This is the third installment in my occasional series “Movies My Kids Will Watch.” See Part I and Part II.
In a nutshell, it takes a lot of effort to find decent movies for children that aren’t sugar-coated within an inch of their lives. I will point to myself and say that yes, I grew up in the era of creepy Jim Hensen puppets and yes, I turned out fine.
In fact, I hold those puppets in such high esteem that I put them on my very first list. And wait a second. I forgot to include The Muppets Take Manhattan on my lists, a most egregious error indeed. Needless to say, my work here is not yet done.
Oh, and I promise next time I will do animation. I’m a little scared to open those doors in my brain, but in the name of research and thoroughness, it shall be done.
Here are the next 9 in the definitive list of the best kids movies of all time (according to me).
WHY? Ralph Macchio, Mr. Miyagi’s quiet wisdom, learning to cope with new experiences/new places, adjusting after a move, dealing with bullies, the value of hard work, encouragement to try a new sport, perseverance pays off, importance of finding a good mentor, it’s OK to be scared (just don’t give in to fear), there are no shortcuts to mastering a good skill, figuring out how to use chopsticks to catch flies, crane kick for the win!
WHY? It’s important to have good friends who will help you (save the world), not everyone will like you (and it won’t be your fault), even if you do not have a natural talent you can learn to excel at something if you work hard, it is OK to be skeptical of authority, do not follow others blindly, the perils of social injustice, trusting your gut feeling, love can save your life … oh, and wizards, brooms and magic, of course!
WHY? Treasure map (duh!), don’t give up on your dreams even if other people think you’re crazy, do not judge others based on their looks, it’s a bad idea to be too greedy, life is full of booby traps so be prepared, knowing how to read Spanish can come in handy, don’t cry wolf or no one will believe you when you’ve been kidnapped by the Fratellis
WHY? I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost, scientists may seem crazy but they can discover some pretty amazing stuff, standing up to naysayers, clean up the bad juju in your life, too much of a good thing can be bad (i.e. don’t cross the streams), giant marshmallow man!
WHY? Aliens, adventure, avoid government testing, search your brain for the answers, sometimes asking for a do-over is the best course of action
WHY? Hijinks, espionage, mystery, self-sufficient and intelligent children, zomg walkie-talkies, learning not to confuse fantasy/reality, sticking up for what you know is right, using your wits to turn a bad situation around, Dad is the hero all along
WHY? Tom Hanks, trampolines inside your house, playing a giant piano, getting paid to play with toys, fooling all the grown-ups, big lesson: be careful what you wish for, knowing who really has your back (your 12-year-old BFF, naturally), figuring out in the end that it’s best to not grow up too fast
WHY? Time travel, Marty McFly, Doc, learning it’s good practice not to deal with terrorists, too much too fast is a recipe for disaster, history can repeat itself so don’t be complacent, dealing with bullies, don’t be a slacker, if you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything, giving in to peer pressure is a bad thing (even if someone calls you chicken*)
WHY? It’s a hard-knock life, no matter how much your life sucks at least you don’t live in an orphanage, the sun’ll come out tomorrow, optimism is the key to happiness, Daddy Warbucks, Sandy, really good music, Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan
*Technically Back to the Future: Part II.
