Two kids and their grandfather discover that the small gargoyle they’ve added to their garden may be a magical treasure hidden centuries ago by three guardian witches. What is going on? Who is the woman who seems to be a fourth witch?
Scariness-none really. Sex-zip. Violence-none. Cursing-nada. The film was made in the UK so you may have to explain some of the slang (Grandpa finds the Grinnygog by the road and thinks it may have fallen off the back of a lorry). Nickelodeon certainly thought that this movie was suitable for kids, and showed it often in the eighties.
I’ve never seen a picture of an actual albino bat. The Pallid bat and a few other species have pale fur and skin. But, I’ve never seen a picture of an actual albino.
Bartok is cute. Hank Azaria does great voice work. I’ve never been able to find a full list of Anastasia merchandise (I want all the Bartok and Rasputin toys. Just when I think I’ve got them all, I find a new variety) but Bartok seems to have the most merchandise.
PVC figurines, shaking toy, mini plush, talking plush, regular plush, storybooks, and a direct to video movie of his own which came with a wave of altered plush Bartoks.
How about “Fly Away Home” ? A young girl loses her mother (early in the film, may be a bit traumatic), and in turn adopts a gaggle of geese. Sounds extraordinarily corny, but I like the director (Caroll Ballard) and he does a good job of it. For that matter, you may like his other films as well; he directed “The Black Stallion” which I can recommend, and *“Duma” * which I haven’t seen.
I got a kick out of Richie Rich, though i know it wasn’t considered to be very good.
You should cruise the Blockbuster Online site and see what’s out there. My son is 30, so I forget some of the titles he loved. Savannah Smiles was one.
I have a nearly 8 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. They are pretty sheltered and sensitive. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Now available on DVD.
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**The Adventures of Robin Hood ** ( Errol Flynn) and apparently with the new DVD, there are extra’s showing the Master Archery master showing his superb and unparelled expertise with a variety of bows. My friend has gushed over this guys talent, though you may want to watch it alone the first time so that your kid(s) don’t try to do a “William Tell” with each other. That would be bad.
Muppet Treasure Island. Explaining The Black Spot ( mark of death) to kids is a bit dicey. But, it’s the Muppets! and how they work the Swedish Chef into this is my favorite part.
Muppets Christmas Carol I luffs the muppets.
Princess Bride the fire swamp may be a little scary and the giant in a holocaust cloak could be problematic, but that is what FFWD is for.
MST 3k: Santa Claus verses the Martians (or something similar): This is a great way to introduce your kids to Really Bad Movies/ Sarcasm/ Mystery Science Theater Threeeeee Thouuuuusannnnd!
Marx Brothers Movies It will make no sense to them, but it is an excellent foundation of introducing your children to Timeless Comic Humor and Perfect Timing. Why a duck?
We have read Harry Potter 1 & 2, and have watched ( with no visible nightmares or bedwetting.) the Sorcerer’s Stone The end battle scene may be a little intense.
and The Chamber of Secrets: End battle Scene a bit intense.
I caved in and let them watch Prisoner of Azkaban this weekend ( though we didn’t finish it and I can’t remember exactly why right now.) The Big Scene in the Shreiking Shack was one of those where I had to pause and explain who was who and what was going on a few times. It was intense, but in a way of plot-figuring out. The story line is a bit over their heads at some points. And Sirius Black’s tattoo’s are a bit disturbing. The hardest really were The Dementors: visually creepy and very spooky and hard to explain: Magical, yet…not very nice.
I am getting Goblet of Fire soon, and from what I remember, most of the film ( except two spots: the maze scene and the big appearce of He Who Must Not Be Named…Creepy!) would be fine for my kids. Your Kids May Vary.
Legend NO NO NO! Goblins chatting about cannibalism. Meg Knucklebone popping up suddenly, shrieking, and then trying to eat Tom Cruise. Huge frightening guards. Darkness (red skin, hooves, horns, fangs). In one scene, a unicorn is killed, causing sudden and spooky ecological disasters.
Time Bandits Scary monsters. The kid’s parents are turned into lumps of charcoal at the end and he is left sad and alone.
Dark Crystal If Sloth is her scariness threshold, then the Skeksis(evil vulture men) and the Garthim (crab/insect soldiers) will terrify her. This is a great movie, but you’ll need to wait.
LabyrinthGoblins who steal children. A very spooky scene with the Helping Hands grabbing Sarah as she falls down a tunnel, mocking her, and talking in spooky voices. The Wild Gang tries to pull of Sarah’s head. I say wait a few years on this one.
Willow Brief scene with trolls- look kind of like humangutans, a two-headed dragon who is really not that spooky. The head villian is a minorly spooky sorceress who wants to sacrfice a baby. Two of the comedy sidekicks really love beer.
The Iron Giant
one of the most underrated animated movies, ever, if you don’t feel anything at the ending, you’re not human
Ironically, Vin Diesel’s best role (he voiced the Giant) is one where he plays a gigantic metal robot (with a heart of gold), this movie appeals to everyone i’ve shown it to
Nope to the Dark Crystal. I watched that when I was away at school from ages 7-12. And I remember the Skeksis frightening the life out of me.
And I second the listing of movies like The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Disney musicals, and so on.
Disney’s arsenal of kiddy movies is always a brilliant choice. I remember loving their Robin Hood (with the fox and the bear) to the point that I nearly wore out the tape. “Faint heart never won fair lady.”
I’d suggest Beauty and the Beast, but that’s one movie I will never never ever watch again due to it being the only English-language movie we had within reach for an entire month in Indonesia. :eek:
Land Before Time with the dinosaur Little Foot and his buddies? There were a string of sequels, which should be good if your daughter likes those.