Watching movies for family moments might sound like a fun activity. It keeps the atmosphere relaxed and the kids are quiet, paying attention to the movie, maybe learning new stuff.
Also, the characters might not always be suitable or they might not be a good example for your children. In order for you to be able to have some time for yourself while your kids are watching a child-friendly movie or just to find some movies to watch anytime, we made the section below.
The Gruffalo
This is a beautiful story about a mouse which meets a lot of animals who have the intention of eating him, and they try to pursue him into coming into their house for a meal, but he declines every offer by saying that he is going to dine with his friend, a Gruffalo, whose favourite food happens to be the relevant animal.
The mouse thought a Gruffalo is a fictional monster but he meets one along its way. To save himself, he says he is the most feared animal in the forest and when they walk together, the Gruffalo sees that everyone is afraid of seeing them.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($3.49)
Home Alone
Described by customers as one of their favorite classics, this movie presents the story of a kid who was left behind when his family rushed to go on their Christmas vacation. He happens to have some trouble with some burglars but he manages everything well by preparing different traps to welcome them.
This is a good movie for youngsters, and for some, it became a Christmas tradition to watch it. Moreover, the customers are happy with the picture quality, the price, and the funny moments it provides. All in all, it is an amusing and suitable family movie.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($15)
Tangled
Flynn Rider – the kingdom’s most wanted bandit – hides in a mysterious tower where he finds a pretty young lady, Rapunzel. She has 70 feet of magical golden hair and together they explore the world and go on a fantastic journey which includes superheroes, suspense, and laughter.
Customers find it suitable since the princess is an independent, brave and adventurous girl who knows how to take care of herself and others using all her kindness and power. Also, the animation is done very well and there is a good storyline, with nice lines, scenes, and cinematography.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($23.97)
The Peanuts Movie
The debut of this movie in 3D animation comes with the story of Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, that goes on a very brave and heroic journey with its best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy. They try to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.
Customers say that every character was handled with care and the storyline is adorable and child-friendly. It teaches kids some morals and values and although the characters’ aspect has changed, their personality is still the same. To conclude, this is a suitable movie for all ages and a great activity for families.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($9.88)
Free Willy
This movie pictures the bond between an animal and a boy. Both of them are without families and they feel captured by life’s struggles. Willy is a whale that is kept in a small tank at an aquatic park and Jesse is a scruffy street boy. Together they do their best and fight for finding a way home.
Customers say the nature shots are beautiful and the happy ending makes it suitable for kids. The movie covers a variety of feelings, like sadness, joy and resolve. All in all, they think it’s worth a watch, especially with the family.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($1.65)
Leap!
This is a great and emotional story about an eleven-year-old, Felicie, whose dream is to go to Paris and become a dancer. Her best friend, Victor, is a passionate boy whose dream is to become a famous inventor. Both being without families, they leave their orphanage in order to pursue their passions.
Customers are happy with the animation and the concept of the movie. Also, they are pleased with the fact that there is nothing offensive in the movie, like violence or inappropriate language. The movie only shows the story of an adorable girl and her best friend, so feel free to let the kids watch it as many times as they want.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($5)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
The Chipmunks are a singing sensation, but their manager – Dave – has an accident and ends up in the hospital, so the Chipmunks have to take a break and go to school like kids their age. But the boy’s evil ex-manager discovers a talented trio – Chipettes in 2020 that gives them a really hard time.
Customers are happy with how it makes their kids pay attention to it, so they can save some time for themselves. Also, children seem to love the Chipmunks and some people are pleased with the fact that they added females in the band.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($4.99)
All Creatures Big And Small
If you enjoyed Ice Age, this is a perfect film for you! The main plot revolves around a father and its son who are banned from going on the ark of Noah. They run into some enemies and friends in their quest to be safe. The whole journey creates suspense and excitement, while it provides a nice image of the father-son relationship.
Customers are happy with the objective perspective of the Bible event, and they also say that the creatures were believable and the story well told. Valuable lessons are learned in a fun and caring way.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($19.89)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
A preoccupied inventor can’t make his electro-magnetic shrinking machine work. Then, he accidentally shrinks his kids to one-quarter-inch tall and tosses them out in the trash. Now, they have to face many dangers and start a very hard journey in their own backyard.
They have to face giant cookies, lawn mowers, toys, blades and other things that didn’t use to pose a difficulty to them. Customers are happy with all the creative scenes. For instance, they like the scene where the boys are riding bees. They say it is really well made and great for spending some quality family time.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($36.99)
Happy Feet
This is a very dynamic animated movie about a penguin whose talent for dance brings joy everywhere. The protagonist, Mumble, feels the beat even from the very first moment of life and couldn’t stop dancing since then. The emperor penguins are all about finding their own heart song, and the dancing youngster is a misfit.
