# TRULY non-violent family movies?



## Bookworm (Oct 6, 2004)

So far we have a list of one: Mary Poppins.

I've just spent an hour of rare internet time reading through countless suggestions of Nemo (except bla bla) or Willie Wonka (except bla bla), etc. So if we could, to help keep this a productive list for those of us want to be HYPER-vigilant about exposing our kids to violence, but still want the pleasure of movie and pizza time, let's just leave the violent movies out of it! Things I won't show my child: death or injury of people or animals, fighting, bickering, dead mothers, animal violence, even if it's natural, scary villans, upsetting/distressing scenes or plots. Tell me something exists other than Mary Poppins!


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## sewaneecook (Nov 1, 2005)

The Sound of Music has always been a personal favorite (yes, I am aware that it takes place during WWII, but I can't recall any violent scenes). Really anything with Julie Andrews!


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## rubyeta (Jan 11, 2007)

we love Totoro and The Adventures of Mowgli (NOT the Jungle Book)


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## Jill0905 (May 11, 2005)

Mary Poppins is wondeful..................UNLESS you watch a million times day!!


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Aristocats and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (it's the old version) are both okay with us.


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

We have the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from the late 70s? early 80s?, and DD's okay with it now, but I have to say, Rabbit is very mean and tries to get Tigger lost in the woods "to teach him a lesson." And the bees chase and sting Pooh... I don't know that I count it as gentle in concept...

We also have Clifford's Really Big Movie, which is pretty gentle.

The most gentle things I've seen are:
We like the They Might Be Giants "Here Come the ABCs" and have been thinking about the newer number one. It's basically kids music videos, no violence.

Anything Maisy or Miffy are the most gentle things I've seen. The "dilemmas/drama" are things like "I don't want to stop playing to go potty" or "Who's wearing this costume to the party?" Very little conflict of any kind in both of those. They're TV shows, but there are probably DVD compilations.


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## Hokulele (Mar 2, 2005)

:


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## berkeleyp (Apr 22, 2004)

Mary Poppins rocks!

If it weren't for the dead parents, I find Cinderella to be nicely without violence. The step sisters do rip her dress but that's the worst part.

I can't remember the name but there's a claymation movie or two called "something and Grommet" which I believe is totally violence free.

Otherwise there's always the shorter shows like Winnie the Pooh, Thomas the Tank Engine, Little Bear, and Spot but those might be less fun for the adults and less suitable for family movie night.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bookworm* 
So far we have a list of one: Mary Poppins.

I've just spent an hour of rare internet time reading through countless suggestions of Nemo (except bla bla) or Willie Wonka (except bla bla), etc. So if we could, to help keep this a productive list for those of us want to be HYPER-vigilant about exposing our kids to violence, but still want the pleasure of movie and pizza time, let's just leave the violent movies out of it! Things I won't show my child: death or injury of people or animals, fighting, bickering, dead mothers, animal violence, even if it's natural, scary villans, upsetting/distressing scenes or plots. Tell me something exists other than Mary Poppins!

MAry Poppins threatens to 'summon a policeman' when the Banks children ask too many questions and are havng trouble falling asleep. She also forces them to take their medicine...in a manipulative sort of way.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sewaneecook* 
The Sound of Music has always been a personal favorite (yes, I am aware that it takes place during WWII, but I can't recall any violent scenes). Really anything with Julie Andrews!









The boy who loves the Capt's oldest daughter pulls a gun on them in the graveyard and the father takes it away. He also spanks one of the little girls---she has to put her butt out.


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

In Mary Poppins doesn't the bank owner basically steal Michael's money and get very pushy with them. I remember that part being scary as a small child.

In Aristocats the butler tries to lose or kill the kittens so he can inhearit all the money.


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## Kama82 (Mar 12, 2006)

Curious George has no violence we like that one.


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## Defenestrator (Oct 10, 2002)

We love My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, two movies made by the same director.

Totoro features a sick mom in a sanitarium-like place, but the movie doesn't dwell on it. Two girls live in a kind of magical forest house and a creature that looks like a giant marshmallow help them cope with missing their mom. Very sweet and gentle.

Kiki is about a young girl who has to prove herself (she's a witch in training) by adopting a town and finding her own special gift to give them and her own hidden talents. She pays for practicalities by flying around on her broom and delivering baked goods.


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## Woodland (Mar 6, 2006)

cant really remember if it fits the criteria but what about flipper?


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elmh23* 

In Aristocats the butler tries to lose or kill the kittens so he can inhearit all the money.

He doesn't try to kill them -- the basket gets bumped off his scooter when he's driving them away from home. But he is shown absolutely to be a bumbling goob, and I think the notion of greed = a bad and stupid thing is a good lesson.

We love Aristocats. We do not love many Disney flicks, because of the violence, but Aristocats is okay in terms of not being violent, at least for us.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

The 'run on the bank' scene in Mary Poppins scared the HELL out of me when I was a child.

EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.

Rather than summarily banning EVERYTHING, why not simply make a case-by-case judgement based on the particular film and your particular child?


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## sewaneecook (Nov 1, 2005)

ThreeBeans said:


> EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.
> 
> 
> >


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## glendora (Jan 24, 2005)

Aren't there also animals hurt in Mary Poppins? I seem to remember jockeys whipping horses.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.

Rather than summarily banning EVERYTHING, why not simply make a case-by-case judgement based on the particular film and your particular child?









:

Someone suggested the Clifford movie - my DD was in tears 10 minutes in because the neighbour said Clifford ate too much and Clifford thought he was a burden to the family, and he ran away. That was just too much for her. She doesn't like seeing anyone hurt, emotionally.

OTOH, she can sit through Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Wererabbit and find it just hilarious. There is a small amount of threatened violence and some cartoonish situations that would probably not be healthy IRL, but otherwise it's pretty tame although the wererabbit is "filmed" to be a bit scary at first (dark, scary music). Oh and the bad guy DOES try to shoot things all through the movie, so I guess if you are anti-hunting to the point of pretending it doesn't exist, that wouldn't float your boat. He only ever hits the stuffed bunny though. (Ooops, spoiler...







