What are the good non-commercialized movies for kids?

by Rachel Mosteller (Subscribe to Rachel Mosteller's posts) Aug 8th 2007 12:02PM

We live in a movie house, or well, we did before we had kids. I enjoy movies much more than I do television shows, to an extent. (As I've found with my husband and his sister, there is such a thing as too many movies watched.) My main problem with them is that it seems that almost every movie aimed at children is commercialized.

That got me to thinking about what good movies there are out there for younger children that don't have every single action figure/toy available on the market.

I've been searching around, trying to decide what movies would be good for kids who are about 4 to 6-years-old and older. Here's what I have so far:

The Hobbit (animated Frodo!)
The New Adventures of Pippy Longstockings
The Brave Little Toaster (can't say I've seen much marketing of this one)
Pete's Dragon
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Do you know of any other movies that would be good for my kids in a year or two (I plan early) that wouldn't involve characters we'd normally see in our popular consumer culture?

Comments (19)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

caitlin 8-08-2007 @ 12:20PM

We like Hayao Miyazaki's movies (Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa, etc). I loved the Brave Little Toaster. There's a couple of sequels for it, I think. Older movies (ET, Labyrinth, etc) are probably a safer bet, since most of the marketing has died down.

You might also want to check out Paul McCartney's animated shorts dvd, Music and Animation Collection.

hp 8-08-2007 @ 4:50PM

Back when Brave Little Toaster came out (I have younger sibs who were into the movie) there was quite a bit of commercialization around it. But it's mainly gone now.

Ashley 8-08-2007 @ 1:05PM

Your children might like the original "Annie." I've also reconnected with "The Lorax" (the first animation, which is available on the "Seuss Celebration" DVD) when I reported on ecologically-focused kids media.

I agree with Caitlin about older movies, such as "ET" being a safe bet.

What exactly do you mean by non-commercial (modern? too many toys associated with it)? I can help come up with more recommendations with specifics. Let me know!

Ashley
http://www.ChildrensMediaConsultant.com

DaniGirl 8-08-2007 @ 5:14PM

I watched ET with my 5 year old recently and it frightened him (while Star Wars doesn't bother him in the least).

Homeward Bound was a good choice for our 3 and 5 year old boys.

maria 8-08-2007 @ 1:14PM

The Swiss Family Robinson is a big hit in our house - as are the original Herbies.

daisy 8-08-2007 @ 1:34PM

Double points to anyone who can come up with some options that include people of color!

Mammacheryl 8-08-2007 @ 1:45PM

I'm a big Pippi fan. Loved Mary Poppins too.

Cheryl at http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com

myles 8-08-2007 @ 3:07PM

Miyazaki movies are all excellent but do range from child friendly to downright violent. My 4.5 yrs daughter has always enjoyed - the sound of music, marry poppins, shirly temple and any other golden era black and white hollywood musical, fred astair and ginger rogers being favorites also.

LS 8-08-2007 @ 3:19PM

I would recommend the old Disney live-action movies - Mary Poppins (already mentioned), the Herbie/Love Bug movies. My niece and nephew HAD to watch "The Apple Dumpling Gang" every day for about three months one year. And they're not trite, meaning that adults can find them fun, too.

carol 8-10-2007 @ 3:13PM

My kids and I loved going through all the Shirley Temples ... the race issues went right over their heads. Also, John Wayne (carefully screened).

HeatherJ 8-08-2007 @ 11:57PM

Never-Ending Story, Muppet Movie, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Black Stallion, and Mary Poppins, to name a few. My husband and I have been talking about this lately as my daughter is getting into movies more and more.

courtney 8-08-2007 @ 4:20PM

My favorites growing up including Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain. Those were also remade into a TV movie by Disney a while back, it was alright.

I also enjoyed Puff the Magic Dragon, The Railway Dragon, and Shelly Duvall's Fairie Tale Theater(not a movie but still pretty cool).

Jen 8-08-2007 @ 4:44PM

The Never-Ending Story series of movies might be good, but it's been soooo long since I've watched them I don't remember all the details of everyting so you might want to screen it. I remember finding certain parts scary but all in all a fantastic non-consumerist movie. Perhaps for ages 8 and up?

Spring 8-09-2007 @ 10:40AM

Labrynth is good for older kids. Princess Bride is another good movie for older kids.. I am thinking 8-11 years.

Heather 8-09-2007 @ 10:49AM

The Last Unicorn ( 1982 version) , which they are remaking into a live action movie ( which will probably be comercilized).

Christine 8-09-2007 @ 11:24AM

My daughter loves the 1973 animated version of Charlotte's Web.

Nancy Toby 8-09-2007 @ 2:47PM

My 4-year-old daughter is going through a phase where she is talking about monsters a lot. So we got her Monsters, Inc. She *ADORES* it. Now she says she's "Boo", the little girl in the movie. And when she talks about monsters, it's more wanting to pet their fur than being scared of them.

Clever Daddy 8-11-2007 @ 7:25PM

For something new, have you seen these educational DVDs that star YOU? They advocate watching with your kids. They're designed for younger kids and aren't feature length yet but kids and adults all LOVE them.

http://www.totbyme.com/?aff=CD

Margaret 8-14-2007 @ 2:09PM

If you have a princess-obsessed little one, "Ella Enchanted" is a nice alternative to the Disney princesses. Basically, a retelling of Cinderella but with a cooler message.

"The Sound of Music" is also good, albeit kind of long, and depending on your kid, the end could be a bit scary.

And, while they don't really understand the plot yet, my kids love watching "Singing in the Rain."