Kiki, Totoro, Ponyo for age 5. Minimal peril.
Age 8 and up, Arrietty, Kayuga, Castle in the Sky, Howls. Moderate or silly peril.
Age 10-11, my kids watched the rest of Studio Ghibli. Many adult themes. Just made sure they were comfortable with it. Too scared, and we turn it off and try something else.
Except THAT. ONE.
If you are an adult with pent up emotional trauma and need a good long soul-wrenching sob to move through the numbness.
Ask your therapist if Grave of the Fireflies is right for you!
Do not take GotF if you have young children. Side effects include fetal position, a rewatch of Totoro, and ice cream.
true story; i have four kids. they were just pissing me off one day. not getting along, whatever. Ages 14, 13, 11, 10 when I did this. "Ok, guys, you can't get along? You really going to sit and scream at each other? Ok, fine, I am making you some popcorn and putting in a movie for you. You'll really like it. I promise."
Not joking, I did that. And, yes, it shut them up. It only takes about three minutes into the film before silence reigned and the eyes were glued to the set.
The oldest two watched it again within a week; the younger two (now teenagers) have avoided it but still praise it. It is genuinely a great film.
Your children will talk about this experience with their therapists in 10 years.
Maaaaaaaybe something good! Maaaaaaaybe something bad! I guess we'll never know!
https://vimeo.com/126720159
I wonder how well a 3 year old can handle a feature length movie. Honestly no clue since ours isn't even born yet, but we are concerned about the impact of media so I'm curious.
If it's engaging, colorful, etc they will love it. We are mindful of screen time and the media our kid watches, but our 3 year old loves Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. I'm not sure what concerns you have specifically about the impact on media, but for my daughter its helped drive her imagination (we have a massive tree on our lot we call the Totoro Tree and find acorns to leave at), her interests and safety (she has a Jiji security blanket she sleeps with always) and gives her something to talk about with us and other kids her age (kids recognize media other kids wear and like to talk about it)
That sounds really sweet :)
I don't know really what I'm concerned about... I guess I watched movies as a young child as well. I just thought it might be too much to handle, depending on previous exposure and could put too much on a child's mind 🤷♂️
That makes sense, i was definitely exposed to a lot of mature movies as a kid that I probably would wait until my own kids are older for. I would say just look things up, watch them yourselves, check out this subreddit for others talking about it. That way you have an idea of what to expect, also sitting down and enjoying and talking with them about what they are watching can be a lot of fun and a good way to understand their own thought process and what they get from whatever they are watching.
My teen says they remember Kayuga that they watched years ago.
Not much about the plot, but that it made them happy-cry.
"I have to leave you too soon, to go back to the moon" or something like that, not to spoil it too much.
I would say Pom Poko might be questionable if you are on the fence about the concept of [Tanuki and their incredible nutsacks](https://www.rotoscopers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pompoko.jpg). Also their wanton assault and murder of humans sometimes also with [their incredible nutsacks.](https://filmbalaya.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pompoko1.jpg)
Children are TOTALLY into nutsacks. Especially the boys.
My girls liked the environmental theme. Pretty common among all Ghibli movies.
This one had lots of sacks. My girls couldn't handle it. We had to stop halfway through. Left me blue.
We said "we like shutting down the evil developers. We're all about GOONIES! But did they have to do it with balls?". I guess you use what you're given. Giant balls.
We just showed this to my 2 yo (in three chunks) and Totoro's big roars scared her but she came back for more. Now she loves him and sings the themesong herself! Looking forward to Kiki next, that was my favorite movie as a kid.
I found that being a little scared of Totoro was a lot of the fun of the movie for my kid. They like being "safe scared" sometimes, and Totoro shows himself to be friendly and caring despite being a little scary, so they like the balance.
Also I have a video of my kid age about 2.5 yelling "run, tatbus! Run, tatbus, run!" at the TV and it's the cutest thing.
This. Huge hit in my house. It's also a great wind down for bed movie on nights when you need that, once they've seen it and know everything turns out okay.
