Recently, my kids have reached an age where our typical go-to Disney and Netflix cartoon movies aren’t hitting the same. My husband and I started thinking back to our childhoods, what movies we were watching from ages 7+, as we slowly moved away from watching the cartoon classics. A big part of our summer and fall routines is having friends and family over to watch outdoor movies in our backyard. One of our favorite parties is having a Back to School Movie Night. Last year, we played Sky High for the kids. They were hooked! It got us thinking about what other classic 90’s and early 00’s movies we could show our kids but still preserve some of their innocence.
I started compiling a list of some of my favorites. Full disclosure, we haven’t watched all of these with our kids yet, so a sneaky curse word may be lurking or a small make-out session (I’m looking at you, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids). But many of these are movies that kept our kids entertained but didn’t scare them or introduce them to something completely inappropriate. We are over the sleepless nights in this household, and we would like to keep it that way.
Before diving into the lists below, feel free to check out what classifies a movie as “G”, “PG”, and “PG-13”.
Light-Hearted Fun
- Flubber (PG)
- Blank Check (PG)
- Mouse Hunt (PG)
- Good Burger (PG)
- The Muppets (PG)
- Madeline (PG)
- It Takes Two (PG)
- George of the Jungle (PG)
Sports-Themed Favorites
- The Big Green (PG)
- Space Jam (PG)
- Little Giants (PG)
- The Mighty Ducks (PG)
- Rookie of the Year (PG)
- Angels in the Outfield (PG)
Superhero / Adventure Vibes
- Sky High (PG)
- Short Circuit (PG)
- Batteries Not Included (PG)
- The Goonies (PG)
- Hook (PG)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (PG)
Animal-Themed Movies
- Beethoven (PG)
- Air Bud (PG)
- Free Willy (PG)
- Babe (G)
- Homeward Bound (G)
- Stuart Little (PG)
- Mighty Joe Young (PG)
- We Bought a Zoo (PG)
Holiday & Slightly Spooky (but kid-friendly)
- Hocus Pocus (PG)
- Casper (PG)
- The Addams Family (PG-13)
- I’ll Be Home for Christmas (PG)
Book-Based & Classic Stories
- Matilda (PG)
- The Secret Garden (G)
- The Indian in the Cupboard (PG)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (G)
Family & Growing Up Stories
- Mrs. Doubtfire (PG-13)
- The Parent Trap (PG)
- Harriet the Spy (PG)
- The First Kid (PG)
- Man of the House (PG)
- Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (PG-13)
Music, Performance & Feel-Good
- High School Musical (G)
- Annie (G)
- Mary Poppins (G)
Silly & Quirky Fun
- Dennis the Menace (PG)
- Kazaam (PG)
- Mac & Me (PG)
- Robots (PG)
- The Little Rascals (PG)
- Troop Beverly Hills (PG)
Better for Preteens & Teens (a little more mature themes)
- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (G)
- The Princess Diaries (G)
- What a Girl Wants (PG)
- She’s the Man (PG-13)
- Mrs. Doubtfire (PG-13)
- The Goonies (PG)
- Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (PG-13)
Adventure & Imagination
- Jumanji (PG)
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (PG)
- Paddington (PG)
- Sky Kids (likely meant Spy Kids) (PG)
- Karate Kid (PG)
Whatever stage of life you’re in with your kids, save this list and use it as a bucket list. Happy viewing! And don’t forget the treats!
