The 10 Best Movies to Show Your Young Children

Today’s movie landscape is like a mine field when it comes to movies that you can show to your young children. Certain movies you just want to hold off until they reach a certain level of maturity. However, there are good movies that you can show to young children especially when are trying to learn about our society and have not acquired certain tastes in what is trendy, although I have included movies that came out recently. For this list I shall focus on movies that are at least 30 minutes or more in length. I also picked movies in which there is no content that likely could frighten young children. So, a movie like “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs” is off this list. If you disagree, that is fine. Personally, I did not find the transformation of the Evil Queen into the “Old Hag” scary but that is me. It may not it be the case for other children.

1. The Peanuts Movie (2015): While the movie is animated by computers, and certain creative liberties were taken (Peppermint Patty and Marcie attend the same school with Charlie Brown in the movie, but went to different schools in the comics); this movie still has the essence of the original comic strip and the television adaptions (including the four movie adaptations between 1969 through 1980). Truly family friendly and one of the few G rated movies in the 21st Century. Finally, with this movie Charlie Brown gets his confidence and gets the girl. A “little Red Haired” one. There is still your typical trappings and a secondary story involving Snoopy’s proposed novel (and fantasy) as a “World War I Flying Ace” and his rivalry with the Red Baron. The success of this movie only proved that the universe of Charlie Brown and Peanuts still has mass appeal. Long before Modern Family’s Manny Delgado, Charlie Brown and his peers were the original grownup children. If the masses are demanding a sequel they need to bring that up to the wife of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz who has not given the green light at this time. I like to see her and the Schultz estate change their mind. In the meantime, there are plenty of classic Peanuts videos in the can and for sale.

2. The Red Balloon (1956): I barely remember this film being shown to me in school in my preschool and grade school years. This movie still held up in the 1970’s and while the movie is a bit dated now, this is still a good movie to show to your children before they learn more about our present-day culture. This French movie for the most part has no spoken dialog, but it shows the relationship between a boy (Pascal Lamorisse) and a red balloon that has a mind of his own. While the balloon ishelium-filled, its able to float outside the boy’s apartment since it is not allowed in the residence. Eventually the boy encounters neighborhood bullies who pop the boy’s balloon. The boy’s kindness is still rewarded when many balloons come into a cluster for the boy and take him for a ride above the city of Paris.

“The Red Balloon” is the only short film in history to win the American Academy Award for Best Screenplay which was written by Pascal’s father Albert Lamorisse (and also produced and directed the movie). This movie should be used to be bring discussions about relationships with other people and teach principles of good human interaction, and being a friend to others. While you may not get a cluster balloon ride, you may realize that you will be rewarded somehow, regardless if its big or small.

3. Paddington (2014): One of last adaptions of this beloved bear from Peru (but adapts English etiquette along with his skill to walk among the humans) that creator Michael Bond was able to see before he would pass away in 2017. While Paddington was adapted to television three times in some kind of animated form, this was the first adaptation to the big screen and a live action/CGI movie. Like all adaptions before this one, the title character was sent away by his Aunt Lucy and both of them are human like bears that are very intelligent and can speak. Our protagonist bear gets his name Paddington from the central London railway station, and like the previous adaptation it’s the Brown family that name him as well as adopt him. In the movie however, he has to earn his place in the Brown family, and also must deal with the villainess Millicent Clyde who works as a taxidermist and plans to make Paddington Bear another one of her creations. All and all Paddington is a gentleman bear who tries to be kind and polite and is well-intended in spite of the mistakes he has and will make. The movie was a box office smash in its native UK, and also did well in America and Japan. A sequel to this movie, has been released in November 2017, and there are plans for a third movie.

4. All The “Toy Story” movies (1996, 1999, 2010): This was the movie series that made CGI motion pictures a regular artform in feature length movies. It also put then independent Pixar Animation Studios (back in 1996) on the map. Several major rival CGI animation studios would soon follow. Muppets creator Jim Henson did a similar story before the Toy Story trilogy, but it was Pixar/Disney that perfected it and garner more mass appeal. The story was about a secret life of toys that belong to a boy named Andy. The core characters are Woody the cowboy and Buzz Lightyear the space superhero. Each installment builds to the next and unlike other sequels the Toy Story franchise magnifies the whole storyline. In the first movie it’s about Woody and his place among the toys when Buzz Lightyear enters the lives of himself and Andy’s toys, and being able to come to terms with Buzz and becoming best friends. The second movie is Woody’s story as he learns about himself and his origins. The third takes place 11 years later with a now college bound Andy, and the fate of his toys come into question. It will take the teamwork of both Woody and Buzz to save the day. The story is not over yet, for Toy Story 4 is in the pipeline as of this piece, and is planned to be released in June 2019.

5. Charlotte’s Web (2006): Both this movie, and the cel-animated version from 1973 have won critical acclaim. Since Rotten Tomatoes gave the 2006 live action version its “Certified Fresh” credentials I shall list this version (but please check out the ’73 animated version in any case). This movie would be the final role of Dakota Fanning as a child actress, and would transition into mature roles soon after. We know the story about a pig (Wilbur) who is heading for the meatgrinder and the spider (Charlotte) who prevents that from happening by letting everyone know that Wilbur deserves much better than to be someone’s meal. Wilbur is entered in a contest and wins. Wilbur however must let Charlotte go because of the spawn of eggs she produced. While many of the young spiders go elsewhere, three of them will keep Wilbur company. This movie is a great farewell to childhood for Dakota Fanning in the role of Fern Arable who is the human that saved Wilbur in the first place.