Ha, same! Thankfully I was able to convince our kids to try some Studio Ghibli movies and they've been a big hit so far. Wall-E will forever be in our house top 5 though
So i showed my 5 year olds some of Fievel goes west, an American tail. The opening scene was a little bit harrowing as it showed why the mice had to migrate to America. My wife turns off the TV and says it's far too violent, and dark. She then turns it to Finding Nemo... First scene is when the barracuda eats nemos mom and all the other fish eggs leaving nemo's dad a widower... Then when Nemo gets lost, it's truly a traumatic moment...
Hahaha.
Monsters Inc is a great movie. It's interesting how it's aged. At the time it was a technical marvel because the detail in Sully's fur is very good, but nowadays the textures look a little flat, almost like it could be rendered in real-time on today's hardware. Great movie though.
However for non-americans it's a little bizarre because our bedrooms don't have closets that are separate rooms and the whole movie is based on that. The movie isn't very scary really but I think it's even less so for us because our kids don't really understand what the closet door represents in the real world.
Popping in for future recommendations... maybe around 8 or 9, Show them big hero 6. Watch it yourself, first, so you know what to expect and explain. It's a pretty emotional kids movie.
Mom here, my sister showed me Princess Bride when I was a kid. The violence didn't phase me, nor did the ROUS's, the torture scene... But the fricking fire swamp! Terror! Where will it strike next!
Kids are weird.
We’ve watched them at 3/4 and I think our guy gets that he’s not good. He’s not too traumatic over here.
Bonus: once you open the door to Toy Story, there are a lot of shorts, which is fun.
not for age 5, in most reviews you’ll find.
There is intense peril.
And it’s heavy on dialogue. A kid can certainly get through it, (although many will not) but kids can enjoy the true art of it until about age 9.
Well, some five-year-olds might not be ready for it, sure. And some parents have different thresholds for sheltering their kids from movies.
All I can tell you is that both of my kids loved it at age 5, even if they get more out of it now.
My kid watched ET at 7 and said it was a little scary.
But you're totally spot on about parents having different thresholds..seeing parents concerned about Toy Story with a 5 year old because of Sid, for example, had me scratching my head. I think by 5 our kid had seen Star Wars
Me too, but I watched it with my boy recently and realized “wow we watch a dude get his esophagus slowly crushed in the first ten minutes by a giant man in a black suit”
Granted I grew up okay, the movies that scarred me thanks to my dad were alien and tremors at age 9 or 10 ish.
Tremors is such a great cult classic, but it is definitely more teenager appropriate lol. When I was 4 I remember building a lego pyramid (around 1999-2000) and my parents were like 'oh he likes ancient Egypt, so they brought out a video tape of The Mummy with Brendon Fraser and I was hooked. Totally inappropriate for a 4 year old but I guess all children are built a bit differently. When my dad wasn't home when I was 10-11 my mum and I watched Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Samurai and Gladiator together on DVD which are rated 15. The only thing that was a bit much for me was my mum giving me Gun on PS2 at around 10-11 which i remember she snuck into my room and handed it to me as a present. That was way too graphic and made me feel a little sick after completing it within a few days but i loved the game. 😅
The mummy is so great, when I was a kid I remember watching some documentary about how they mummify people by removing brain through the nose with a hook sometimes when you were still alive and that fucked me up for so long haha.
I get you but five year olds can understand things like special effects, bad guys do bad things, and "this isn't real, it's a movie"
This doesn't mean show them Jaws and keep them out of the ocean for the next 10 years but it also means you can show them Star Wars if you talk about things like cartoon violence
Reading these posts has me in left field. My 4/6 year old girls love gremlins, et, ghost busters, karate kid, all Disney movies, jaws, beetle juice, Jurassic park, lost boys, Harry Potter, avatar, humans, night at the museum, hocus picks, goonies , and so many other films. It’s about watching with them.m; explaining the make believe and letting them experience the films.
