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Gentle movies for 5 - 8 year olds


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Hi folks.  I was hoping to get some movie recs for some non-violent/scary movies I could watch with my little people on an upcoming flight.  It seems like every movie I look up on commonsensemedia.org has scary elements.  My kids have watched and loved Mary Poppins and I was hoping for something along those lines.  

 

Thanks!

 

Warmly,

 

Konglish

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Beware of LOTS of sarcasm in Homeward Bound. We didn't care for it at all.

I don't remember that at all, but it's been many years since we watched it.

 

OP, I'd be careful with National Treasure and Night at the Museum if your children don't like intense scenes.

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I don't remember that at all, but it's been many years since we watched it.

 

OP, I'd be careful with National Treasure and Night at the Museum if your children don't like intense scenes.

Yes, this is my child who cried and sobbed and had to leave the theatre during Epic and Frozen and has cried through Brave. So Alpha and Omega are the only cartoons he has liked. And national Treasure and Night at the Museum weren't cartoons, and they didn't have adult content or bad words. Just in case OP's kids are as anti-cartoon as mine! As always, YMMV ;)
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My girls (the youngest, especially) are extremely sensitive to violence or tense scenes in movies, so I know what it's like to try to seek out non-scary movies! Some suggestions:

 

  • Milo and Otis  
  • The Sound of Music (for years, I ended it at the wedding scene, which eliminates the part near the end with the soldiers and such. Bonus: It's super long, so it would be good on a flight!) 
  • Winnie the Pooh movie (2011)
  • Curious George movie (with Will Ferrell)
  • Horton Hears a Who (2008)
  • Cars
  • The Gruffalo
  • The Lorax
Edited by EKT
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musicals like Mary Poppins

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

 

gentle older live-action movies

Pete's Dragon

Pollyanna -- with Halley Mills

Shirley Temple movies (most are musicals) -- Heidi, A little Princess, Bright Eyes, Curly Top, The Little Colonel, Poor Little Rich Girl, Wee Willie Winkie

The Absent Minded Professor (the original flubber movie with Fred McMurray)

the Herbie/Love Bug movies -- we loved those as kids, but I can't remember if there's any violence/scary bits

Jack and the Beanstalk -- with Abbott and Costello

Disney's Swiss Family Robinson

Robin Hood -- with Errol Flynn

Hans Christian Andersen (musical) -- with Danny Kaye

original Muppet Movie (musical) -- peril of the bad guy wanting Kermit's legs for his frog leg restaurant, but that is short and not dwelt on, and Kermit is safe; the movie is mostly great muppet corny jokes

 

gentle cartoons

Disney -- The Three Caballeros (musical)

Disney -- Alice in Wonderland

Disney -- Peter Pan -- the peril/threat is lessened by the goofiness of Captain Hook and Smee

Disney -- Jungle Book (1960s version) -- fun songs; the peril is limited

Winnie the Pooh -- the original Hundred Acre Woods movie, but also the 1990s TV animated series

 

 

Don't know how sensitive your children are, but these also might work:

- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang -- a musical, but does have the super-scary Child Catcher character

- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version) -- a musical; the naughty children do have consequences to their choices, and Willie Wonka is unpredictable (until the end when it is explained why) so don't know if this would work or not

- Enchanted -- a musical; there is a climax of the evil witch turning into a dragon and the heroine in danger on the rooftop confrontation with the dragon, but overall, very charming

Edited by Lori D.
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Shaun the Sheep (movies or a bunch of episodes)

Any movies/DVD/episodes of Pingu 

 

Singing in the Rain

Music Man

White Christmas

 

Disney's Robin Hood (although with my kids' track records, i don't really understand why they aren't scared about this one)

Disney's Cinderella (either the classic animation or the new live-action one)

 

Anne of Green Gables

 

The Incredible Journey (1963)  ... or like other people suggested, any animal movies.

 

Travel Videos ... like Rick Steves 

 

agreeing:  winnie the pooh movies, pippi longstocking

 

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Whoa, I stepped away from the computer and this has turned into a goldmine of leads!  Thank you!  In terms of scary/intense elements I'm trying to avoid, both kids are scared of witches (with pointy black hats!).  DD8 is very turned off by rude, mean spirited behavior, while son might try to imitate it.  We saw the National Parks imax movie recently, and they showed a very intense forest fire which scared DS5.  He also cried and was overwhelmed by Born Free (skipping the scary man eating lion parts of the movie) because the couple had to let their hand raised lion go back into the wild.  We have seen Winnie the Pooh movies and Curious George movies and those were great.  Disney's Cinderella and Fairy Tale Theatre's Cinderella were fine too.  Re-watching Toy Story as an adult, I really did not care for the neighborhood kid that was a complete sociopath (why do they even include those elements in a children's movie?!) and the sometimes rude behavior between the toys.  I forgot about Shirley Temple movies; I loved those as a kid!  I think my daughter would really enjoy those, but I'm not sure they would hold my son's interest as he does not care for Anne of Green Gables.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions!

 

Warmly,

 

Konglish

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My kids when they were really sensitive to suspense and scary or sad things really liked Winnie the Pooh.  THere was a time that basically any of the popular Disney movies would result in tears because Disney LOVES to ramp up the suspense and scary parts toward the end. 

 

Even at 9 and 7 they did not like Nanny McPhee.  They found her powers creepy.

 

A Turtle's Tale was also one they enjoyed.  There was a little sad/scary part where the turtle gets separated from his friends.  The movie is rated PG for mild peril, if I remember right, but I have no idea why.  I think it was much less scary than many Disney movies that are rated G.

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My kids when they were really sensitive to suspense and scary or sad things really liked Winnie the Pooh.  THere was a time that basically any of the popular Disney movies would result in tears because Disney LOVES to ramp up the suspense and scary parts toward the end. 

 

Even at 9 and 7 they did not like Nanny McPhee.  They found her powers creepy.

 

A Turtle's Tale was also one they enjoyed.  There was a little sad/scary part where the turtle gets separated from his friends.  The movie is rated PG for mild peril, if I remember right, but I have no idea why.  I think it was much less scary than many Disney movies that are rated G.

 

Us too - there was a period where my kids could handle nothing more than Winnie the Pooh. They disliked suspense, peril, or any other type of conflict. (Guess what good movies have? Conflict, aka plot.)

 

For a long while the only DIsney movie my kids could handle was Cinderella. 

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We just watched the movie version of The Railway Children. It's an older BBC production. We loved it! My daughter and I love Edith Nesbit, and the storyline. My son loves seeing the old steam trains. (His obsession.)

 

Something bad has happened to the father, but nothing is shown and it has a happy ending.

 

Oh, and we watched Music Man because I wanted to see it, and was surprised that they loved it too. There are a couple of songs with inappropriate content, but it will be years before they understand the lyrics.

Edited by ThursdayNext
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The Parent Trap

Swiss Family Robinson

The Shaggy Dog

Miracle on 34th St. (although Christmas)

Benji

Because of Winn Dixie

Ramona and Beezus

Gordy or Babe

Charlotte's Web

Freaky Friday (although my son found this a bit disturbing when younger)

The Little Princess

National Velvet

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Herbie movies

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