# Appropriate, non-scary movies for my 4 year old DD



## jchizever

I am finding it really difficult to find good movies for my DD. She is 4 years old. She is a sensitive kid who get scared easily - so that obviously rules out Disney!! So far the only one that I feel comfortable with is Mary Poppins.

Any other suggestions for you amazing moms!


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## limabean

I really like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. A lot of people here also recommend Kiki's Delivery Service (by the same director as the first 2 I mentioned). That one's not my cup of tea, but it's definitely a gentle movie.


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## ecoteat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *limabean*
> 
> I really like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. A lot of people here also recommend Kiki's Delivery Service (by the same director as the first 2 I mentioned). That one's not my cup of tea, but it's definitely a gentle movie.


These three are favorites around here! We also like The Red Balloon and White Mane.


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## NicaG

-Wall-e (there are a couple of exciting moments, but overall it's a pretty quiet thoughtful movie, and funny! I love that movie, and my ds does too)

-Singin in the Rain (you might have to skip through some scenes to get to the fun song/dance numbers)


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## mamaupupup

Hi there,

I am way against scary videos since I, as an adult, dislike scary movies...I really get how awful it can feel to be scared like that. Especially at this age, kids (including mine) may have a very difficult time understanding what is real and what is not. Having said all this, my Mother introduced the girls to Annie (don't do it) and Looney Tunes (don't do that either) and they have survived.

My votes go to: Clifford, Richard Scarry's Busy Town, and Little Bear (the sweetest of them all). If you'd like more suggestions, I'll list more.


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## tinuviel_k

I was also going to suggest My neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo.









At age four my daughter really enjoyed Finding Nemo (we skipped the first few minutes with the barracuda).


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## sunnygir1

My dd loves Finding Nemo, too. (The first few minutes are scary, though.)

Dd is almost 4 and also very sensitive to movies; she is afraid of scary/ominous music, scary/ominous lighting, people yelling/arguing, etc. I honestly don't think she could handle some of the scenes in Mary Poppins, such as the scene at the bank.

We have Netflix, so can stream all kinds of material. She loves to watch episodes of Dora the Explorer.

A movie we found that she adores is The Ballet Shoes. She also liked Fly Away Home, but there is a kind of sinister guy in there trying to thwart their efforts.


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## limabean

I wanted to pop back in to say that we DVRed "Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron" a few days ago and just watched it last night, and it was a really gentle movie -- my sensitive kids both liked it.


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## jessemoon

My kids (3 and 7) love Kipper. So sweet and gently and no mean interpersonal interactions. We also like Shaun the Sheep.


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## Tjej

It's soo funny, whenever I read these sensitive kid movie threads for ideas - about half the movies suggested my DD has been really bothered by (moved to tears or terrified).

Barney is very non-frightening. He has a world celebrations movie that the kids like.

Some Winnie the Pooh are very gentle (there is a very merry Pooh Year that the kids have liked).

Care Bears and the Big Wish is cheerful and the conflict isn't frightening.

Little Bear really is sooo sweet.

Tjej


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## leahmn12

Not a movie suggestion, but my sensitive little guy (3 y.o.) loves to watch the videos on the Mr. Rogers website (go to PBSkids.org). There are at least 20 of them ranging in length from 1-7 minutes or so. They are very sweet and tender, as well as interesting (like how crayons are made). The website is easy to navigate. Mr Rogers was a man who truly understood the importance of handling a child's mind with gentleness and care. He felt that children were sacred and his shows are evidence to that. He called the space between the television set and his young viewers "holy space". I love you Mr Rogers!


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## puffingirl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leahmn12*
> 
> Not a movie suggestion, but my sensitive little guy (3 y.o.) loves to watch the videos on the Mr. Rogers website (go to PBSkids.org). There are at least 20 of them ranging in length from 1-7 minutes or so. They are very sweet and tender, as well as interesting (like how crayons are made). The website is easy to navigate. Mr Rogers was a man who truly understood the importance of handling a child's mind with gentleness and care. He felt that children were sacred and his shows are evidence to that. He called the space between the television set and his young viewers "holy space". I love you Mr Rogers!


I totally agree. I loved Mr. Rogers as a kid but didn't recognize his total amazing-ness until I was a parent.

My DD is slightly sensitive too and really likes Wall-E too.


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## Jane91

What about some older movies?

A lot (but not all) of the Shirley Temple movies might work, like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm or The Blue Bird.

Also, The Court Jester with Danny Kaye is another musical which is a lot of fun. There is also "Hans Christian Anderson."