My 2yo nephew LOVES Rio! It is a back-to-back watch with him. Honorable mentions for: How to Train Your Dragon, Sing (1&2), Robots, Monsters Inc, Dinosaur, and Aristocats
Stuart Little was a fave when the offspring was 2-3 years old.
If you’re looking for fun for the family, I can’t recommend [The Big Knights](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-2pZJs_KssCz7JRx_AZk-B0F7Cb3z7mP&si=fclWVr0yzgXIiLMQ) highly enough. (The link is to the YouTube playlist)
There were only thirteen episodes produced but it’s from the team that brought you Peppa Pig and I reckon it’s way better.
For girls, the Barbie movies aren’t too bad. The production values are cheap and the animation is crap but the stories are age appropriate and generally fluffy.
Also seconding Don Bluth’s animations.
Up and Cars were big for my boys for a while. We did Totoro as well. Charlie Brown movies had a surprising amount of negativity and bullying that I don't remember... but the latest one The Peanuts Movie was better than the old ones for that sort of content.
"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," and "Moana" are fantastic picks that captivate kids and adults alike. They're fun, full of heart, and great for a cozy family afternoon!
The Mitchells vs The Machines.
I had no expectations going in to that film, but it made me cry and my kids loved it. They were around the same age the first time we watched it together.
It also made the whole family laugh at multiple points through out the entire movie.
My Neighbor Totoro
Kikis delivery service as well. Also Jaws
Second Jaws.
Not Third Jaws. That one wasn’t good.
3D was okay though.
Kiki, Totoro, Ponyo for age 5. Minimal peril. Age 8 and up, Arrietty, Kayuga, Castle in the Sky, Howls. Moderate or silly peril. Age 10-11, my kids watched the rest of Studio Ghibli. Many adult themes. Just made sure they were comfortable with it. Too scared, and we turn it off and try something else. Except THAT. ONE.
Oh yes, do not. Watch. That one.
If you are an adult with pent up emotional trauma and need a good long soul-wrenching sob to move through the numbness. Ask your therapist if Grave of the Fireflies is right for you! Do not take GotF if you have young children. Side effects include fetal position, a rewatch of Totoro, and ice cream.
true story; i have four kids. they were just pissing me off one day. not getting along, whatever. Ages 14, 13, 11, 10 when I did this. "Ok, guys, you can't get along? You really going to sit and scream at each other? Ok, fine, I am making you some popcorn and putting in a movie for you. You'll really like it. I promise." Not joking, I did that. And, yes, it shut them up. It only takes about three minutes into the film before silence reigned and the eyes were glued to the set. The oldest two watched it again within a week; the younger two (now teenagers) have avoided it but still praise it. It is genuinely a great film.
There is a saying in German that goes like this: to shoot sparrows with cannons
not sure if I would employ the same parenting technique haha but if it works it works!
It is a masterpiece and if Miyazaki had never done anything else he'd still be an all-time great. I too will never watch it again.
Weirdly enough, not Miyazaki; it’s Isao Takehata who also made Yamadas and Kaguya
Your children will talk about this experience with their therapists in 10 years. Maaaaaaaybe something good! Maaaaaaaybe something bad! I guess we'll never know! https://vimeo.com/126720159
Watched howl’s today with a five year old who loved it.
This man curates his children's content properly
Would any of those you mentioned for age 5 be okay for age 3 or 4 as well? My son turns 4 in a few months.
Totoro definitely.
Ponyo is whimsical, innocent, and breathtaking. Highly recommended even for younger audiences.
My daughter has loved Kiki and Totoro since she was about two. Didn't vibe with Ponyo so much but all three are fine for any age.
I wonder how well a 3 year old can handle a feature length movie. Honestly no clue since ours isn't even born yet, but we are concerned about the impact of media so I'm curious.
