#4 Hope for Dreamers and Dragon Trainers

How To Train Your Dragon (2010) explores overcoming fear with gentleness. As the son of a Viking leader on cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: He must kill a dragon! But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it. He, surprisingly, befriends the beast, who he names Toothless. His father doesn't understand Hiccup's desire to be so very different and fly in the face of tradition. His friends are curious. This animated film moves swiftly with many surprising twists that will please adults and kids. Being true to yourself and persisting without exception in the face of, even, laughter and misunderstanding is the overwhelming lesson. A feel good movie with lots of humor and suspense. Can be found on Netflix.

Go Here to find new movie download options!
Click Now
or
Click Here
or
Go Here

#3 Great Twist on "The Wizard of Oz"

 

Tin Man (2007)

In this Emmy-nominated miniseries based on the classic story by L. Frank Baum, a small-town waitress,DG, is pulled into a surreal world, where she teams up with a trio of misfits and forgotten souls.  An evil sorceress comes face to face with her own destiny as she battles DG. Good triumphs evil but not without great challenges for DG, her new friends and even the sorceress herself!  Wonderful movie that is presented in three parts. It's hard to turn off the TV and wait for the next segment, real suspense. A little dark and scary at times for anyone 6 and under, but with parents nearby this one is a winner for everyone. This can be found on streaming or mail Netflix.

Review #2: Surprising Find!

Bug Off! (2001, PG)  So, My daughter found this one on Streaming Netflix.  Very over the top silliness  with a solid feel good lesson about "doing thoughtful things for others creates good feelings, even love."  Actors are so committed to their absurd situations that this works on many levels!! Despite myself I sat down and watched this one from beginning to end with my 10 year old, who has her own challenges with her younger 6 year old brother.  We laughed and talked after too!

Worth a feel good (and maybe a little lesson?) watch with the kids!

Krista and her younger brother, Tyler, detest on another, or at least that’s what it looks like. Their parents are at their wits end trying to manage the fighting. (Anyone feel their pain? - I do, at times!) Tyler’s practical jokes and schemes always land Krista in hot water with her parents – so much so that Krista secretly wishes Tyler would turn into a bug. When an alien babysitter named Ms. Pickle Nickle catches wind of Krista’s wish, she grants it. Now, Krista is the only one who can save her brother-turned-bug before her parents get back home.

My Kids LOVE Movies

They do! My kids, 6 and 10 years old, love movies. We limit TV and movies in general, but a great reward and treat for them is a "family movie that we will all like" and popcorn in the evening.


So we do see movies! We see a lot of good ones, stories that are not too "baby-ish" according to my 6 year old boy, and we are careful not to have movies that will incite nightmares or are overly scary. My kids do like suspense and drama and LOVE to laugh. I thought it would be great to share favorites. We are always looking for good movies and find many, but may miss some due to uncertainty in the description.


I thought maybe referring and sharing what we like and love would be helpful to someone. The movies we find the kids love with us are old timers as well as new ones. And it gives us an archive of our favorites, doesn't it. We'll keep letting you know what we have seen and like, maybe you'll share some of your favorites with us.


With Netflix, Streaming Netflix, multiple TV Movie options and so many other ways to find movies from long ago or lately through our current media connections we have a few favorites that we can go to again and again. Lately favorites have been:
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Pink Panther (old, new - not the cartoon - any of them)
GI Joe
Made for TV Movie: Tin Man
Dreamer (with Dakota Fanning)
The Sandlot
and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Review #1:
Kiki's Delivery Service is a Japanese animated movie that is truly charming. A young witch travels to a new city to begin her life and discovers a need for a delivery service in the city (by broom of course). She, Kiki, is befriended by a few kind souls who aren't afraid to believe in her good heart as she learns about life and how to believe her herself, no matter what. Not in anyway overbearing; this story is sweet and funny and beautifully animated. Kiki is a witch who will live "happily ever after" in her new home town. My oldest saw this movie when she was 4 years old and requests it still at the age of 10 in order to share it with her brother (6) and friends.
(We got this on Netflix - mailed.)