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## chattyprincess

dd is 4.5 and she is really into strawberry shortcake movies and holly hobbie movies. I will think about this some more and come back with more ideas!


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## cygknit

My 3.5 yo is sensitive, too and adores Kipper. It is very simple--meant for toddlers, I think-- but he's always talking about the characters. They're based on the books by Mick Inkpen, if you like to have a number of books to tie into the show. He also liked Nemo, with the first scene skipped. We do watch a lot of Thomas here. I'm not a huge fan, but it is very helpful for directing appropriate vs. inappropriate ways to talk to friends.


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## SpiderMum

I also recommend My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and Kiki's Delivery Service.  Miyazaki films rarely have villains...even the "bad guys" end up redeeming themselves and becoming friends.


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## Ellp

How about the Sound of Music? Its not scary at all, except for the last few minutes and you could easily fast forward through all that and still have the movie make sense..


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## jtbuko

Check out Gustafer Yellowgold! Our local library was where we dicovered the DVDs, but you can preview on his website.

If you like the music my kids also liked the They Might be Giant DVD's (ABCs, 123s, and there's a science one).

Other favorites: Charlie Brown movies, PBS kids stuff, Meerkat Manor on Netflix, Planet Earth BBC movies


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## moonjunio

Another two lesser-known Studio Ghibli films that aren't too dramatic:

Whisper of the Heart

The Cat Returns


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## catnip

Most of the Scholastic video collection discs are fantastic. We also were big fans of the Wheels on the Bus series when my daughter was younger: http://www.thewheelsonthebus.com/. I also agree with the recommendation of Mr. Rogers. I'm going to disagree with Kiki, and Totoro though, I thought those ones were WAY scary, though not in an action movie sort of way.


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## mamadeuna

We have always struggled with the same thing. My daughter is now almost 8 and still has a very limited range of stuff that works for her. Over the years these are some of our favorites, though, and as far as I can remember would probably be ok for a 4-yr-old (or maybe 5?)

Singin' in the Rain (the "make 'em laugh" scene guarantees huge giggles every time)

The Pippi Longstocking movies (made in Sweden, dubbed with English)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (there is a kind of scary scene that involves a bad guy with a knife, but it's about 15 seconds long and can be fast-forwarded easily)

The Buddies movies (a Disney series involving Golden Retriever puppies; the bad guys are usually pretty benign and comical but you may want to preview)

Milo and Otis (I thought my daughter wouldn't like this one because the whole movie is based on one of the animals getting lost, but it didn't bother her for some reason)

Cirque de Soleil "Dralion" (one of their family performances)

Stomp (dance/performance based on non-traditional percussion "instruments," like brooms, pots and pans, garbage cans, playing cards, etc. Same idea as the stage performances.)

The Little Travelers series (not movies, more like travel documentaries narrated by, about and intended for kids. Two sweet sisters share their travels around the world)


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## chelsmm

I am surprised that there were a few suggestions for Nemo. My son was terrified to tears at Nemo...not the opening scene where the mother and eggs are all killed but the whole "fish killer" thing with Darla, the niece. He was sure Darla would kill Nemo. I was sitting with him the whole time. I tried to turn it off, but he insisted on watching. I was actually kind of stuck as to what to do! I kept reassuring him that Nemo would be ok. Anyways, he loves the book about Nemo, but we haven't watched the movie again since that day. He was 3 at the time. He and his older sister chose it. I kind of figured that once the first scene was over we would be fine. Nope.

Dora the Explorer was also scary for him at times...Swipper the Fox was too much for him.

Of course, he loves Toy Story. No issues with Sid, the neighbor boy who blows up toys....

Barney is a safe bet. Sesame Street- there is a 20th anniversary dvd that is almost all songs. That's a really good one.

Also, there are scholastic dvds that are just stories being read with the pages of the book on the screen. My kids love those!


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## Ellie'sMom

My sensitive kids all loved http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/homeward-bound-incredible-journey. The common sense media web site is a great resource for finding movies for sensitive kids.


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## deannanmc

There's a movie from the 80s called "The Adventures of Milo and Otis"...there are a few moments with a bear that might be a little hairy and it depicts animals giving birth, but otherwise it is a very nice live-action cat and dog movie. Also, what about the documentary "Babies"? It might be a bit slow-paced for your 4yo but it's very sweet.