) Most physical harm in the movie is self-inflicted, so I don't know if that counts for anyone's criteria.


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

And about the original Wallace and Gromits... A Close Shave is a little scary with the sheep rustling and evil robot dog. The Wrong Trousers has some theivery and deception. A Grand Day Out is the most innocuous. They just build a rocket and fly to the moon because they think it's made of cheese. They encounter a strange robot there, but I can't recall any questionable interactions between them.


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

I think My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service probably meet your criteria. They're really delightful movies.


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## TefferTWH (May 13, 2008)

Curious George


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## Miss Chris (May 7, 2007)

I want to second the endorsements of My Neighbor Totoro, and Winnie the Pooh. Our daughter loves Winnie the Pooh. However she is also enthralled right now with the Jungle Book which does have a pretty wild bit when mowgli finally meets Shere Khan, and there is an extremely brief moment when it seems that Baloo might be dead. I worried about it at first but I think she is too young to understand the implication and she loves the music and the adventure. She also love love loves Lady and the Tramp. That has a mildly scary bit when Lady is picked up by the dog catcher and a more intense scene when the rat gets into the baby's room and the Tramp catches it.

The thing is, I remember being much less concerned about scary movie parts when I was younger. They didn't really phase me as a child, and I think to some degree children have a greater capacity for understanding the darker side of life than we give them credit for. I totally understand keeping a tight control on what little ones watch though. I generally let her guide me. We tried to watch Finding Nemo but the beginning is so scary that she immediately objected and we turned it off. Plus I wasn't so keen on the dead mother theme that shows up in so many of those movies,







so it was easy to set aside until later.

I just thought of a movie that I enjoy a lot that might fit... What about The Triplets of Belleville? I can't think of any violence in it, and I love the way there is almost no dialogue in the movie and it's such a sweet story about a grandmother rescuing her grandson.

In spite of all this we mostly watch sesame street, I never have to worry about that one.









Miss Chris


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 







:

Someone suggested the Clifford movie - my DD was in tears 10 minutes in because the neighbour said Clifford ate too much and Clifford thought he was a burden to the family, and he ran away. That was just too much for her. She doesn't like seeing anyone hurt, emotionally.

Yeah, it's just so individual, and I don't know that you could really find anything with a plot that has no emotional or physical conflict of any kind. My DDs issues are mostly about noise, yelling or loud violence or threatened type stuff. Clifford she did fine. Curious George though, which other people have mentioned here, she was petrified. The doorman and neighbor yells, the "bad guy" developer cackles loudly, the man in the yellow hat abandons George... I find we do best with stuff that contains the "scary stuff" in certain parts and not random shouters, which seem to happen more in Curious George, so she loves Nemo, but we fast forwarded through quite a few scenes for years. She literally first started watching it 2 years ago and JUST watched the first intro scene for the first time last week. And we talked about what happened to Nemo's mom


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

Charlotte's Web with Dakota Fanning is pretty good. There is the plan to kill Wilbur but that never happens. And the spider dies, which is sad, but it's from natural causes and the movie immediately moves on to her thousands of children. My two year old is so sensitive that she made us turn off Cinderella because the cat was trying to get the mice and she loved Charlotte's Web. The only kid stuff that is entirely without meanness/violence is something like Dora the Explorer, which is totally insipid.
I've been planning to watch The Incredibles and Toy Story again with my LO. I don't recall anything scary in those, but I might be forgetting something.


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## MeepyCat (Oct 11, 2006)

We like Singin' in the Rain. Someone gets hit by a pie, and there's lots of dancing.


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## CindyCindy (Jun 13, 2006)

I am racking my brain for movies that don't have any sort of violence whatsoever. . . I mean even Planet Earth and stuff like that has animals eating animals. Those by far are my 3 yr old's favorite movies to watch. Educational and they don't teach them bad habits. My son totally copies things from movies. Lady & the Tramp? I guess a dog kills a rat. . . wow. . .well, what do you consider violence? Sounds like a stupid question, I know, but some of us would be bothered by arguing, whereas others would deem it part of the "plot".


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## angelcat (Feb 23, 2006)

As I recall, Beethoven's 4th was pretty non-violent.

Rachel scares fairly easily, but she likes Jay Jay the Jet Plane. Also Little People videos, Clifford, Curious George, Dora. Oh, and some Veggie tales, but "Where's God when I"m s-s-scared" scared her.


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## Jessy1019 (Aug 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.











We watch a lot of movies, and I can't think of a single one that meets all your criteria, OP. If there's no conflict, nothing upsetting going on, etc . . . well, then there's no story.

Ah well, our kids just watched The Mist with us so you probably don't want my opinion anyway!


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UUMom* 
The boy who loves the Capt's oldest daughter pulls a gun on them in the graveyard and the father takes it away. He also spanks one of the little girls---she has to put her butt out.

Yes, DH loves SOM and thought it would be "safe" but DS1 was disturbed by that scene and is still talking about it and 'the scary man". Just the part when they were searching for the family was enough to scare him--he's been reenacting "the scary man with a flashlight" w/ his own flashlight and suitably "scary" face. If we ever see it again I'd just forward through that whole part.

Wanted to add anything Cailou is very gentle, but you, the parent, have to get past his annoying whiny little voice!


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## KaliShanti (Mar 23, 2008)

Quote:

EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.








up:

So true!

Curious George is a good movie.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

ThreeBeans said:


> EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.
> 
> 
> 
> > We can't be letting little children experience plot. That would aknowledge they have brains ...or even, gosh darnit, powerful feelings.


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## tatermom (Jun 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jill0905* 
Mary Poppins is wondeful..................UNLESS you watch a million times day!!

















My 3 yo will NOT watch Mary Poppins. He gets freaked out by the "magic" parts, especially the room cleaning up itself.







It's sad because that's one of my all-time favorite movies. He loves the singing scenes in The Sound of Music but gets bored with the dialogue.

