Over the years we’ve found it interesting to hear from kids about what movies they enjoy. Like many parents, we’ve taken our kids to movies or rented a DVD and then been surprised at the reactions we get.
So we recently talked with a bunch of kids to help understand what movies kids love. We asked them to think about their favorite movies and then tell us what they liked about those movies. As is often the case when asking children about their opinions, the first reaction we got from most kids was about the last movie they saw. After hearing about the latest movie we kept listening and asking a few questions. Throughout all of our conversations, we found four main recurring themes that tended to cut across kids of all types and ages.
Funny Characters – Kids love funny and memorable characters. This was the biggest factor for many kids in whether they like a movie or not, even more important than the overall story. Of course, kids really enjoy thinking about and re-creating a world that is inhabited by their favorite characters so it’s really not a big surprise that this was the biggest recurring theme that we found.
Animals – Kids love animals, especially talking animals and animals that have a big role in the plot of a movie. Movies with dogs and horses also rank as very popular.
Kids Who Go On Adventures – Our conversations with kids often went into elaborate detail about the fun adventures that they see in movies. Similar to reading a good book, we found that a child’s imagination can be quickly awakened from watching a good movie where kids take the lead on a great adventure.
Good Guys Win – Movies that are very memorable for kids often have a stark contrast between good guys and bad guys…and the good guys ALWAYS win a decisive victory. Although that type of an ending is also appealing to adults, it especially resonates with kids.
As we work to find great movies for members of Movie Club 4 Families, we always keep these main themes in mind.
One great example of a movie that hits all four of these themes is
The First of May. This movie is about a boy who has bounced between foster families for years; he makes friends with a grandmother figure and then runs off and to join the circus. It’s a very heartwarming movie with a great adventure and lots of fun.
The First of May is one of the movies included on the Free Trial DVD from Movie Club 4 Families.
Sign up today to get this great movie, along with 3 other movies, for Free.
And, as always, all movies you receive from Movie Club 4 Families will be appropriate viewing for the entire family.
As we head into the summer television season, the networks are pushing all the new reality TV shows. I remember when The Real World hit MTV years ago, and now reality TV is everywhere. Our kids are growing up with this as the norm, just like sitcoms were to us. The term reality implies that this is real life, but in reality these shows are produced and edited by professionals and the stars are followed around with cameras all the time. Something to remember as a viewer is that these shows are meant to entertain us and to make the producers money.
Education.com recently published an
article about the effect of reality TV on our kids. It encourages parents to talk to their kids about what they see on these TV shows. This is something that is important to do with your kids not just with reality TV but also with movies, music, books and really with any media that they view. This is why we provide members of Movie Club 4 Families with discussion questions about the family friendly movies our subscribers receive each month.
Our children are surrounded by all kinds of media. That media can have many different effects on our children. As parents we can help shape what kind of effect media will have on our families.
A few years ago I had a discussion about kids and television with a friend studying psychology. One idea that he presented was that there is not some magic number of hours our kids spend in front of the television (or computer) that is good or bad for our kids. What is more important is the quality time that we spend with our kids.
One great activity we can share with our kids is watching movies together. When I was a preteen, my Dad would take me to the movies a couple times a month, just the two of us (being the youngest of seven, one-on-one time with a busy Dad was hard to come by). I can still remember some of the movies we saw together, one was Free Willy (he always let me pick the movies). What we saw wasn't important, what was important was our time together.
Along with watching movies, discussing them can be a great learning activity and a critical part of why we want to watch movies with our kids. We can talk about right and wrong, discussion characters actions and consequences. We can help our kids understand story and theme, skills that will help them in those literature classes. You could even use the discussion questions for the family friendly movies you get from Movie Club 4 Families. And those are just a few ideas. Who knows, you might even learn something from your kids.
Since our kids are going to be exposed to media their whole lives, why not start now teaching them more about it to help them. The website
Sixty Second Parent recently posted a very helpful
article about teaching media literacy to younger children. It's a great introduction to teaching kids about how to approach all of the media they encounter.
Movie Club 4 Families was created to bridge the gap between the large number of lesser known family movies and families. We have seen a large demand for quality family safe entertainment but only a few options in the mainstream. Everyday our children are bombarded with media that is inappropriate for kids. It can be a struggle to find entertainment appropriate for our kids. So we do the groundwork for you, saving you time so you can spend more time with your family.
There are a lot great family movies made every year, but they never make it to the local theater and are near to impossible to find searching on Netflix or shopping at large retailers. Movie Club 4 Families is a way for parents to have these entertaining movies delivered right to their door every month.
Many of the movies we send you have won awards at film festivals. Some of the movies from Movie Club 4 Families, especially the short films, are not available for purchase anywhere else.
All movies from Movie Club 4 Families have been pre-screened by a panel of parents and have been deemed “family safe.” “Family safe” means a movie must not contain content or themes that would be inappropriate for children. You can rest assured that your children are watching appropriate content when you show a movie from Movie Club 4 Families.