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## JulieK

Count me in with the moms-of-kids-easily-scared-by-movies. My son is 6.5 and totally terrified of most movies. Care Bear's Big Wish Story was a favorite for a long time until the DVD got too scratched to watch. Others are: Dora, Diego, Franklin, Blue's Clues, Animalia, Little Bear, Rolie Polie Olie. If you want to introduce kids to Disney characters without the trauma of the scary movies, why not try their Sing Along Songs series? Many of the Nick Jr series (like Dora and Blue's Clues) have full-length feature-type films, as well.


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## MamaMamaMama!

Peep and the Big Wide World! My seven year old still loves these; they have science-based themes and are very very gentle. The website has videos you can watch for free: http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/videos/


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## Saco

This is a great thread! My son (who just turned 4) is scared of everything too. My husband watched Ponyo with him and said he liked it, but then I watched it with him and was surprised because I thought the scene during the monsoon was pretty scary. He does like Cars and I find that isn't bad at all. He also watched most of Madagascar and like it, but be aware that there is some language that isn't appropriate and even offensive to some (the lemurs use the words "freaks" and "pansies").

PBS is our main source and Netflix offers a lot - we just have to weed through it.


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## docta

I have this concern as well, even watching some toddler focused shows can scare my 2 yr old daughter, so I am glad to see a list of some ones beyond our very limited repertoire.

My daughter cries at Milo & Otis when the cat falls into the river, but otherwise seems to like it. The original Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is her favorite.

Our family favorite though is watching episodes of *Shawn the Sheep* on netflix (claymation, by makers of Wallace and Grommit) adults will enjoy it as much as little ones. It is about a sheep farm's inhabitants and their hijinks; there is no dialogue, and the show is pure fun--we love this show!


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## txgirl

Though they are more of a 30-minute show than a movie, we LOVE Old Bear Stories (adaptations of Jane Hissey's books on the adventures of stuffed toys--very calm and comforting and cute, yet not talking down to little ones). They were made in the 90s so they are a few years old, but my kids love them. They are stop-motion animation with real stuffed toys.

My personal favorite (show-length, again), is the Koala Brothers series. They are clay animation characters, and don't move too fast or change shape like alot of drawn or computer animated characters do. I think the plots are appropriate for 4-5 yrs and up (younger ones won't understand what's going on, but still enjoy the characters).

The Secret of Roan Innish (may be too slow/mature plot for a 4 yr old)...except for the scene where the selkie changes from a seal to a woman, it's a little...gooey.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (low key, good music)

Richard Scarry's Best Counting/Alphabet/Learning Songs Ever videos

Any Theodore the Tugboat shows (the 3-show videocassettes are about 45 minutes). This show will remind you of Thomas the Train, but without the grumpy/scary/negative characters.

Larger Than Life with Bill Murray. There is one mention of the word "a$$" that is actually kinda hard to hear so I don't think my kids notice it, but overall it's pretty fun. I bought it before I had kids.

I think it is hard to find movies for kids without a scary situation for them to strive against, violence or bad guys, or even "friends" doing negative things they shouldn't (lying, saying they feel "fine" when they are obviously sad/angry--i have read that kids learn these behaviors even though the shows intend to teach why NOT to do these things, and it makes sense to me, so we avoid them). We have hardly any movie-length shows for just that reason!

Enjoying reading others' suggestions...


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## anj_rn

My 4.5 yr old son loves the Wee Sing movies (esp. Wee Sing in Sillyville). There is not a scary moment in the movie. He also likes, Cars, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo (we start the DVD at the 1st day of school), Thomas the Train, Wall-E, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Winnie the Pooh. And then for TV shows Sesame street, Reading Rainbow, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora the Explorer, and Handy Manny.

Now for my own personal assessment - I hate my ILs for introducing Thomas (they are very annoying). I only like the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, not the other movies or TV shows.

I love Wall-E and Reading Rainbow. We are starting with Muzzy (in Spanish), in March. We only do 1 hour of screen time a day, and so he picks. Mickey Mouse, Dora, and Handy Manny usually only happen at Grandma's.


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## karin95

Some of these suggestions are great, at least for my sensitive kiddo, but if you really want to know more about movies before you show them to your kid, check out http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ and read the reviews. I don't necessarily agree with them on the age range for each movie, but they give you a great idea of all the things your kid may or may not find problematic in the movie. And I suggest watching it yourself, first, because only you know what's likely to be scary for your kid.