We mostly watch Signing Time, old Sesame Street episodes, the Sesame Street movie "Follow that Bird", Muzzy in French, and an HBO family show called I Spy. I Spy is by far his favorite things to watch-- he thinks it's hilarious, and it's definitely the most gentle, least objectionable kids show I've found (other than Signing time which is really wonderful)-- but really repetious and boring for adults! We don't watch that many full-length movies, though DS has liked Nemo and Dumbo, with us skipping a few scenes in each of those up until very recently. DS has also liked The Wizard of Oz but again we skipped a few scenes (most of the beginning before they get to Oz).


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## Individuation (Jul 24, 2006)

My Neighbor Totoro. Seriously.


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

The DVD of Riverdance.
Animusic.
Possibly the Mary-Kate and Ashley "You're Invited" party series.
Possibly also their movies Switching Goals and Passport to Paris. Many MKA movies have dead mothers, but as I recall those did not.


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## hergrace (Oct 9, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mandymichel* 
I've been planning to watch The Incredibles and Toy Story again with my LO. I don't recall anything scary in those, but I might be forgetting something.

Toy Story has the boy next door who tortures the toys. And Toy Story 2 has the man who kidnaps Woody.

The Incredibles is PG (not G) because of the violence. It's a pretty standard comic book story with bank robbery, explosions, and machines trying to kill people.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newbymom05* 

Wanted to add anything Cailou is very gentle, but you, the parent, have to get past his annoying whiny little voice!

Caillou makes ME violent.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Is there a Bob the Builder movie? That would be great. I actually like Bob (once I got over the creepy factor of heavy equipment with self-determination).


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## IlluminatedAttic (Aug 25, 2006)

Scholastic has been putting out dvds of picture books. Many are read by the authors and they vary from partial to full animation of the original illustrations. There are five or six books on each dvd and the menu allows you to choose to view them separately. We get them at the local library and they have been great for ds (almost 3) "Friday morning treat" of 1/2 an hour of tv time. His favorites have been "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and "Bear Snores On".

Curious George (we're talking the recent movie right, not the series on PBS) made me gag and stop watching after 20 minutes. They made the man with the yellow hat a characiture of a spineless, bumbling, nerd and added a 'love interest' teacher that is all 'oooh, gah gah' over him - uke not the sexist stereotypes I want to expose ds to. I was glad I had decided to preview the movie instead of sitting down with ds to watch!


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## katheek77 (Mar 13, 2007)

What about "The Parent Trap" (I've seen the Hayley Mills version, not the newer one)?


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## Kama82 (Mar 12, 2006)

I guess I did not fully think through my choice of curious george. I get the problems some people have with it but I was ok with the the movie, the characters show emotional growth and the man in the yellow hat makes a mistake, acknowledges what he did wrong and moves on.

As a child I had no restrictions on what I watched _at all_. I watched stephen king movies and childs play when I was 6. I do think this definitely contributed to some sleep issues (chronic nightmares and frequent insomnia) I have as an adult. I am very careful about what I let my daughter watch. We only watch movies I have previously watched myself and we only watch together with careful supervision of how she is handling it. The other thing is my daughter _never_ just sits through a movie. She will watch certain parts for a few minutes and then she goes off and plays and returns to the movie if something catches her attention.
I think the most important thing is to prescreen movies for things you think your child may be sensitive to and then watch the movie with them and carefully read their body language to see if it is bothering them. Some more adult movies bothered me very little as a child and some kids movies terrified me (like Return to Oz) I could watch stuff like americas most wanted, rescue 911, and unsolved mysteries and be fine but I still break out in a cold sweat if I see clips of the wheelers in return to oz.


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## Jessy1019 (Aug 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kama82* 
Some more adult movies bothered me very little as a child and some kids movies terrified me (like Return to Oz) I could watch stuff like americas most wanted, rescue 911, and unsolved mysteries and be fine but I still break out in a cold sweat if I see clips of the wheelers in return to oz.

Oh man, Return to Oz was my favorite!! Even though it scared me, I used to rent it over and over and over. That one, and Watcher in the Woods. OMG did I love those movies!!







I think I need to get Return to Oz now . . . my daughter loved Watcher in the Woods when I got the DVD a couple years back and I bet she'd like Oz, too.


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## Mommy2anangel (Dec 17, 2007)

We personally like Curious George over here as well.


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## greeny (Apr 27, 2007)

Quote:

I've been planning to watch The Incredibles and Toy Story again with my LO. I don't recall anything scary in those, but I might be forgetting something.
My kids like Toy Story. We recently rented Incredibles from the library, and it was really kind of violent. I can't remember specific things, but I ended up turning it off fairly early (the kids were so mad!) because it just didn't sit right with me. And I have a fairly high tolerance when it comes to cartoon movies.


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hergrace* 
Toy Story has the boy next door who tortures the toys. And Toy Story 2 has the man who kidnaps Woody.

The Incredibles is PG (not G) because of the violence. It's a pretty standard comic book story with bank robbery, explosions, and machines trying to kill people.

Oh well, scratch those for the OP. I think mine will probably be more okay with stuff like that than Disney, though. Disney portrays scary events in such dark and disturbing ways.


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

It's interesting how so many kid movies have violence and death. When I think about the adult movies that I watch for myself on a regular basis, there are frequently movies without that kind of thing (though with sex and cursing). Of course, a lot of those movies are dramas, independent films, romantic comedies, etc. where the conflicts are more subtle. I guess it's easier for kids to understand an extremely violent conflict as opposed to a subtle interpersonal conflict.

My LO watched Fox and the Hound, which always made me really sad regarding the protagonists having to give up their friendship, but I think that part went over her head.


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## Calidris (Apr 17, 2004)

There are Bob the Builder movies, those, Curious George (TV series) and Winnie the Pooh were what my DD watched when she was younger

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
Is there a Bob the Builder movie? That would be great. I actually like Bob (once I got over the creepy factor of heavy equipment with self-determination).