New members of Movie Club 4 Families can sign up for a
free trial DVD (paying only $4.95 for shipping/handling). After the end of the free trial period, members will receive a new DVD each month with four family friendly movies for a $16.95 per month.
Movie night is a great way to spend quality time together as a family. But sometimes picking a movie that everyone will enjoy can be a challenge. My first suggestion would be any of the great titles you get by being a member of Movie Club 4 Families. Here are a couple other suggestion of some classic family friendly movies.
The Sound of Music (1965) - This is a great story about a family growing closer while having fun and finding joy in life. It's great to learn a little history and this can be a great introduction to World War II. I've also found that kids love learning the songs. This is a fun one that can also lead to good discussions and learning.
Mary Poppins (1964) - Since Julie Andrews is the theme of today's post, here is another great musical. Once again the music is a lot of fun for kids. This is also a great example of a fun movie that doesn't have to be crude to get laughs. It also has a great message about enjoying life with childlike enthusiasm.
There are a lot of resources our there to help parents learn more about media options for their families. This post is the third in a series where we review websites that go in depth to give parents more information than you might get from a simple rating.
Kids-in-mind.com - "Kids-in-mind" offers reviews for parents to make their own decisions about movies for their children. Their reviews make no judgment on the content of the film, rather they just share what content is in the movie. They use three categories--sex/nudity, violence/gore and profanity. For each movie they give each category a rating of 0-10 based how much content is in that film for that category. A '0' in Violence/gore means there is no violence or gore in that film and a '10' means there is a lot. They also offer a detailed explanation of why the movie got that rating in that category, including a detailed objective description of the film’s content that falls in that category.
In the review of each movie they also have a section for substance abuse, discussion topics and messages the film conveys. The 'Kids-in-mind' sight does require a little more work, but makes it easier for parents to make their own judgments for their own children. We really appreciate this approach since parents know their own kids best and know what is appropriate for their own families.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Release Date--May 22
Ben Stiller is back in the follow up to the 2006 blockbuster Night at the Museum. Some original cast members are back, but this time the adventure takes place at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Here is a link to some
trailers.
Up
Release Date--May 29
Pixar’s next animated film and their first in 3D. The lead character is an old man, very different from cars, robots or monsters. The director of Monsters, Inc directs the film. Here is an interesting
article about wall streets take on this more artistic Pixar movie
Land of the Lost
Release Date--June 5
Based on the 1970s TV, Will Ferrell plays the lead in this action comedy about a scientist sucked into an alternate universe with dinosaurs and other creatures. Here is a link to some
trailers.
Imagine That
Release Date--June 12
Eddie Murphy plays a busy exec, who steps into his daughters imaginary world for help. Here is a
trailer.
On the Horizon
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - July
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - July
G-Force - July
Where the Wild Things Are - October
There are a lot of resources our there to help parents learn more about media options for their families. This post is the second in a series of three posts where we review websites that go in depth to give parents more information than you might get from a simple rating.
Commonsensemedia.org - "Common Sense Media" offers reviews for movies, video games, websites, TV, books and music. Their reviews give a basic out of five star review of the movie (not based on content) and a basic age recommendation based on the content of the film. They also give a 1-5 rating in six categories Violence, Sex, Language, Consumerism, Drinking, drugs and smoking, and Message and role models. Their reviews also have a description of the plot and content that parents would want to know about and offer discussion topics for families. For movies they list as not appropriate for kids they offer some alternative titles which is nice if you have a kids who really wants to see a certain movie that you think is inappropriate.
The site also offers recommendations of similar films and several interactive elements. They offer age appropriate recommendations and reviews by users, broken down into parents and kids. They also have a lot of older titles not just new releases.
We love film festivals. Festivals are a great way to see movies that are difficult to find anywhere else. Although most film festivals showcase independent movies that are likely to be shown at an art house theater, there are many film festivals around the country that spotlight or are entirely focused on family or children’s films.
Here’s a list of film festivals that are great places to find quality family oriented entertainment.
Film Festivals Focused Primarily on Family or Children's Films
Film Festivals That Have Strong Family or Children's Film Programs
There are a lot of resources our there to help parents learn more about media options for their families. This post is the first in a series of three posts where we will review websites that go in depth to give parents more information than you might get from a simple rating.
Dove.org - The Dove Foundation says that its mission is “To encourage and promote the creation, production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment.” The website contains reviews of current movies and movies on DVD. Their reviews have several different layers. They give movies three different approval levels, "Dove Family Approved-suitable for all ages," "Dove Family Approved-recommended for ages 12 and over," and "Not Family Approved." Inside the written reviews they give a family perspective of the film and a breakdown and rating of 0-5 in six categories of Sex, Language, Violence, Drugs, Nudity and Other.
Some pluses of this site is the abundance of reviews for lesser known titles that are marketed towards kids. Also Hollywood and independent producers seek out the Dove approval to put on their DVD cases so you can see some titles in a store with the Dove seal and know that Dove has approved them. Many of the movies included in Movie Club 4 Families have received a Dove seal.