Once a week here at Casaflodnak we have Family Movie Night. This is when we eat popcorn, drink cokes, and watch a movie together on the VCR/DVD player. Sometimes it’s one from our collection, sometimes we rent one from the video store.
I’d love suggestions for new movies to watch. While totnak, who is 3, would be perfectly content to watch Disney Classic type movies every weekend (hell, he could watch Dumbo every weekend and be happy), 9-year-old flodjunior has stated, with the subtlety and tact that pre-teens are known for, that he’s had about enough of those for the time being, thanks.
Recent hits include: Lilo & Stitch, Shrek, Antz, Chicken Run, UHF, Yellow Submarine, the animated Asterix movies, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Any inspiration about other titles these guys might enjoy that won’t drive grown-ups nuts? Thanks!
Oooh, I don’t know. Entertainment for 3 year-olds and adults is quite a stretch. You’ve mentioned Shrek, which is probably the best I could think of; it has lots of adult “in” jokes, and stuff for kids too.
I was going to suggest some of the standby’s like Annie, The Princess Bride, Fly Away Home, Mighty Ducks, and so on, but they may be intended for kids a tad older. Your 3 y/o may get bored pretty quickly.
Maybe try some really old stuff like Abbot & Costello or something?
My kids are three and four (nearly four and five now)
My three year old likes Princess Bride, but it isn’t a favorite.
Spirted Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro.
The Pokeman crap (or Metabots, DragonballZ) may appeal to your nine year old. It will, however, rot your brain.
Old cartoons, and new stuff - Samarai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Justice League all appeal to our three and four year old (and should still appeal at nine), and the old stuff (my kids love Underdog).
If you liked Shrek and Antz - have you tried Ice Age?
They like the Spy Kids stuff.
And the slightly grown up Disney animation - Treasure Planet, Atlantis - will appeal to a nine year old.
(My kids do like movie musicals at three and four. Singing in the Rain is a favorite. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But your nine year old may be done with that.)
I suggest “Free To Be You and Me” from the 70’s. They don’t make stuff like that anymore!
Free To Be You And Me
I grew up with it. It was on TV about a year ago, prompting me to buy it. When I saw that it was on, I called my mom in a flurry of excitement and we watched it together on the phone, remembering when we used to watch it together.
There was a filmed (1983) version of Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline and Angella Langsbury. This was a favourite of my nephew when he was three or four and all the family loved it. Only available on VHS at the moment.
The Sandlot is a favorite of my kids (9, 6 and 5) and I can stand to watch it as well. It is a coming of age baseball movie (think Christmas Story set in the summer). They do say “the S word” once, but it I’m not even sure if my kids noticed it.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. Mild use of the words “gay” and “fag” as insults, but nothing truly corrupting IMO.
Oooh, lots of suggestions. Thank you! I’ll be taking a list to the video store this weekend…
Finding Nemo isn’t even in the theaters here yet - it’s only due to be released in November! This is a pretty good sign they’re dubbing the soundtrack, why else would it take so long? I’m hoping there will be a non-dubbed version, since they are both fluent in English - either way, it sounds like a movie we can take both boys to see at the movie theater for the first time. Totnak has had a trial run with a kiddie movie his brother was “too big” for. He sat as still as can be, munched his popcorn and watched “the big TV” I’d love to take them both, it’ll be an early Christmas treat…
The Horse in The Grey Flannel Suit – an older Disney classic featuring a 16-year-old Kurt Russel. LOL!
It’s about a girl who wants a horse, and her dad is an ad executive and he gets the client to buy a horse and name it after their product (Aspercel). It actually has a good message which is that when you pressure yourself, even fun things aren’t so fun anymore. Ends in a big dramatic scene with Aspercel winning it all. Hurrah!
When it gets nearer to halloween, you might try one of my mom’s favorites: The Little Vampire. Not too scary, not even as much as Hocus Pocus would be for a 3-year-old… which is far less scary than Willie Wonka (Even Believe
a “family” horror movie that I really like isn’t that scary. Or maybe a lot of people don’t find WW as disturbing as I do). Hey, if you want to give the kids a thrill, maybe you could do a halloween weekend in the summer- it’s even more unsual than Christmas in July; rent those and look around for the Garfield and Charlie Brown halloween specials which are both on video, AFAIK.
Just an addendum: I just remembered that the Bill & Ted movies have a few “four-letter words” in them. Depending on what kind of language your kids have (or have not) been exposed to, you may want to skip those.
Just a nitpick – they aren’t specifically Christian. In fact, I don’t recall ever hearing the name Jesus in any of the videos. They do talk about God a lot, especially in the “we should all be good and kind and love each other” kind of way. The stories they act out (as much as walking, talking vegetables with no limbs can anyway) are mostly based on Old Testament figures and stories (Joshua, David, etc.).
Personally, I think they are a hoot. My kids love 'em. And the songs are fantastic.
I’d also second Kiki’s Delivery Service, as well as anything by Pixar.
A lot of the older kids movies seem to be more adult-friendly than some of the mass-produced kiddie fare today. My kids are big fans of Willy Wonka, which I like quite a bit as well.
Of course, my kids might just be different. My six year old girl’s favorite movie of all time is Singing in the Rain.
I’d love to take them both, it’ll be an early Christmas treat…