So, after Monday’s post, several people asked me about the movies that we watch, and, while I think I’ve talked about this in past, it’s been long enough that I can’t even think which search terms to use to look for the post, so I thought I’d write another one–hopefully, both as a resource for those interested in quality family movies and as a reminder for myself of goodies to revisit when we can’t think of anything to watch for family movie night (Sunday night at our house).

And so, without further ado, I give you:

Our Favorite Family Movies

The Emperor’s New Groove (I like this one more than my kids do, more’s the pity; it’s just so clever)

Chicken Run (same here…the dialogue makes me giggle, but most of it–in all of its Britishness–sails right over my kids’ heads)

Candleshoe

Herbie Rides Again (and its sequels, which get progressively sillier and more obnoxious but which the kids still love)

Mary Poppins

Homeward Bound

Beauty and the Beast (the cartoon)

Swiss Family Robinson (my boys looooooove this one)

Star Wars (basically all iterations of this series–both the prequels, the classics, and the sequels–are pretty clean, and my kids thrill to the action sequences)

The Princess Bride

The Swan Princess

The Sword in the Stone

Robin Hood (both the cartoon and the live action classic)

The Sound of Music

My Fair Lady

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Shaun thinks this one is ridiculous, but my kids get a kick out of it)

The Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit series (these are pretty intense for little kids, but I have found that mine do pretty well with them from an early age, and I’m good with them because of their rock solid good vs. evil messages)

Inside Out (we’ve actually only seen this one once, but it was really clever, and I think we need to revisit it soon)

The Narnia Movies

Epic

The Wizard of Oz

Singin’ in the Rain

Bolt (Mittens is my spirit animal)

Babe

The Incredibles

How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2)

The Jungle Book (the new one, the cartoon, and the 1994 version)

Charlotte’s Web

A Bug’s Life

The Parent Trap (the classic version)

The March of the Penguins

Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Shaun the Sheep

Paddington (another one that makes me laugh even harder than it does my kids)

Movies we haven’t watched as a family yet, but I want to:

The Rookie

Spellbound

Mad Hot Ballroom

Hoosiers

My Dog Skip

Secondhand Lions (Although, if I remember correctly, this one’s better suited for a “clean films” version…more on that below).

I know I’ve talked about “clean films” on social media before, but I can’t remember if I have here on the blog. So, basically, years ago, my mom discovered this site called cleanfilms.com (now defunct), and since then, there have been various versions of it under different names.

So, what are they?

They are sites that sells edited DVDs. They remove all: profanity, nudity, sex, graphic violence, etc. and they do a great job. Most movies are edited pretty seamlessly.

The current one I know about is called Good Media DVDs.

We have quite a few edited movies, ranging from ones that really need it (like Jerry Maguire) to middling ones (like Notting Hill, which is one of my favorite movies…edited), to fairly innocuous stuff (like You’ve Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping…which still have pockets of profanity I could do without).

We even have some movies from them that require no edits whatsoever, just because they were cheap (around $5).

So, now it’s your turn to hit me with your favorite clean, quality family movies! Pretty please? We are always on the hunt for new gems!

0 Comments

  1. Have you heard of Feature Films for Families? Their movies are great and appropriate for all. Some one even commented “Where the Red Fern Grows” which is one of their films, thiswas also a favorite growing up. Haven’t gotten into movies with my babies yet oldest is only 2.

  2. I’m a little surprised that no one has mentioned Courageous, Fireproof, or Facing the Giants. 🙂 They are all favorites in our family. National Treasure and episodes of Mythbusters, Hogan’s Heroes, and the Brady Bunch are a couple of other favorites. My husband loves To the Moon (a documentary) and October Sky. Of course, our youngest is 7, so that may shift things in an older direction.

  3. Adding my 2 cents worth…..I’ve ordered from Goodmediadvds for many years without problems until this past April. I’d ordered 5 movies on sale, but after 2 months, didn’t receive them, so I called Visa to report fraud and wasn’t charged, only to receive my movies a day later–NoJoke! So, I called Visa back to have my card charged again. I’ve noticed for OVER a year now that the emails from Goodmedia announce they are “closing/liquidating”, etc., although they never do, which makes me wonder. It was a quite a while since I had ordered from them last, so I took a chance this Spring, thinking that $30 lost was really no big deal. So be cautious, people! Why it took them so long (2 months!) to send my order is still a mystery. Probably won’t order from them again. BUT, I can recommend a new edited movie site called “Cleanmediaworks.com”. Their prices aren’t as good as Goodmedia, but once in a while they have a sale or promo going, so that’s when I took advantage. Also, VidAngel USED to be a good option until their recent court issues and now it costs $7.99/MONTH(!!), plus you need to use Amazon on your TV, so it’s quite $$ now. I complained and was refunded my $18 credit I still had when $20 was all one had to pay….

  4. My kids love most Jane Austen(esp. Persuasion) little house on the prairie episodes, and the torchlighter series by VOM. They also love any animal documentary. And Lego Batman– we all laugh for the whole movie

  5. The good movies link gets flagged as a phishing site by my browser :/

    I like Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines and The Court Jester, an old Danny Kaye film. Absolutely love Homeward Bound, too!

