That movie night scroll to choose something is a thing I loathe. Especially with four or five different sets of eyes (and opinions) watching (and directing). And, while my children are very good at many things, picking movies isn’t at the top of the list yet. If I were smart, I’d have the movie picked and all queued up before they sit down. But, I’m not so smart. So I find myself doing the scroll with little voices shouting “that one!” at me with every button I click. If you find yourself in a similar situation for family movie night, look no further! Here’s five that we have loved. (For reference, the youngest kids watching are almost 5 and 8.)
Parker’s laughter when Squints grabs Wendy Peffercorn’s head after his pretend drowning sealed the deal. This is such a fun family movie. This group of boys’ aimless play-all-day summertime is how childhood should be. For a heavy dose of nostalgia, some great classic songs, and the hilarity of a larger-than-life “beast” that they all imagine, look no further. Sandlot is such a fun choice.
Scenery, the best animal narrations (it’s truly a toss up between all three of them), and one of the most heartwarming stories ever, this is always a family favorite. When the animals come running over the hill at the end, I will never not cry.
Princess BrideThe quirkiest adventure-comedy, Princess Bride is so fun. Wallace Shawn is hilarious, and the dialogue between him and his two good-natured sidekicks always makes us laugh. This one can be repeated again and again and always be entertaining.
To be in on the secret of who Mrs. Doubtfire really is is so fun for little kids. And watching Robin Williams as Dad transform himself into Mrs. Doubtfire is remarkable. Parker has requested this more than once since we first watched it.
This might be an unusual choice, but I liked it a lot when I was little (enough that I remembered almost all the words to “Consider Yourself”), and I wanted the boys to see it. They need to see the great old musicals! (Next up might be Bye Bye Birdie. That was a favorite!) Note: A few scenes (all involving Bill Sikes) may not be appropriate for little ones so I use family loosely here. Also, did you know it won Best Picture in 1968?
Other movies I’m looking forward to watching as the kids get older: E.T., Goonies, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Big, Indiana Jones
Do share yours!
Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about Homeward Bound until I read this post! I want to rewatch it now, it was one of my favourites growing up! 💕💕
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Love these choices. I’d add the 60’s version of Swiss Family Robinson to that list; it has enough adventure to engage the imagination of the whole family, enough comedic relief and of course, seeing a family come together to build something beautiful out of nothing and fight off pirates warms my heart!
Parker’s FAVORITE. I remember thinking that living in a treehouse would be the coolest thing ever when I was little after that movie.
Also, our whole family with kids aged 1-5 love Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It’s bonkers long, but after the intermission gets more creepy with the introduction of the Child Snatcher (who was the star of my own first nightmare!), so thus far, we pretend that’s the end of the movie. 🙂
Princess Bride has always been a favorite in my family!
My daughter absolutely loves Annie (the remake with Jamie Foxx) and I have to say my husband and I are both happy to sit and watch it with her (she is 7). As a family we enjoy watching Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (its very weird if you look too much into it!), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (also quite weird!) The BFG, Matilda, Mary Poppins Returns (don’t tell anyone but I think I prefer it to the original!) and the first 2 Harry Potter films as I think after that they are not age appropriate. At Christmas Time we watch on repeat, Home Alone 1&2, Miracle on 34th Street and Elf. Love a wee family movie night 🙂
Home ALone is definitely a family favorite in our home too! Both of them! And I gotta try the new Annie!
I loved (and still love) the NeverEnding Story. Probably too mature for a 5-year old, but would be great for Parker.
Speaking of that issue, as someone who saw Jurassic Park way too young (I was 7) – give that one a few more years! Scarred me for awhile haha.
A few more that I’d add to your list: Hook, The Little Giants, Heavyweights, Air Bud, Casper, and Benji.
oh for sure a few more years for Jurassic Park!! Not anytime soon.
We love Hook! Casper is a great one too. Thanks!
The Paddington movies are REALLY good – we watch them often, even without kids 🙂
we LOVE paddington! and if this post was six movies long, that would’ve been on the list!
We just showed our kids sound of music and our 7 year old son has been singing all of the songs non stop! I love it! Also showed them Richie rich which they thought was great! Haha
oh that makes me sooo happy to hear. i am dying to start sound of music with them (huge fan) but wasn’t sure if they’d be able to sit through the whole thing.
Our four year old also made it through the whole movie! She loved it too!
Beethoven, Matilda, original parent trap, cheaper by the dozen the vacation edition. And so we bought a zoo (your rec!) growing up with a golden – shadow finally coming through that field – tears -“always always!
It Takes Two, Flubber, Mouse Hunt, Free Willy, Matilda, The Parent Trap (the original), Little Giants, Babe, Fly Away Home, Cool Runnings…really too many good ones to choose from.
But my ALL TIME FAVORITE is Andre! And it’s based in New England. Watched that on repeat as a kid. My mom and I still reference the movie when someone blows raspberries! There are a couple drug/alcohol scenes that aren’t for kids but everything else is great.
Andre! Never even heard of it! We’ll add it to the list!
Love The Parent Traps (both of them!) so much though!
One of my favorites when I was younger was Little Giants. I was convinced I was Becky and they got it wrong by putting the other girl in the movie. The Big Green is a good one too. Thanks for bringing back some nostalgia. These comments are bringing up some good ones I need to watch asap.
any of the pixars..I LOVE Bug’s Life.. Finding Nemo, all the Toy Stories, Ratatouille. The New Classics, my kids grew up on them and we love them to this day.
Two that I recently saw that I really liked and laughed at, as well as my 8 and 12 yr old boys are: See Spot Run and Evan Almighty.