If you've ever dreaded family movie night, you need to explore some new movies. Here are eight suggestions for family fun that you might have overlooked.
When most of us think of animated movies, we think of the famous ones first, movies like The Lion King, Monsters Inc., and Shrek. They're instant classics and definitely family-friendly, but Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks aren't the only studios producing high-quality animation these days. Instead of watching Aladdin again, check out some of these suggestions. Your kids will love them, and they're sophisticated enough to entertain adults as well. You'll never have to dread family movie night again!
Cats Don't Dance
Danny is a talented cat from Indiana, newly arrived in Hollywood with dreams of making it big. Sawyer is a talented cat who knows better: she's working as a secretary for a Hollywood talent scout. But even after Danny learns the cold hard truth--that Hollywood doesn't want animals who can sing and dance--it doesn't dampen his enthusiasm. Before long it seems he's lucked out by befriending the hugely famous Darla Dimple, a little girl who only seems sweet on the outside. What happens to Danny, Sawyer, and their friends once Darla gets her hands on them makes for a hysterically funny, heart-warming story.
Set in a cartoon version of Golden Age Hollywood, Cats Don't Dance pulls out all the stops when it comes to music, glitz, and heart. The choreography in the dance numbers was Gene Kelly's last project before his death. Voice cast includes Scott Bakula, Don Knotts, and John Rhys-Davies, and music by Natalie Cole.
Running Time: 120 minutes. Released 1997. Rated G.
The Iron Giant
It's 1958, and young Hogarth is a typical American boy--he reads comics about space aliens attacking Earth, watches awful horror movies on TV with wide-eyed pleasure, and has an imagination that just won't quit. But it's not his imagination when he discovers a real giant robot in the woods near his house. The boy befriends the robot, but it's not long before other people suspect its presence and a nosy government official starts sniffing around. Hogarth's attempts to keep the robot hidden are hilarious, and the robot's increasing self-awareness drives the movie to its satisfying conclusion. There are some scary moments and some mild language.
Directed by Brad Bird, who more recently directed The Incredibles. Voice cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Vin Diesel.
Running Time: 86 minutes. Released 1999. Rated PG.
My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro is a modern classic directed by Hayao Miyazaki, often called the Japanese Walt Disney. With a light touch and plenty of humor, My Neighbor Totoro follows five-year-old Mei and her big sister Satsuki, who have just moved with their father to a house in the country. It isn't long before Mei meets an enormous furry creature called a totoro, whose enigmatic presence only enhances the movie's dreamy realism. The girls' mother is in the hospital, and Satsuki's fears that her mother will die are not glossed over; when their mother's expected visit home is canceled, the girls panic, fearing the worst. The ending is wonderfully satisfying, and the rural Japanese countryside is depicted in loving detail.
Small children will enjoy this movie just as much as their older siblings and parents. English voice cast includes Lisa Michaelson, Cheryl Chase, and Greg Snegoff.
Running Time: 87 minutes. Released 1988. Rated G.
Spirited Away
Ten-year-old Chihiro isn't very pleased to be moving to a new home. But on the way her father takes what he thinks is a short-cut, and the family discovers what they think is an abandoned amusement park. The park isn't what it seems, though, and Chihiro is soon terrified to find her parents turned into pigs and her way out of the park blocked by a lake. From her new friend Haku--who also isn't what he seems--Chihiro learns that she must work in the bathhouse if she wants to save her parents from being turned into bacon. Surreal and alternately funny and frightening, Chihiro's adventures with the witch Yubaba, the strange spirit No-Face, and the other friends and foes she meets are all fascinating.
Another of director Miyazaki's movies, Spirited Away broke box office records in Japan and went on to garner awards throughout the world. Its English-language release was managed by Disney. English voice cast includes Daveigh Chase, Michael Chiklis, and Suzanne Pleshette.
Running Time: 132 minutes. Released 2001. Rated PG.
The Incredible Adventures of Wallace & Gromit
A collection of three short claymation films starring Wallace, a cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit, his dog. In a Grand Day Out, Wallace invents a rocket and he and Gromit travel to the moon, which is indeed made of cheese; in The Wrong Trousers, Wallace rents a room to a sinister penguin; and in A Close Shave, Wallace and Gromit unwittingly become mixed up in a sheep rustling racket. The stories are very funny and inventive on a level appropriate for young children, but are just as fun for parents and older kids.
The Wallace & Gromit short films are made by the same studio who made Chicken Run. Voice cast includes Peter Sallis and Anne Reid.
Running Time: 85 minutes. Released 2001. Rated G.
The Last Unicorn
Based on the haunting book by Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn tells the story of a unicorn who learns that all the world's unicorns--except her--have been captured and driven into exile. She leaves her enchanted forest to find them and meets up with Schmendrick, a magician unable to work true magic. How the unicorn saves her people and how Schmendrick comes to understand his true power makes for a sophisticated movie adults will enjoy just as much as kids.
Voice cast includes Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, and Christopher Lee, with music by America.
Running Time: 98 minutes. Released 1982. Rated G.
Balto
Balto is a sled dog, but the other sled dogs don't trust him because he's part wolf. But when a diphtheria outbreak threatens the children of his Alaskan village, Balto is determined to help the sled dog teams race to deliver medicine that will save the children's lives. Balto is a fast-paced adventure; there are two sequels to the movie.
Voice cast includes Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda, and Phil Collins.
Running Time: 78 minutes. Released 1995. Rated G.
Ice Age
Manfred the Mammoth doesn't like humans, but even he has to admit that the lost human baby he discovers is pretty cute. Unfortunately it's also in danger. Manfred and the misfit friends he picks up, Sid the Sloth and Diego the Sabre-Toothed Tiger, work together to return the human baby to his tribe before the pass closes up with snow. Along the way they come to realize the importance of friendship and what it means to be part of a herd.
Ice Age is a lot of fun and often fast-paced, but its characters are the driving force of the story. Voice cast includes Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary.