# Movie suggestions for a toddler **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922 "2010-04-04T17:19:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/41 "2010-04-07T23:20:46Z")
My kids (ages 5 and 3) love [Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales](http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Other-Sleepytime-Tales/dp/B0007N19BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1270682199&sr=8-1). We also like _Milo and Otis_, and _Benji_ (and you can probably get that one in the $5 bin at WalMart). ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/42 "2010-04-07T23:56:48Z")
But isn’t that she still finds things frightening a sign she isn’t yet ready? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/43 "2010-04-08T00:05:04Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > This may be a bit above her age range, but I recently let my kids (ages 3, 6, and 8) watch _Mary Poppins_, and they really loved it, my 6-year-old in particular. The 3-year-old did wander off after a while. He has low tolerance for live-action movies. For what it’s worth, my then-4-year-old was _devastated_ at the ending of _Mary Poppins_. If your daughter hasn’t been getting enough Mommy time, beware. My daughter is not as sensitive to peril as it sounds like yours is, but she still can’t deal with _Finding Nemo_, which is pretty much nothing but peril from start to finish. I have a friend whose daughter is very sensitive to danger in movies, though, and she finds that her best choices are lightweight movies for adults. How about something like _Top Hat_, or another classic dance film? She might have fun with the dancing and music, even if she doesn’t understand the plot, and I don’t remember any peril at all. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/44 "2010-04-08T00:35:45Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > But isn’t that she still finds things frightening a sign she isn’t yet ready? Do you actually have anything constructive to add to the discussion? The OP is looking for suggestions for non-frightening films for kids, not your uninformed analysis of her child. All kids are going to find some things frightening - sometimes things you would never suspect would be scary. You can’t raise your kid in a bubble. I second (or third) the _Cars_ suggestion. Toy Story 2 is also pretty tame, but the original Toy Story could scare sensitive kids a bit with the mean neighbour kid and his mutant toy collection. I never really realized until I started watching some Disney movies with my kids how often the mothers get the short end of the stick. There seem to be a disproportionate number of dead/absent/evil mothers or stepmothers in Disney movies. Bambi - dead. Snow White - dead mother and evil stepmother. Cinderella, likewise. Ice Age - dead. Jungle Book - absent. Dumbo - imprisoned. I think good old Walt and his cohorts had some mommy issues. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/45 "2010-04-08T00:36:58Z")
I second Milo and Otis - my 3 year old enjoys that one too. She also can handle Cinderella and The Fox and the Hound. I’m excited to try her on Mary Poppins! Has anyone seen the new Princess & the Frog? Is it scary? Slightly off-topic, I have to stick up for poor Ruby a bit here. Yes, I agree she can be overbearing at times but man, Max can be a real brat sometimes too and poor Ruby is just a kid, y’all! Sometimes she just wants to do her Bunny Scout project without her bratty little brother spilling paint on it or nagging her for juice. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922/46 "2010-04-08T01:41:38Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > I never really realized until I started watching some Disney movies with my kids how often the mothers get the short end of the stick. There seem to be a disproportionate number of dead/absent/evil mothers or stepmothers in Disney movies. Bambi - dead. Snow White - dead mother and evil stepmother. Cinderella, likewise. Ice Age - dead. Jungle Book - absent. Dumbo - imprisoned. I think good old Walt and his cohorts had some mommy issues. I don’t think it’s Disney’s fault. These stories are based off fairy tales, and in those tales, moms often bite the big one. It does make sense–if these characters had responsible mothers, they probably wouldn’t be off having adventures. Lack of a parent lets them get into these situations that normally kids are sheltered from. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-suggestions-for-a-toddler/534922.md?page=2)