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

This thread makes me think of the things I watched as a child. . .ugh. . .Scooby Doo, Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, Voltron. . .I'm not sure I would let my DCs watch any of these without my close supervision. I love My Neighbor Totoro, however their mom is sick with TB in the hospital but she is expected to come home. There is also a scene where Mei gets upset and runs away but they find her. I personally think this is the best children's movie out there. My children also enjoy Kiki. However, it is also a little scary at the end when the blimp is flying and the boy grabs on and is flying throught the air before Kiki can save him.

My DD loves Sound of Music, but there is the scene in the convent with the gun. They also love Mary Poppins, but we have to forward the bank scene because it's so scary.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Ooh, I thought of one--Milo and Otis! Now I don't think anyone can find anything wrong w/ that movie....or can they?


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newbymom05* 
Ooh, I thought of one--Milo and Otis! Now I don't think anyone can find anything wrong w/ that movie....or can they?

My youngest (turning 9) says 'It's perfectly fine, but he is sleeping in a hawk's nest, and that could be dangerous".

She adds: "There are no hawks at all, but the viewer does worry that they will swoop at any moment. Parents will need to decide their comfort level about that".

lol My kid rocks.


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## verde (Feb 11, 2007)

OP, what's the age range you're asking about? I found some Teletubby videos at the thrift store that are totally nonviolent but are your kids older than Teletubby age?


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## glendora (Jan 24, 2005)

_I_ cried my eyes out a _Milo and Otis_ when I was a kid.

Besides, as an adult, I hear that many kittens and puppies were, um, destroyed in the process of making that movie. Japan didn't have the same animal cruelty standards we have.


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## LaLaLaLa (Oct 29, 2007)

"The Music Man"? It was one of my favorites as a kid; I always loved musicals. Things that might be objectionable: it's about a con man coming into town and selling musical instruments that he doesn't expect to actually teach the kids to use. And there's a little boy (Ron Howard as a child!) with a speech impediment that is kind of a central plot; for most of the movie he doesn't talk because he's embarrassed about his lisp, but then learns to cope with it. And everyone ends up singing at the end! Only the boys get to play the instruments, though. Bummer for the girls.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

What about the Madeline movies? I mean the cartoon series, not the fairly recent live movie. We watch a few of them around here, and dd really likes them.

ETA: You might want to screen them. A couple of them have upsetting scenes, but not all of them.


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## tynme (May 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Miss Chris* 
I generally let her guide me. We tried to watch Finding Nemo but the beginning is so scary that she immediately objected and we turned it off.

I just have to jump in to say I let my DS guide me also. What may seem scary to me is not scary to him,and vice versa. He didn't like Toy Story becuase he thought woody was getting hurt when andy pulled his string.

I think, for us, its more important to offer him guided natural exposure to video, because I believe if I prevent all forms of violence, even natural violence to him, it will come as a major shock. Now, some things I forbid, like wrestling, guns, blood, power rangers, in fact, we ONLY watch PBS, and some disney movies, but I sit with him and talk and explain the scenes to him as he needs.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *katheek77* 
What about "The Parent Trap" (I've seen the Hayley Mills version, not the newer one)?

I loved that as a child, but was older (not a toddler, for sure) and they are pretty mean to their father's potential fiancee, and the whole thing is really based on deceiving parents, so not sure about that. But I don't recall it having any scary/violent type scenes.

Some movies really scared me as a child (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang comes to mind), and honestly, once you've seen something, you can't take it back -- you can't erase it. We do have many Disney movies on DVD because I've been collecting them as they're released, but I'm not about to let her watch them yet. Heck, the little boy next door in Toy Story scared me and I'm nearly 40.









So we screen things beforehand and the only movies we're okay with are Aristocats and Winnie the Pooh. We are planning on getting the Curious George movie, because she watched some of the show and loved it (we'll watch it first though). But honestly, when it comes to TV, we stick with shorter things anyway, like the ST videos, and Gaiam's Toddler Yoga, and Sesame Street stuff. We do watch Clifford on occasion, but it's more entertaining than educational, so we don't watch it often.

Sunrise Earth is also great -- no violence at all. It's long, but not every engaging for a sit-down family movie type affair.


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## WildCanaryCait (Aug 9, 2006)

so far....Aidan likes Sound of Music, Secret of Roan Inish, OKlahoma, Singing in the Rain.....lol.....he doesn't like things that show animals or cartoonish things talking like real people, it weirds him out....like Charlottes Web.
some days, we watch the lonely goat herd puppet show scene in SOM a dozen times.


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## krizty (Dec 31, 2005)

I think most movies have something in them that we don't want our kids to see, but here are some that I let my dd watch:

Annie, Aristocats, Care Bears Big Wish Movie, Charlie Brown, Cinderella, Dumbo, Flushed Away, Lady and the Tramp, Stuart Little, and Toby Tyler.

If you want some movies that have absolutely no plot whatsoever, then I would suggest Baby Einstein.


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## joy2grow (Apr 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ZFooFoo* 
Curious George (we're talking the recent movie right, not the series on PBS) made me gag and stop watching after 20 minutes. They made the man with the yellow hat a characiture of a spineless, bumbling, nerd and added a 'love interest' teacher that is all 'oooh, gah gah' over him - uke not the sexist stereotypes I want to expose ds to.









: I couldn't agree more. We love the Curious George show on PBS and purchased one of the DVDs with 8 episodes. I especially enjoy the way the man with the yellow hat responds so lovingly to George's mishaps--he's shocked but never harsh--a great example of gentle discipline IMO. The portrayal of him in the movie was awful! We also turned it off without finishing it.


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## One Art (Nov 9, 2005)

I agree with "My Neighbor Totoro." It's fantastic! Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned the Little Bear movies (based on the books) or Angelina Ballerina (also based on the books). They are very gentle, and the conflict is pretty tame and not dramatized at all.


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sewaneecook* 
The Sound of Music has always been a personal favorite (yes, I am aware that it takes place during WWII, but I can't recall any violent scenes). Really anything with Julie Andrews!









Dead mother, hello.


