# Dad and Kids Movie Watch List **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398 "2017-02-09T16:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/1 "2017-02-09T16:49:02Z")
So I’m trying to introduce my 2 sons to good movies that they probably would never have any intrest in because they are to busy on their phones or busy watching clips of new stuff on youtube. Since my divorce 3 years ago, I’ve taken time on my weekends with the boys to show them good movies that I have always loved. Some older than others, but all good, in my opinion. More often then not, the boys loved them too, even when they thought they wouldn’t (_Star Wars_ original trilogy.) Here’s what they have watched so far and their opinions … _Willow_ - We all loved it. _Speed_ - Same _ET_ - Thumbs Up _Earth to Echo_ - Thumbs Up _The Dark Crystal_ - Thumbs Up _The Labyrinth_ - Ok _Ponyo_ - Thumbs Up _Iron Giant_ - Loved _My Neighbor Totoro_ - Loved _Beetlejuice - Thumbs Up Star Wars , Empire, Jedi - Thumbs Up Pee Wee’s Big Adventure - Thumbs Up Edward Scissorhands - Sad, but Loved it Goonies - Thumbs Up Big - Thumbs Up I know there were more, I can’t think of them all though … anyway, here’s my question to you : Do you think they could handle the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings_ series. My boys are 13 and 10. I’m concerned that they may get turned off a bit on some of the slower parts, but they do like fantasy and adventure, but I know that these movies aren’t all action and monsters and adventure all the time. So do you think I should try just the _Hobbit_ (Movie 1) first and see their reaction? I had to basically make them watch _Star Wars_ 1, they almost considered it punishment, but once it was all over, they liked it. I wonder if these will be the same. Do you think that there will be some parts that may involve explanation to the 10 year old. I think there may be, but I do think overall that they’ll like them. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/2 "2017-02-09T16:52:10Z")
Some I enjoyed with my kids at that age: _Spaceballs_ _Napolean Dynamite_ _Young Frankenstein_ _Lord of the Rings_ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/3 "2017-02-09T17:08:39Z")
Some good options in [this earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=809948). ETA: BTW, are “loved” and “thumbs up” [the same rating](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028389/quotes?item=qt0339228)? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/4 "2017-02-09T17:17:24Z")
Big Trouble in Little China Batman (1966) ---
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/5 "2017-02-09T17:18:09Z")
I think in this case “Loved It” ranks slightly higher than “Thumbs Up.” ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/6 "2017-02-09T17:50:22Z")
Dragonslayer. ---
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/7 "2017-02-09T17:59:02Z")
Good suggestions so far, but in regards to my original post, what say you all on Hobbit/Lord? Should I show the boys these films or wait a couple years? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/8 "2017-02-09T17:59:38Z")
I’d start them on _Fellowship of the Ring_ and then on to the next two LOTR movies. If they watched _The Hobbit_ first, it might turn them off of the better, earlier movies. Some other suggestions: _Spirited Away Raiders of the Lost Ark Jurassic Park Princess Mononoke Forbidden Planet_ ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/9 "2017-02-09T18:02:39Z")
> [@Dante\_G](#): > > Good suggestions so far, but in regards to my original post, what say you all on Hobbit/Lord? Should I show the boys these films or wait a couple years? My wife wasn’t thrilled when my kids (ages 11, 8, 7) watched LotR, but the kids loved it. 13 and 10 seems plenty old enough. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/10 "2017-02-09T18:06:04Z")
one that my two loved (then 8 and 10) was “Ferris Bueller’s day off” ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/11 "2017-02-09T19:10:29Z")
How about The Bad News Bears? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/12 "2017-02-09T19:20:52Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > How about The Bad News Bears? The original? I wouldn’t. I watched it about a year ago and wow, that movie did NOT age well. I especially wouldn’t let a 10 year old watch it. I know there was a remake a few years ago, but haven’t seen it so I can’t comment on it. What about the Lemony Snicket series on Netflix? Or the movie with Jim Carrey? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/13 "2017-02-09T19:40:47Z")
Whatever you do, never ever let them watch _The Phantom Menace_. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/14 "2017-02-09T19:59:54Z")
The Color of Magic Hogfather ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/15 "2017-02-09T20:07:52Z")
> [@Dante\_G](#): > > Good suggestions so far, but in regards to my original post, what say you all on Hobbit/Lord? Should I show the boys these films or wait a couple years? Do you mean the risk of them being traumatized or of being bored stiff? Because I think the latter is much more likely than the former. (That is for the LOTR trilogy–I never bothered with the Hobbit movies.) ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/16 "2017-02-09T20:19:41Z")
My kids like _LotR_, and they are now 12 and 13- I introduced them to it several years ago. I say go for it. And I also have to agree with a lot of the additional suggestions: _Spaceballs, Big Trouble in Little China_, and all things **Studio Ghibli** (with the possible exception of _From Up on Poppy Hill_- great movie, but possibly a bit boring for kids). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/17 "2017-02-09T20:26:09Z")
You’re probably looking for theatrical released films, but how about the TV movies, _The Night Stalker_ and _The Night Strangler_? these were the two Movie of the Week releases that featured the reporter Carl Kolchak. They’re only 90 minutes long and involve vampires & immortality. I was only 11 & 12 when I saw them, so the age fits your sons. And, if they like these films you could watch the short lived (only 20 episodes) of the TV series spin-off: _Kolchak The Night Stalker_ which featured a monster of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/18 "2017-02-09T20:37:42Z")
Interesting. Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I might start with Fellowship instead of The Hobbit. The backstory is pretty much told in the beginning of Fellowship, so it should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/19 "2017-02-09T20:42:24Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > all things **Studio Ghibli** (with the possible exception of _From Up on Poppy Hill_- great movie, but possibly a bit boring for kids). As much of a fan as I am of Studio Ghibli, I can think of several of their movies that probably aren’t good fits for 10 and 13 year old American boys. Along with _From Up on Poppy Hill_, I think they would likely be bored by _Only Yesterday_, _Whisper of the Heart_, _My Neighbors the Yamadas_, _When the Wind Rises_, and _When Marnie Was There_, and maybe _The Tale of the Princess Kaguya_. And the 10 year old at least is probably too young for _Graveyard of Fireflies_. And _Tales of Earthsea_ is simply a lousy movie. So that leaves Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, _The Cat Returns_, _Howl’s Moving Castle_, and _Arrietty_ as recommendations (he already mentioned _Ponyo_ and _My Friend Totoro_.) _Princess Mononokoe_ may or may not be too intense for the 10 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dad-and-kids-movie-watch-list/779398/20 "2017-02-09T21:56:53Z")
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