My son LOVES Mary Poppins, but he did spend a lot of time processing the bank scene. We all love Little Bear. No conflict, fun plots, no annoying voices (unlike Calliou...). He also loves Mr Rogers. He watched Toy Story 1 a couple of times and is now obsessed with Buzz and spends a lot of time trying to process that Buzz is a Space Ranger who "comes in peace", yet he uses his laser. So anything with "bad guys" or people hurting each other or other creatures...the movie has to be really worth it to "endure" his constant questions and processing.  (His daycare showed them part of Wizard of Oz this summer and that was NOT worth it...oy....)

Really, if your daughter is sensitive, I'd stick with Little Bear (there are quite a few stories on each DVD) and books-on-video from Scholastic (like Snowy Day). With those, and Mary Poppins, and some on-line Mr Rogers, I don't think you'll be lacking in something for her to watch when you want her to be doing that.


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## averlee

There are many great suggestions here. My daughter especially loves Peep and the Big Wide World, and Totoro. A few things she likes that no one has mentioned are Kidsongs and Big Comfy Couch (you can find both on youtube). Also the Harold and the Purple Crayon cartoon series, Wubbzy, and the Mr Men. She loves documentaries, the Planet Earth and Cosmos series and anything with ocean life, animals, etc. A few movies she's enjoyed, that really surprised me, are Little Miss Sunshine and Napoleon Dynamite, neither are really appropriate for a preschooler, but they both have great dance numbers at the end.


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## catnip

Oh! See if you can find "The StoryWatchers Club"!


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## AJ615

This has been most enjoyable to read and learn of so many more options. I will add that Wonder Pets on Netflix is a mainstay for us. It is quite creative, teaches kindness, patience and teamwork, and incorporates singing dialogue, similar to a broadway musical. We all love it!


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## Surfer Rosa

-Ponyo, My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service were all hits

-Singin' in the rain

-Sound of Music-until the kids go to bed

-Franklin and the Green Knight (blech, but the kids love it)

-Milo and Otis is on frequently too.

And it's funny, but Mary Poppins freaked out our LO (the floating on the ceiling, the bank scenes) for ages and ages. Only recently will she watch the whole thing!


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## beebalmmama

Ds is also very sensitive with movies. Some that have worked for us are:

Anything PBS

The Scholastic Video series (Love these)

Sound of Music (the first half)

Musicals of many types

-White Christmas

-Mama Mia

-I love Danny Kaye and should introduce him to these

-I would imagine ds would like Singin in the Rain too

Cars (although we have to fastforward the combine/tractor tippin and the part the "mean" cars lull Mack to sleep)

Mary Poppins (fast forwarding the bank part)

Babe (recently watched this and it went over very well)

Charlottes Web (the old version cartoon)

I'm also surprised at the Nemo suggestion, this movie terrified ds.

We tried Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and that terrified him too (at 5 yrs). I don't think he watched more than 20 minutes total and kept hiding in the kitchen. I mean good gracious it has a "kid catcher"


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## Saco

Thank you to the poster who suggested Shaun the Sheep. My 4 year old howls with laughter and is just enjoying the episodes so much!


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## HeatherB

My boys also enjoy Kipper - they're 3, 6, and almost 9. Cute, simple, and lots of creativity. Love streaming Netflix!

Cars has been a big hit for a long time. My 3yo will sometimes ask for Nemo but leave the room for certain parts.

Our go-to safe videos (not necessarily full-length movies) have been Veggie Tales, Signing Time, and Cars, with the more recent addition of Kipper.

I will have to check out some of the other things mentioned!


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## Becken

Some Kippers are safe, some really freaked my Dd1 out when she was a bit younger. There is an episode about a ghost, one with little space aliens, one when they go to the moon....you have to pick and choose. I really do like them, though; they are kind to each other and speak politely.

We LOVE Pingu!

Mustard Pancakes (a sweet PBS show).

The first 2 seasons of Blue's Clues. Kind of inane, but harmless.

Little Bear. LOVE Little Bear.

Blue Planet documentaries (I appreciate these because the kills are not grisly and there are no copulation scenes that I have to explain. lol.)

The newer Charlotte's Web with Dakota Fanning - very true to the sweetness of the book, with only one fart joke.


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## wagamama

My kids are 5 and 3, and they were scared by Ponyo -- so much that they refused to watch it again! Ponyo's father is scary!

Finding Nemo was also too scary for them. 

The only DVDs we've had success with are Peep and the Big Wide World and Richard Scarry's Busy People.


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## BATDAD

shows:

1. Bill Nye the science guy

2. MAGIC SCHOOL BUS!!!!!

3. Clifford the Big Red Dog

movies:

1. Tinkerbell

2. Winnie the Pooh

3. Care Bears


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