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## Barbee (Nov 27, 2004)

i didn't read all of the posts so not sure if someone already posted this one. "surf's up" is actually not violent from what i can remember. the bad guy is the surf competition. the music is great and the surfing scenes are amazing. there are '"native penguins" who capture the chicken, but no real violence. the chicken escapes without even realizing he was captured so there's no real conflict there. we also like to watch nature documentaries. ds loves birds, so we tend to get those. we did just rent "winged migration" and they show ducks being hunted and falling out of the sky, so i wouldn't recommend that one.


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## birdie22 (Apr 1, 2005)

I don't know if you'd call them "family" movies, but there are various series of non-fiction kids' videos with trucks/trains/tractors etc. DS LOVES those, but they can be pretty cloying for adults.

He also liked the movie "Lost in the Woods," based on the book. I watched it with him, scared the whole time that something bad was going to happen to the little fawn, but (spoiler!) it has a happy ending. Also definitely a kids' movie.


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

We wore out a copy of the Cinderella musical with Brandy and Bernadette Peters. I recommend that one to just about anyone for a family movie.

I love the Wonderpets, three classroom pets who are superheroes and fly around the world singing operatically and saving baby animals in trouble. I will most happily watch Wonderpets dvds with my toddler and preschooler.
Also, this show encourages the consumption of celery.

For kids who are a little older and can handle more excitement, Sharkboy and Lava Girl is a pretty mild superhero movie for kids. My favorite part is the dvd extra interview with Robert Rodriguez, who describes how he and his young son created the script for the movie together. Really inspired me to want to be more creative with my kids.

We love Labyrinth, with David Bowie, but the idea of a kidnapped baby and some of the adventures might be scary for younger children.

We enjoyed Five Children and It, but it does open with scenes of London in the Blitz. Another for slightly older children.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pigpokey* 
Dead mother, hello.

This confused me. Are you saying the fact that the mother had passed away (before the movie begins, even) is a violent thing?

I'm confused.


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

The OP asked for movies that did not have dead mothers, as many disney movies do, such as Cinderella.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aubergine68* 
I love the Wonderpets, three classroom pets who are superheroes and fly around the world singing operatically and saving baby animals in trouble. I will most happily watch Wonderpets dvds with my toddler and preschooler.
Also, this show encourages the consumption of celery.

LOVE the wonderpets. Unfortunately DD is "off" them for now, and I can't quite bring myself to watch them while she's asleep. I especially like the one where they're rescuing baby sea lions in Alaska because whoever does the artwork on that show totally NAILED it. It makes me kind of homesick - we used to vacation in coastal Alaska every summer. And I love the opera aspect of WP.

I rented "The Bee Movie" for DD last night as a treat while Daddy went off to watch a hockey game, she watched 30 seconds of it and decided she didn't like it so I can't report on its suitability for wee ones. (It is rated PG for mildly suggestive humour, which I figured was ok because it would fly right over her head anyway.) I'll watch it myself this afternoon if I have time.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

I just thought of a movie with zero plot. Baby Einstein. That shouldn't offend anyone


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
I rented "The Bee Movie" for DD last night as a treat while Daddy went off to watch a hockey game, she watched 30 seconds of it and decided she didn't like it so I can't report on its suitability for wee ones. (It is rated PG for mildly suggestive humour, which I figured was ok because it would fly right over her head anyway.) I'll watch it myself this afternoon if I have time.

There is attempted murder, regular violence (stinging, etc) which doesn't both my kids too much, and my 3 year old imitates the Seinfeld character's SLAPPING ME BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE FACE thing on My face which I have not cared for particularly (that was not a violent scene, the character was pretending to have battled a bear to impress female bees). Bee Movie is fun. Do not use as science material on bees or flowers.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EviesMom* 
The OP asked for movies that did not have dead mothers, as many disney movies do, such as Cinderella.

Ah. Thanks. I'd forgotten about that criterion. (But in my defense, I'd slept since I read the first post, and my brain conveniently forgot that bit.







)


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## Masel (Apr 14, 2008)

The Wizard of Oz has frightening bits but captivated me a child. The tornado is scary but since my dad came from Kansas I heard stories of real tornados too. Dorothy's parents are obviously gone since she's being raised by her aunt and uncle. The defeat of the witch might be considered violent but since it is done with cleverness and water rather than a weapon would that pass?

I guess it is difficult to think of a story without a conflict that could be considered without violence in a broad sense. A chess match could be called violent what with the sacrificing of all those poor pawns and everyone out to get the king!


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Interesting thread! My 5 yr old just started taking Karate, and the teacher was asking him if he'd seen any Jackie Chan movies. Um, no. . . he's FIVE?!?! The only martial arts he's seen on TV are in the opening credits of Iron Chef America









My kids don't watch a lot of feature-length films yet (3 and 5). They do have a _Blues Clues: Blue's Big Music Show_ that's really cute and totally non-violent (and has good problem solving stuff). They like _The Wonder Pets_ (ditto on the poster who commented on the celery), _Dora_ and _Diego_. Diego is a little less obnoxious to me than Dora--at least they're teaching them hard facts about exotic animals. And I can't complain about the fact that both my 3 yr old and 5 yr old have totally absorbed some Spanish. They run around speaking a strange mixture of "Spanglish" when they play together. They like the _Thomas the Train_ movies too.

My 5 yr old also likes Alton Brown (can you tell we're Food Network people, ha ha!) and I have zero complaints about letting him watch that. Heck, *I've* learned more biochem from AB than I ever did in college









Quote:


Originally Posted by *tatermom* 







My 3 yo will NOT watch Mary Poppins. He gets freaked out by the "magic" parts, especially the room cleaning up itself.

Have you seen the recut trailer for Mary Poppins on YouTube? (might be scary for kids if they are in the room!) Sorry, your post totally made me think of that!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mandymichel* 
Charlotte's Web with Dakota Fanning is pretty good. There is the plan to kill Wilbur but that never happens. And the spider dies, which is sad, but it's from natural causes and the movie immediately moves on to her thousands of children. My two year old is so sensitive that she made us turn off Cinderella because the cat was trying to get the mice and she loved Charlotte's Web.