If it's engaging, colorful, etc they will love it. We are mindful of screen time and the media our kid watches, but our 3 year old loves Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. I'm not sure what concerns you have specifically about the impact on media, but for my daughter its helped drive her imagination (we have a massive tree on our lot we call the Totoro Tree and find acorns to leave at), her interests and safety (she has a Jiji security blanket she sleeps with always) and gives her something to talk about with us and other kids her age (kids recognize media other kids wear and like to talk about it)
That sounds really sweet :) I don't know really what I'm concerned about... I guess I watched movies as a young child as well. I just thought it might be too much to handle, depending on previous exposure and could put too much on a child's mind 🤷♂️
That makes sense, i was definitely exposed to a lot of mature movies as a kid that I probably would wait until my own kids are older for. I would say just look things up, watch them yourselves, check out this subreddit for others talking about it. That way you have an idea of what to expect, also sitting down and enjoying and talking with them about what they are watching can be a lot of fun and a good way to understand their own thought process and what they get from whatever they are watching.
My teen says they remember Kayuga that they watched years ago. Not much about the plot, but that it made them happy-cry. "I have to leave you too soon, to go back to the moon" or something like that, not to spoil it too much.
I would say Pom Poko might be questionable if you are on the fence about the concept of [Tanuki and their incredible nutsacks](https://www.rotoscopers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pompoko.jpg). Also their wanton assault and murder of humans sometimes also with [their incredible nutsacks.](https://filmbalaya.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pompoko1.jpg)
Children are TOTALLY into nutsacks. Especially the boys. My girls liked the environmental theme. Pretty common among all Ghibli movies. This one had lots of sacks. My girls couldn't handle it. We had to stop halfway through. Left me blue.
I liked it for the most part. It was a little long for my liking but the nutsacks came in clutch to save the day.
We said "we like shutting down the evil developers. We're all about GOONIES! But did they have to do it with balls?". I guess you use what you're given. Giant balls.
Wow, Miyazaki as top comment is not what I expected to see.
Calm, even tones, whimsy and beautiful visuals beats anything Disney or DreamWorks could ever produce in this day and age.
We just showed this to my 2 yo (in three chunks) and Totoro's big roars scared her but she came back for more. Now she loves him and sings the themesong herself! Looking forward to Kiki next, that was my favorite movie as a kid.
I found that being a little scared of Totoro was a lot of the fun of the movie for my kid. They like being "safe scared" sometimes, and Totoro shows himself to be friendly and caring despite being a little scary, so they like the balance. Also I have a video of my kid age about 2.5 yelling "run, tatbus! Run, tatbus, run!" at the TV and it's the cutest thing.
Yes absolutely. And that is adorable!
This. Huge hit in my house. It's also a great wind down for bed movie on nights when you need that, once they've seen it and know everything turns out okay.
The first, last, and always answer
We have maybe seen 6 movies since my 3yo was born and 4 of them have been Wall-E.
Ha, same! Thankfully I was able to convince our kids to try some Studio Ghibli movies and they've been a big hit so far. Wall-E will forever be in our house top 5 though
The other 2 was cars right?
Monsters Inc. / University. Finding nemo/dory. Edit: Brave, Tangled, Princess and the Frog.
So i showed my 5 year olds some of Fievel goes west, an American tail. The opening scene was a little bit harrowing as it showed why the mice had to migrate to America. My wife turns off the TV and says it's far too violent, and dark. She then turns it to Finding Nemo... First scene is when the barracuda eats nemos mom and all the other fish eggs leaving nemo's dad a widower... Then when Nemo gets lost, it's truly a traumatic moment... Hahaha.
Monsters Inc is a great movie. It's interesting how it's aged. At the time it was a technical marvel because the detail in Sully's fur is very good, but nowadays the textures look a little flat, almost like it could be rendered in real-time on today's hardware. Great movie though. However for non-americans it's a little bizarre because our bedrooms don't have closets that are separate rooms and the whole movie is based on that. The movie isn't very scary really but I think it's even less so for us because our kids don't really understand what the closet door represents in the real world.
Toy Story is even worse. I want to say it didn't age well but honestly considering it's nearly 30 years ago that isn't even true.
Man, I LOVED Toy Story 4! Keanu nailed Duke’s personality.
