By skyforbes Hi everyone! I work as a rabbi’s secretary at a small synagogue, and I’ve somehow become the unofficial curator of our brand-new weekly family movie night. I’m a lifelong movie lover, and I’d really love to use this as a way to introduce the kids (and their parents and my own six year old daughter) to film as an art form, not just the loudest or newest thing on streaming.
We’re starting with An American Tail (obviously), and I’d love to include more Jewish-centered films where I can. But since there aren’t quite enough Jewish family movies, we’re also building a list of great, thoughtful, kid-friendly films from everywhere. I have been collecting ideas and here’s what I’ve got so far:
The Adventures of Prince Achmed
The Bear
The Black Stallion
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (plus assorted animated shorts)
The Cameraman
The Circus
Ernest & Celestine
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Flow
The Freshman (1925)
Good Morning
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Hugo
The Incredibles
The Iron Giant
Journey to the Beginning of Time
The Kid (1921)
The Kid Brother
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
The Last Unicorn
The Lego Movie
The Little Prince
A Little Princess
Long Way North
Mary Poppins
The Muppet Movie
My Neighbor Totoro
The NeverEnding Story
Paddington / Paddington 2
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Ponyo
The Princess Bride
Ratatouille
The Red Balloon (and other Lamorisse shorts)
The Red Turtle
The Secret Garden (1993)
The Secret of Kells
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Song of the Sea
The Sound of Music
Speedy
Spirited Away
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
WALL-E
Whale Rider
Where Is the Friend’s House?
Whisper of the Heart
The Wizard of Oz
Wolfwalkers
I’d love suggestions for anything I might be missing—especially visually striking films, silent films, international films, or anything with a strong moral or spiritual center (Jewish or not). Basically: movies that kids can fall in love with now and appreciate even more when they’re older.
What would you add?