That is a good one. My son refuses to watch _Cars_ (the combine scares him) and he'll watch Charlotte's Web

Quote:


Originally Posted by *birdie22* 
I don't know if you'd call them "family" movies, but there are various series of non-fiction kids' videos with trucks/trains/tractors etc. DS LOVES those, but they can be pretty cloying for adults.

I think we have one of those, called _Where the Garbage Goes_ (came with a toy recycling truck). My kids will watch it over. and. over. and. over. again. I actually don't mind it because it's educational, but the music is that horrible royalty-free stuff that invades your brain for days!


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tiger Lily* 
Have you seen the recut trailer for Mary Poppins on YouTube? (might be scary for kids if they are in the room!) Sorry, your post totally made me think of that!


That's great! lol He forgot to add the dog barking in the kids' faces when they run away from the bank.


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## McTel (Oct 21, 2004)

My 4 year old doesn't watch full length movies, but he loves Mighty Machines (a series of 20-min episodes such as "At the Firehall", "in the City", etc) - the machines talk through their jobs (without the annoying music of "Where the Garbage Goes" - which we watched daily for 3 months straight last year). They don't air much here anymore, but you can buy the DVDs. His other favourite is Franklin (the turtle) - again, just episodes. He watches those daily, and I find it very gentle.


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## sewaneecook (Nov 1, 2005)

Calling all Mary Poppins fans ...

Here's a Mary Poppins "trailer" that may not truly reflect the real movie, and may even be a bit scary for young ones, but it really is funny:


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## bdoody11 (Aug 16, 2005)

I haven't seen them, but what about March of the Penguins or Winged Migration?


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## Barbee (Nov 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bdoody11* 
I haven't seen them, but what about March of the Penguins or Winged Migration?

winged migration shows ducks being killed by hunters. we just rented that one. you don't see the guns but you hear them and then the ducks fall out of the sky. other than that, the cinematography is fantastic. oh.. there's also a sad part when an injured bird gets overtaken by crabs and a petrel eats a baby penguin. i love animal documentaries, but sometimes they can be pretty scary.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

Pingu is about a claymation penguin, there is no "talking" they make "penguin sounds" I kinda love it!

Tortoro is possibly my favorite movie!

I am opposed to almost all disney movies as they are extermely sexist! (The little mermaid gives her VOICE away for a man, sleeping beauty is ASSAULTED (ie non-consensually kissed) in her sleep, etc)


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## honeybee (Mar 12, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
I just thought of a movie with zero plot. Baby Einstein. That shouldn't offend anyone









It offends me just by the quality (rather, lack of it) of the music! :nana:

My 4 yo is really sensitive to scary/intense things, so we're careful what we watch, but it is so individual. His 2 yo brother has woken up while dh and I were watching Charmed (yikes!) and was totally unphased!

My boys like the Veggie Tales movies, but ds1 even finds a couple of those scary. He can't watch the scary trees in The Lord of the Bean. He loves Polar Express, but also finds the train car with the broken toys scary, although he still watches the movie, just needs us there during that part. He refuses to watch Mary Poppins for some reason I can't figure out. He doesn't mind watching the bodiless soldiers in Bed Knobs and Broomsticks, but hates the cartoon soccer scene (which is pretty violent). He seemed to do all right with Toy Story, surprisingly. I find the neighbor kid pretty freaky myself.

He loves some of the Feature Films for Families movies: Bellflower Bunnies vol. I and II (although episode 2 of vol 1 does have a fox trying to kidnap the baby bunny to eat, somehow that goes over his head... the rest are great, though), Seventh Brother, Tiny Heroes, and Franklin and the Green Knight. He loves the old Christmas movies like Rudolf, although I wince at the sexism. He loves the Charlie Brown holiday specials. I don't know that these are all completely violence-free (I mean the kids are pretty mean to Charlie Brown!). Tiny Heroes has some typical physical comedy cartoon things where the villains get their comeuppance. I find the "message" in these to be a little over-the-top and cloying, but the kids enjoy the movies.

My hardest part is finding movies the kids like that aren't too objectionable, but that I can stand to sit through!


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## milkybean (Mar 19, 2008)

So I should state up front that most of the movies people are concerned about do NOT bother me. Not anymore.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *berkeleyp* 
If it weren't for the dead parents, I find Cinderella to be nicely without violence. The step sisters do rip her dress but that's the worst part.

As a small child, when it was re-released in theaters, I had to be taken out of the theater hysterically crying, b/c of how mean the stepsisters were to Cinderella.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kama82* 
Curious George has no violence we like that one.

He's a baby monkey, yes? Where are his parents?

No violence perhaps, but certainly a missing parent theme.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *greeny* 
My kids like Toy Story. We recently rented Incredibles from the library, and it was really kind of violent. I can't remember specific things, but I ended up turning it off fairly early (the kids were so mad!) because it just didn't sit right with me. And I have a fairly high tolerance when it comes to cartoon movies.

The main disturbing part of Incredibles is the parents fighting. If you watch the commentary, when they get to the big argument when Bob comes in with rubble on him, they talk about how when they were making it THEY started to get nervous with the scene, how it started to feel scary. So they made Helen stretch up up and up while saying "this is NOT ABOUT YOU", to put them more on the same plane, physically and powerfully, so it didn't look like Bob might slap her.

I love the commentaries.









So does DS, he asks to watch the "ads" all the time!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mandymichel* 
Oh well, scratch those for the OP. I think mine will probably be more okay with stuff like that than Disney, though. Disney portrays scary events in such dark and disturbing ways.

Disney traditionally made movies based on *fairy tales*, which were traditionally told to small children, and were FAR scarier than what Walt did to the stories.

After my mom died, and I went through the transformation that happens when a beloved parent dies, I realized just why so many stories start with a parent's death. Its' a transformation that cannot and does not happen if you have parents living, and for the characters in stories, there would BE no story without it.

For me, that sort of thing was hard b/c by the time I was 4 my dad had been out of the house for 2 years and their divorce was finalized. I didn't have a stable life (even after the divorce he terrorized us for a couple years) so seeing instability was terrifying to me. (we didn't have Santa Claus b/c the idea of a man breaking into the house was absolutely NOT a good thing for me to think about)

My son, however, has a stable household, and he can tolerate SO much more than I can even now.