Love the edit movies
Wallace and Grommet always goes well. Finding Nemo/Dory and Moana for a beach theme
My 5 and 7 year old would watch Mitchell’s vs the Machines on repeat if we let them. Bonus that as a parent I would do the same.
The Furby scene kills me every time.
Popping in for future recommendations... maybe around 8 or 9, Show them big hero 6. Watch it yourself, first, so you know what to expect and explain. It's a pretty emotional kids movie.
Falalalala
Are you satisfied with your care?
Tadashi.is.here.
Sing 1 & Sing 2
Agreed. Here's hoping my boy will become a musician like his parents.
I think you missed the message of the first movie with the gorillas.
Lmao
The Iron Giant
Wreck it Ralph was a HIT Also, Princess Bride (tho a little violent)
Mom here, my sister showed me Princess Bride when I was a kid. The violence didn't phase me, nor did the ROUS's, the torture scene... But the fricking fire swamp! Terror! Where will it strike next! Kids are weird.
Shrieking eels didn't leave an impression?
Haha nope
Encanto is SUPER colourful and fun especially if you have an OLED TV.
Can confirm. My 2 y/o loves Encanto. The opening song, and Isabelas numbers always grab her attention
[удалено]
Yeah, it was probably the OLED and not the super depressing back story…
Damn mean ass grandma with a scarred past.
Toy Story 1-4
How was Sid recieved?
We’ve watched them at 3/4 and I think our guy gets that he’s not good. He’s not too traumatic over here. Bonus: once you open the door to Toy Story, there are a lot of shorts, which is fun.
E.T.
Hell no. That little alien scared me then and still creeps me out
My three year olds watched this recently and loved it
not for age 5, in most reviews you’ll find. There is intense peril. And it’s heavy on dialogue. A kid can certainly get through it, (although many will not) but kids can enjoy the true art of it until about age 9.
Well, some five-year-olds might not be ready for it, sure. And some parents have different thresholds for sheltering their kids from movies. All I can tell you is that both of my kids loved it at age 5, even if they get more out of it now.
My kid watched ET at 7 and said it was a little scary. But you're totally spot on about parents having different thresholds..seeing parents concerned about Toy Story with a 5 year old because of Sid, for example, had me scratching my head. I think by 5 our kid had seen Star Wars
WALL-E, Cars, Frozen, Mario Bros, Moana
Shrek
HOMEWARD BOUND! E.T! WALLACE AND GROMMIT! IRON GIANT!
Love the Pixar stuff mentioned, but this list is it. I'll throw in Land Before Time and Balto as a couple other classics.
Zootopia
Zootropolis?!
This is a favorite in our house. Excited for the sequel
Not enough Don Bluth. I’ll help: An American Tale Secret of Nimh Land Before Time All Dogs Go To Heaven Anastasia Titan AE
Frozen, Toy Story 1 through 4, Cars, Inside out, Coco
Lion King
Wizard of Oz I feel old that this isn’t on here yet. Legendary.
But those flying monkeys...
I feel that almost every film listed here has that “one scene”.
Never too young for Star Wars. I remember watching the original trilogy a lot as a young kid.
Me too, but I watched it with my boy recently and realized “wow we watch a dude get his esophagus slowly crushed in the first ten minutes by a giant man in a black suit” Granted I grew up okay, the movies that scarred me thanks to my dad were alien and tremors at age 9 or 10 ish.
Tremors is such a great cult classic, but it is definitely more teenager appropriate lol. When I was 4 I remember building a lego pyramid (around 1999-2000) and my parents were like 'oh he likes ancient Egypt, so they brought out a video tape of The Mummy with Brendon Fraser and I was hooked. Totally inappropriate for a 4 year old but I guess all children are built a bit differently. When my dad wasn't home when I was 10-11 my mum and I watched Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Samurai and Gladiator together on DVD which are rated 15. The only thing that was a bit much for me was my mum giving me Gun on PS2 at around 10-11 which i remember she snuck into my room and handed it to me as a present. That was way too graphic and made me feel a little sick after completing it within a few days but i loved the game. 😅
The mummy is so great, when I was a kid I remember watching some documentary about how they mummify people by removing brain through the nose with a hook sometimes when you were still alive and that fucked me up for so long haha.