    1. It’s definitely not a dangerous site. My browser (phone/ computer) has no problem with it, and I’ve ordered from them multiple times with no issues

  6. My boys who are grown with children of their own would be horrified to see that the following movies were left off your list: The Sandlot, The Goonies, Fly Away Home, October Sky, Old Yeller, Homeward Bound:The Incredible Journey, The Brave Little Toaster (for the younger ones). I would also add Finding Nemo, Annie, The Kid, and WALL-E.

  7. Thank you for sharing this list! I have been actively screening movies lately, so we can start a family movie night. I have been so disappointed in how much sexual innuendo and other inappropriate content is in movies for children (including cartoons). I recently screened Happy Feet and found the opening screen wholly inappropriate (they sing part of Let’s Talk About Sex and a Prince song about sex). I know I sound like an old diddy, but I know how my kids are sponges and will act out situations from wh as they see or hear.

    We did find a sweet movie on Netflix called The Boxcar Children (based on the book) that my kids love. We also enjoy the Winnie the Pooh movies that can be found on Netflix.

  8. Ok, I don’t know what movies in addition to this that I’d recommend (except “Up!”….”Up!”!!!!!).

    But I will say this: I own “Spellbound,” and it is an EXCELLENT documentary! Your kids will definitely love it, and so will you!!

  9. My dog Skip is a wonderful movie. Have to agree with you about Notting Hill for the best movie too! (for adults, only because it probably wouldn’t really interest kids that much) Princess Bride, all time family favourite. We quote lines from it as our “thing” lol. Whale Rider is an extraordinary movie. Reviewed as perhaps 8+ buy younger may be ok. Opening part (a bit sad) is covered very quickly with a series of montages and would go over the heads of many 5-7 yr olds. It is life, however and cinematography is breathtaking. Great to expose children to other cultures and the reverance and respect associated with them. Great example too of how boys and girls are equals and their strength indistinguishable where it counts within a family. Free Willy, another good one. Jim Henson’s “The Storyteller” series of short stories. The Indian in the cupboard, really good too!

  10. We don’t have children yet, but we still love animated and kids movies. I laughed so hard I cried at Paddington – glad to hear I’m not the only adult to think it was just. so. funny.

    And as a therapist, I adore Inside Out. It gives kids (and adults!) a way to visualize and talk about their emotions in a way that feels accessible instead of overwhelming, as emotions can be. This is a great list for future reference – thanks for sharing!

    1. My six year old daughter was able to tell us when she was letting Disgust be in charge, etc. after watching that movie. 🙂

  11. I can’t count how many times we’ve watched inside out! It was the only movie we had in our vehicle one year for a road trip, so my kids watched it several times a day! Still think it’s a good movie. Also the new Charlie Brown movie is cute, after we watched it I bought the vintage ones , and amazingly the new one is much improved over the old ones! Although the old thanksgiving one is really good, the other ones are just bashing Charlie Brown, which I don’t remember any of that in the new one.

  12. Inside Out is also one of our all time favs! I would watch it again…it gets great dialogue going with older kids 🙂
    It’s not a movie and not sure if you have amazon on your tv but my kids and I watched a series last summer called Gortimer Gibbons Life on Normal street. It was so cute! It’s about a group of friends in middle school and fun adventures they go on. My boys 9 and 10 at the time loved it as did I!

  13. Overboard, princess diaries, funnyfarm, what about bob, private benjamin, fletch, moonstruck, gaslight; I love family movie night and your blog!!!

  14. Such a good list! You mentioned some we love and some I didn’t even think about, but Ibet my kids would enjoy! We like 101 Dalmatians (1961) and I’ve been wanting to watch The Sound of Music and Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea with mine. These are tv shows, but my kids are happy to sit through Fixer Upper, I Love Lucy, and The Andy Griffith Show.

  15. I’m so glad someone else remembers Candleshoe. I still think that’s a wonderful film. I second Ashley’s recommendation of Pollyanna. You’ve named SO. MANY. from our favorites list, but my girls and I do enjoy Lilo and Stitch. I know it’s a little different, but it has a great message about family, and loving and accepting someone regardless of differences.

  16. I didn’t grow up watching Totoro, but watched it with my son on the recommendation of a friend. I enjoyed it and it is innocuous. Ponyo is by the same company and also sweet and enjoyable for grown ups. We also watched Song of the Sea and Secret of Kells this last year as a family, both really good.

  17. -We really enjoy old TV shows, like “Emergency” and “Adam-12”, as well as an occasional Star Trek.
    -As far as actual movies, we really like using VidAngel. You set what you want to/don’t want to see, so it very customizable. Then, it’s like a streaming service such as Amazon Prime or Netflix. Give it a google!

  18. My Dog Skip guts me. Every. Single. Time.

    Have you tried Meet the Robinsons? It’s one of my very favorite recent Disney movies. There is also enough humor in it to keep adults interested. By that, i mean that the humor isn’t crude. Without spoiling much, there is a Tom Selleck cameo….and why in the world would a bunch of kids know who Tom Selleck is? There are just little Easter eggs like that 😉

  19. We always had movie night too, usually Friday’s. The winner of the clean room contest got to pick the movie. I know Peter Pan, Hook and Ever After were always favorites. The kids enjoyed Babe, Milo and Otis and all the Bethoveen movies or Air Bud. Lol I barely made it through Homeward Bound, though I did like Marly and Me. Along with all the Jane Austin movies. I know it’s for a more mature audience though. By the way, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was one of my crews favorites.

I love hearing from you guys!