Oh oh oh, adding: though Toy Story wasn't made when Disney owned Pixar, I believe the Incredibles is a Disney/Pixar movie. Pixar = Disney now.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten* 
and the whole thing is really based on deceiving parents

Well really, the whole movie is based on the MOST bizarre divorce and custody agreement on the face of the earth!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Barbee* 
i didn't read all of the posts so not sure if someone already posted this one. "surf's up" is actually not violent from what i can remember. the bad guy is the surf competition. the music is great and the surfing scenes are amazing. there are '"native penguins" who capture the chicken, but no real violence. the chicken escapes without even realizing he was captured so there's no real conflict there.

I absolutely LOVE Surf's Up. It's possibly one of my favorite movies ever. Jeff Bridges as Z might just be a reprisal of Dude, but it's fabulous.

The music is incredible, and the surfing scenes, how the animation style changes, it's like watching an arthouse movie (but not a movie like Walkabout, which my dad took my brother and I to see when we were children...anyone who has seen Walkabout might realize just why that was sooooooo inappropriate).

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EviesMom* 
The OP asked for movies that did not have dead mothers, as many disney movies do, such as Cinderella.

Again, fairy tales. Not thought up by disney. Just remade into kinder, gentler stories...

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tbone_kneegrabber* 
Pingu is about a claymation penguin, there is no "talking" they make "penguin sounds" I kinda love it!

I am opposed to almost all disney movies as they are extermely sexist! (The little mermaid gives her VOICE away for a man, sleeping beauty is ASSAULTED (ie non-consensually kissed) in her sleep, etc)

Pingu scares the criminy out of my son! My son who has watched all three Pirates movies, who BEGS to watch more than just the first Harry Potter movie, flips out if Pingu comes on. It's very odd.

Fairy tales, ancient stories....

Have you seen Enchanted? They do a switch-up on the man saving the woman, and if the Susan Sarandon character hadn't commented on it (spoonfeeding what was OBVIOUS) it would have been a perfect movie moment.









LOL, even the big Blue's Clues movie where they find Blue's little brother is inappropriate if you think about it! Where are Sprinkles' and Blue's parents? Is Sprinkles a half sibling? Was there a divorce? Were they ever married (being dogs and all)? Where has Sprinkles been all this time? Why is Sprinkles alone? What the heck is going on?????

I've put a lot of thought into all of this (my 20s were spent being very anti-Disney, then my mom died when I was newly 31 and I did a 180 after realizing the growth that happens), and after having my particular son, I've decided that I really don't care about "violence", but about each movie as it comes, and how he deals with them as he watches them and thinks about them.


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

PP, WHY do the characters have to have dead parents in order for the story to take place? Is it that they need to have enough of their own autonomy in order to be a true hero? Or do the parents need to be gone in order for them to be vulnerable enough for serious conflict to occur? I do sort of wonder why there are so many dead parents. I assumed that this motif was based upon women dying in childbirth, which is also present in classical literature.


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## zoebugsmom (Jan 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newbymom05* 
Ooh, I thought of one--Milo and Otis! Now I don't think anyone can find anything wrong w/ that movie....or can they?

This was what I was thinking of. No violence in it as far as I can remember.

There's also Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey There's the one part with the cougar but the dogs outsmart him. My dd saw it for the first time when she was barely 2 and it didn't scare her at all. She likes the original Incredible Journey while I prefer the newer, Disney version myself.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Here's another--how about the Muppet movies? I haven't seen one in ages but I would think they'd be non-violent...


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

As I read this post I was watching *Billly Elliot*, hoping to give you good news about that movie, but it has a dead mother and then there's the Loads of Swearing and a rather troubling skirmish between Billy and his dad. Oh, and there's also the riots due to the strike. So, not a movie to fit the OP's requirements.







_But_ DD was transfixed by the film and danced everytime Billy did. So cute! I really like this movie regardless.

BUT now, a few days later, I just saw *Once apon a Mattress* and that Totally fit's the OP's criteria!!! Yippie!!! Cute musical comedy with no dead parents. (When I was younger I sincerely thought that it was a dirty play, based on the title.







I had no idea that it was a musical version of The Princess and the Pea.







)
I did miss the first 10 minutes, and 5 minutes in the middle, but I'm still pretty sure that there is nothing that will truley offend in this movie. The most violent part is when (spoiler) Prince Dauntless stands up for himself and yells "Shut Up!" to his domineering mother, played by the brilliant Carol Burnett. Also, it's not utterly offensive to my own sensibilities; I really can't stand most kids TV, it's just too often so banal.









In our house we watch a lot of *classical ballet* and *opera* and *B & W Fred and Ginger movies*. DD loves watching the dancing







: and I needn't worry about whether she'll see anything horrendously disturbing.

*Miss Potter* is on tonight and I don't recall that movie having anything objectionable in it. Not on screen anyway. I know it's not really a kid's movie, but still, I love it.


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## Mosaic (Jun 20, 2005)

Just wanted to remind y'all that *The Parent Trap* does have a nice drag-down fight at the dance that results in tables being knocked over, cakes smashed, etc. That may bother some. And Maureen McCormick decks her ex at one point and then apologizes profusely, leaving him with a black eye.

There are also a number of "family movie guides" online that explain exactly WHAT is in a movie wrt language, violence, role models, etc. Those are helpful because we tend to forget a lot of things that are in movies sometimes!


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Would little ones be interested in Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful life?" There's references to WWII, but I don't remember what they are.

What about the ORIGINAL "Cheaper by the Dozen." http://www.amazon.com/Cheaper-Dozen-...2647019&sr=8-2 Oops..Dad dies at the end, though it's based on a real family and he did die.

I haven't seen it in years, but the sequal to cheaper is "With Belles on the Toes."

"Yours, Mine, and Ours," is about a widow and widower that get married. Again, dead parents in the background.

"The trouble with Angels" with Haley mills. Can't remember violence. Girls are in boarding school. Maybe some of their parents are dead.