6. Up (2009): This Pixar movie of the year was able to balance light and dark, especially after it made the darkest movie of its existent to date the year before. It’s not that “WALL-E” is a bad movie or ‘Batman’ dark. WALL-E did very well like any other Pixar release; but for the Disney subsidiary, it was a dark movie. The story starts out sad with our protagonist Carl Fredricksen (who’s character was inspired by Edward Anser’s own Lou Grant for the character’s personality and the real-life Spencer Tracey for the character’s visual look) as we look at his back story and how he (and his now deceased wife Ellie) did not get what they wanted but they persisted. Carl is not exactly able to cope, but is determined to stay in his old home while skyscrapers are closing in on him. Rather than move into a senior community and break a promise to his long-gone wife, Carl and his home take the cluster balloon ride. That balloon ride is where the light comes in to balance this movie out. A Wilderness Explorer (a fictional scouting group) by the name of Russell comes along by mistake for this balloon ride. You see Russell, has chosen Carl to be the elderly person to help out in order to score his final scout badge. Carl and Russell soon meet up with a golden retriever named Dug who can commutate with our protagonists via his special collar. Together they take on the film’s antagonist Charles F. Muntz and prevent him for capturing a rare bird named Kevin. This was also the movie that made the “squirrel” a popular catch phrase for Dug can get distracted by the word and the respect critter. Great movie to talk to young children about honest friendships and remaining persistent in their dreams and goals regardless of the obstacles and the possibly of those goals never to happen.

7. The Princess Bride (1987): This 1987 movie, based on the 1973 novel that takes place in theRenaissance styled world still holds up. In fact, it truly became William Goldman’s magnum opus regardless if he likes it or not. In spite of some adult situations and language, the young children will love this romantic swash bucking misadventure of Buttercup (aka The Bride), farmhand Westley (and the man Buttercup really loves and vice versa) master swordsman Inigo Montoya, and the giant Fezzik. Also, you have Fred Savage (prior to him being casted in the TV series The Wonder Years) in the movie’s framing story as a sick boy who listens to the mainstory being told by his grandfather.

8. Mary Poppins (1964): This movie made Julie Andrews a star on the movie screen as much as the stage. Andrews plays the title role who takes the role of nanny to oversee the children of the much stiff nicked and disciplined George Banks in Edwardian London. While Mary Poppins is no sour puss, she does not roll over either. She can put the Banks children in their place without them losing their respect for their nanny. Poppins is also helped out by best friend Bert who is a jack of all trades man (he has four jobs in the movie), and has likely known abouther skills in magic for quite some time. In the end its Bert that lets Mr. Banks know they he should spend time with his children Jane and Michael before they grow up. Truly a message for the parents who try to give their children everything but their heart, and this movie is great quality time with them.

9. Fantasia (1940) &Fantasia 2000 (1999): Do you hate the direction that most pop music has gone? Want to try and get your children hooked into some quality music before their peers and teenage sitters get to them first? Well here is the best thing to use along with your Baby Einstein classical music albums. That being the Disney masterpieces “Fantasia” and its long-awaited follow-up “Fantasia 2000.” I would not sit them through the whole movies…just yet. Some of the animation might go over the heads of young children but a few will catch their attention. I say start them off with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” which is featured in both movies and has Mickey Mouse as the apprentice looking for short cuts in life. Then go with Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 (from Fantasia 2000) which features Donald Duck helping Noah get the animals into his ark before the rains come down. Spoiler alert, he does reunite with Daisy at the end of the segment. Also, another segment that will work would be “The Carnival of the Animals (Le Carnival des Animaux), Finale” (from Fantasia 2000) as a flock of flamingoes try to get one of their own to lay off the yo-yo with not much success. Finally, for the lighter stuff its “Dance of the Hours” (from the original Fantasia) that features an all animal ballet. After that then you can try some of the moderate segments of the films such as from the original 1940 Fantasia; “The Pastoral Symphony” by Ludwig van Beethoven (A gathering of mythical Greco-Roman creatures for a festival to honor Bacchus), and “Rite of Spring” by IgorStravinsky (A visual history of the Earth’s beginnings based on the theory of evolution). From Fantasia 2000 you have Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi (flying humpback whales), and Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (four individuals, Duke, Joe, Rachel, and John, who wish for a better life but never met each other). If you can still hold the interest then maybe you can sit them through both movies. If these movies don’t make your kids a fan of Mozart and Beethoven. You can always try Hard Rock and Heavy Metal before Taylor Swift gets them good. Talk about “Look What You Made Me Do.” I took a jab at her while writing about Disney animated pictures set to the music of the Great Masters.

10. Lilo and Stitch (2002): This movie and the franchise that followed was all the rage in the turn of the century. While its prime time has declined, the movie still holds up about a young girl (Lilo) who was orphaned at a young age and the dog she adopted who she will soon realize that it’s a genetically created alien. Lio however does not care, and loves the faux dog she named Stitch. This movie about two misfits is still perfect family viewing.