our kids won't be as damaged as we think? I used to watch Alice in Wonderland every day. Cubby goes between Cars, Peter Pan, and Jungle Book, despite my attempts at the Incredibles--one of the coolest cartoons ever, EVER!
ReplyDeleteWe actually have Fly Away Home (my mom found it at Walmart and gave it to us) and I agree it is a cute movie. If you want to borrow it, let me know.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the new Charlotte's Web, and I loved it. It's a really good childrens movie, because the animals talk and the movie actually teaches all about love and compassion. I loved it!!
ReplyDelete