Luckily, he meets some little blue penguins and their Spanish-infused group. Together, they start a series of adventures. Customers love the music and the concept. It teaches kids that being different isn’t a bad thing and it also teaches them about protecting the environment.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($5)
Bolt
We all know children love dog movies. A brave dog, Bolt is the star of a very famous show in Hollywood. Being raised only in this context, he thinks everything is real, from the evil guys to his superpowers. He is accidentally shipped to New York City and he is willing to find a way home using his powers.
Along the way, he meets some friends in 2020 a cat and a hamster – who help him face the real world and return to his beloved owner. Being happy with the animation style and the friendship presented between animals, customers would recommend it as a child-friendly movie.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($16.38)
How to find a cool movie for kids
Although there are countless of leisure activities to crowd your kid’s spare time with, watching movies will remain a classic favorite, regardless of the age or the generation. The pleasure of watching movies, as well as the patience to go through all of it comes from the parents, so make sure your kids know how many interesting things they can learn from a movie.
However, finding an appropriate movie for kids may prove a quite difficult task, especially if you don’t have the time to go through online kids movies reviews or check out the latest DVDs for sale. Nevertheless, if you plan on developing your kid’s imagination or simply get a quiet Sunday evening pass by easier, our comprehensive and useful guide will probably help you pick the right movie.
Bear in mind that not all movies with stories are appropriate for children, as well as not all “adult”-labeled movies should be watched alone, without your kids. We believe there is a fine line between art and promiscuity, especially in the cinematography, but this doesn’t mean you should ban your kids from watching movies with kissing scenes or depicted gestures of affection.
How we chose the coolest movies for kids
There are certain things you need to pay attention whenever searching for cool kids movies or to serve your audience the best movies for kids. From the length of the movie to the subjects treated, the story line, and the visual effects, all these can influence the overall opinion will have a certain movie. So here is what you should look for.
The perfect movie length
Whether we talk about movies for teenagers or the best kids movies, bear in mind that children and teens are not used to standing still for long. They easily lose focus and are highly stimulated by everything surrounding them. Thus, the best way to keep your kids’ attention is to make sure the movie is not too long, but not too short either.
Cinemas are the perfect places for letting your kids watch a movie because the surroundings are all dark and your kid will only focus on the screen in front of them. Just make sure to not stuff them with too much soda or popcorn to leave the movie theatre every 20 minutes.
As for the perfect length, we think that a typical movie around 80-90 minutes will suffice, especially if we are talking about smaller children. Obviously, teens can “endure” two-hour long movies and even more, but only if the topic is relevant or interesting. Otherwise, they will skip it after the first 10 minutes.
The story line
If we are talking about movies for tweens, be prepared to face a whole new dimension of horror movies, action movies, zombies, vampires, superheroes and car races for boys or, on the contrary, the typical romcoms for girls. Sure, we don’t want to perpetuate any stereotypes here but studies in the field have shown that preteen girls are mainly interested in movies with teen subjects or cheesy romantic comedies while boys, on the contrary, will have a great satisfaction watching everything bloody, with monsters, or cars.
However, you don’t have to worry about the side effects such movies will have on the psyche of your teen. They are already developed and mature enough to make their own decisions, and we are also talking about a difficult stage in their lives where they will most likely experiment with new movie genres or go out for movies with their friends.
If we are talking about specific movies for 12-year olds, it really depends on how childish or mature your kid is. This critical pre-teen age comes with plenty of mood swings and hormonal changes both for girls and boys, and these changes will affect not only their bodies but their entire personality.
Thus, if your little girl still plays with dolls she might enjoy animations or Disney movies, but don’t act too surprised if she will also want to see an action movie or one rated for adults with a more complex topic.
The subjects treated
Children and especially teens are highly interested in their own persons and hardly show interest in anything else that doesn’t have to do with their closest friends or crushes. Thus, force them to go to the movies with their parents and their younger siblings will definitely seem like a pure act of sadism and torture.
If you want to rent a movie that will make sense for your teen, choose en-vogue topics. You can easily find a list of the “coolest” movies for their age by going through any teens magazine or observing your child’s preferences in terms of actors or singers-turned-actors. Anything that has to do with fame, other teenagers, vampires, zombies, and cheesy love stories will spike the interest of your teens for sure.
Avoid psychological movies or those who are too long, even if they tell a good story. You should also stay away from animations or “children” movies with kids and animals.
Hot actors and actresses are also a good starting point for every teen who wants to watch a movie.
If on the other hand, we are talking about typical children’s movies, keeping a simple storyline with plenty of visual effects will do the trick. It is important to transport our children to magical places, filled with story characters, supernatural heroes, and fairies to stimulate their imagination and positive thinking.
Cartoons and animations are also amongst children’s favorite types of movies because they resemble more their idea of leisure activity and they can see their favorite characters from fairy tales or comic books on the screen.
Superb animations are created by Pixar Studios and DreamWorks Animation studios and they have a whole list of classics that can be watched by children and adults of all ages. We also suggest short animations and the classic Little Prince story to develop your kids’ intellect and stimulate their imagination and vocabulary.
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