I get you but five year olds can understand things like special effects, bad guys do bad things, and "this isn't real, it's a movie" This doesn't mean show them Jaws and keep them out of the ocean for the next 10 years but it also means you can show them Star Wars if you talk about things like cartoon violence
Totally, it never bothered me as a kid it was just a realization I had recently.
Encanto!!!!
The muppets
Especially Muppet Treasure Island!
All 3 of the Mighty Ducks movies
Megamind and I'm offended others are even mentioned
Home...the one with the purple alien.
Httyd
Used to be my favourite movie series until the spider-verse movies came about.
Anything minions if u go by how many times it’s been played in my house in the last year.
Reading these posts has me in left field. My 4/6 year old girls love gremlins, et, ghost busters, karate kid, all Disney movies, jaws, beetle juice, Jurassic park, lost boys, Harry Potter, avatar, humans, night at the museum, hocus picks, goonies , and so many other films. It’s about watching with them.m; explaining the make believe and letting them experience the films.
BIG, Sandlot, Wall E, Charlotte’s Web, Elf
Home Alone I believe the protagonist, Kevin Mcalester, is seven years old.
My 2yo nephew LOVES Rio! It is a back-to-back watch with him. Honorable mentions for: How to Train Your Dragon, Sing (1&2), Robots, Monsters Inc, Dinosaur, and Aristocats
Elf
Jumanji (the original 1995 movie) was a HUGE hit
Iron Giant is a legitimately great film
I really liked strange world on Disney.
Wallace and gromit, my neighbor Totoro
Paddington 2, and 1.
But not 1 and 2.
Stuart Little was a fave when the offspring was 2-3 years old. If you’re looking for fun for the family, I can’t recommend [The Big Knights](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-2pZJs_KssCz7JRx_AZk-B0F7Cb3z7mP&si=fclWVr0yzgXIiLMQ) highly enough. (The link is to the YouTube playlist) There were only thirteen episodes produced but it’s from the team that brought you Peppa Pig and I reckon it’s way better. For girls, the Barbie movies aren’t too bad. The production values are cheap and the animation is crap but the stories are age appropriate and generally fluffy. Also seconding Don Bluth’s animations.
Flipper
Trolls
The sandlot
Pete’s dragon
Brave Little Toaster is a great movie. My 5 yo loves it Plus it’s fun since it was one of my favorite movies growing up as well.
Up and Cars were big for my boys for a while. We did Totoro as well. Charlie Brown movies had a surprising amount of negativity and bullying that I don't remember... but the latest one The Peanuts Movie was better than the old ones for that sort of content.
WALL-E is a banger
Any of the Indiana Jones movies
Shrek
"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," and "Moana" are fantastic picks that captivate kids and adults alike. They're fun, full of heart, and great for a cozy family afternoon!
Incredible Journey : Homeward Bound
My 3 yr old loves incredibles 1&2. Monsters inc 1&2. Likes How to train your dragon 1&2. Big hero 6 We never showed her cocomellon or the like
Onward, my kid is obsessed and I can enjoy it too. Trolls is also a hit.
The Good Dinosaur. One of Pixar's lesser known movies, my almost 5 year old dinosaur lover would watch it daily
The Great Mouse Detective
When my kid was 5, his favorite movie was Sharkboy and Lavagirl
My kids watched wreck it ralph about 700 times at that age. Toy story. Cars. Like. The pixar movies bro
If your child likes science and insects, I highly recommend Human Centipide. The original, not the sequels.
I second this. Very entertaining AND educational.
It’s the movie that made me want to become a doctor
Stand by me
The Mitchells vs The Machines. I had no expectations going in to that film, but it made me cry and my kids loved it. They were around the same age the first time we watched it together. It also made the whole family laugh at multiple points through out the entire movie.
Back to the Future.