As a father of 7, my kids range from ages 20 to 3. Finding movies we can all sit down to watch and enjoy can be challenging. Usually, we have to divide and conquer – the older kids watch something that would scare (or bore) the younger kids; the little ones watch something entirely different. But sometimes we find a fun movie that everyone can enjoy together. Below are 10 movies that fit this category.
Before I launch into the list, a word about what qualifies for this list and what doesn’t. To make the list, the movie must have a real story – steadily rising conflict to a climax and a conclusion. This is the stuff of good stories. The story must be plausible and thought-provoking so the older kids don’t get bored . The movie can not have excessive violence between people. Mild representations of such violence for a legitimate purpose are acceptable if they contribute to the story, are limited in duration and are not gory. Situational, non-personal violence is acceptable for the same purpose and with the same caveats. The movie may not play excessively on fear or over-develop a suspenseful situation to elicit the sensation of fear. And lastly, the movie must be well-acted, contain quality cinematography, move forward with a reasonable pace (which often disqualifies old movies), avoid profanity and have a morally acceptable ending.
As you might imagine, meeting all these criteria is difficult to do. Pixar seems to do a good job at it and several of their movies are on the list. Disney used to do so as well, but only a few recent films qualify. Here’s the initial list. It’s not in any particular order and some may not be of interest to your family. Links are provided to Amazon.com for more details on the films.
1. Incredibles
2. Snowball Express
3. Captain Johnno
4. Hot Lead and Cold Feet
5. Inside Out
6. National Treasure
7. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
8. Frozen
9. Cars
10. The Lego Movie
Some of these movies are right on the line of passing the test – for instance National Treasure has some bones in it, and slanders Charles Carroll by saying he was a Mason. Captain Johnno is not a funny movie (which is not a requirement) but is a moving story. On the whole these movies fit the requirements and are good family fare.