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## nancy926 (Mar 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mandymichel* 
Charlotte's Web with Dakota Fanning is pretty good. There is the plan to kill Wilbur but that never happens. And the spider dies, which is sad, but it's from natural causes and the movie immediately moves on to her thousands of children. My two year old is so sensitive that she made us turn off Cinderella because the cat was trying to get the mice and she loved Charlotte's Web. The only kid stuff that is entirely without meanness/violence is something like Dora the Explorer, which is totally insipid.
I've been planning to watch The Incredibles and Toy Story again with my LO. I don't recall anything scary in those, but I might be forgetting something.

Charlotte's Web is a downer of a movie, though it may not have any outright violence. I took DD1 to see it in the theatre and at the end she said "Mom, that was such a sad movie," and started detailing all the sad things. And she was right!

My 2-y-o couldn't get past the mean cat in Cinderella, either! And she loves Belle, but there's a lot of scary parts in Beauty and the Beast, so we only watched about half of it (ffed through the rest) and won't be watching it again any time soon.

Some musicals can work. Annie is pretty good, though Miss Hannigan is mean and it's scary at the end. Sound of Music - we just watch the first 90 minutes until it gets political. And Mary Poppins for sure...over and over.

My older DD used to love the first hour of the first Harry Potter movie, minus the scene with the three-headed dog.









We don't do a lot of movies here, I guess. It's all Magic School Bus and Bob the Builder videos right now. And they will watch cooking shows if DH is watching one.


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## plummer (Jun 7, 2007)

I haven't seen it all the way through, but what about Happy Feet? I don't have any scary memories of Bedknobs & Broomsticks, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Ugly Dachsund, the old Dr. Doolittle, that Sammy the seal movie where the kids hide the seal in the bathtub or any of the Berenstain Bears series. The Jetsons Movie was harmless, too. I also loved I Love Lucy and found that funny even as a small child. The episodes with more physical comedy would probably be very appealing to little kids.

I was an easily upset/scared (still am, really) kid that watched a lot of tv and movies. Mary Poppins didn't bother me at all... neither did the Sound of Music... Alice in Wonderland had some tense parts but the magic/trippiness of the rest of it made it much easier to fight through the few "bad" parts (the same with FernGully, Fantasia, and Benji). I remember always being upset throughout Milo & Otis and The Three Lives of Thomasina but always happy at the end - and I watched them about 1.6 million times so they couldn't have been that bad.







The Secret Garden is like this too... tense throughout but worth fighting through to see the happy end.

I would be VERY fast with the fast forward button with: The Secret of NIMH, Rikki Tikki Tavi, Old Yeller, Cinderella, Bambi, Toy Story (saw this as an adult and that boy even freaks ME out), Monkey Trouble, Fox and the Hound, Dumbo, Black Beauty, or Charlotte's Web (still can't get through all of it OR the book without bawling), Thomas the Tank (saw as an adult & I find it very conformist).

I don't know where to put The Land Before Time. I lovedlovedloved that movie, and it totally devastated me every single time, yet I watched it more than anything else. Unlike the Milo & Otis set I mentioned, I wasn't happy at the end - however, I always came back for more. I guess you'd just have to play it by ear?


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## tatermom (Jun 11, 2005)

What about some of those old Shirley Temple movies (other than the Little Princess)... I know I saw them as a kid and liked them but I can't remember specific titles... though wasn't she missing one or both parents in most movies?? What's up with that??


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

About missing parents...

Classic fairy tales often have missing or dead mothers because they were used as morality tales for young girls, and the implication was sometimes that these girls, such as Snow White, were more vulnerable because they didn't have a mother figure to protect them. Women also died in child birth, so it wasn't a rare theme in stories from long ago.

I personally think Disney picked up on it from doing fairy tales initially and adopted in many of their other stories like Nemo and Bambi.

Many of the Shirley Temple and books and movies of that era have not only missing mothers, but also missing fathers; because of the world wars. (IE: Bedknobs and Broomsticks the parents are in London and the children have been sent to the country for safety.)


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Someone mentioned Happy Feet, and while I don't have issues with most movies, I thought I would throw this out for the more worried: My little one watched Happy Feet today (library DVD) and at the end she called, "Mom! Oh, my gosh! That girl peguin just left all her babies and her husband (she thought, I don't know) for Mumbles!". I wasn't watching it, so I don't know if the father of her babies was mean and/or if she brought the babies with her when she left him for Mumbles... But dd talked about that with every member of our family.







I am going to have to watch that freaking movie to see what the deal is so I can tell her the babies are ok. That they have their dad/were not abandoned by their mother. Although she is reading this over my shoulder and is saying , "It's a *movie*, Mom!" while rolling her eyes so far back into her head that she might fall over.

I don't think I can sit through another animated movie.







If anyone has seen it, clue me in maybe?


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## LittleSaylorBoat (Mar 18, 2007)

Ok I know that people are anti Elmo but "Elmo in Grouchland" is awesome. The villain is someone who doesn't know how to share. And the music is good.


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## LittleSaylorBoat (Mar 18, 2007)

Oh duh, and "March of the Penguins". DD has seen it countless times. Any wildlife documentary actually is great. But March of the Penguins does have several scenes where predators attack the penguins. So that is something to be aware of too.


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## LittleSaylorBoat (Mar 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UUMom* 
Someone mentioned Happy Feet, and while I don't have issues with most movies, I thought I would throw this out for the more worried: My little one watched Happy Feet today (library DVD) and at the end she called, "Mom! Oh, my gosh! That girl peguin just left all her babies and her husband (she thought, I don't know) for Mumbles!". I wasn't watching it, so I don't know if the father of her babies was mean and/or if she brought the babies with her when she left him for Mumbles... But dd talked about that with every member of our family.







I am going to have to watch that freaking movie to see what the deal is so I can tell her the babies are ok. That they have their dad/were not abandoned by their mother. Although she is reading this over my shoulder and is saying , "It's a *movie*, Mom!" while rolling her eyes so far back into her head that she might fall over.

I don't think I can sit through another animated movie.







If anyone has seen it, clue me in maybe?

They weren't her babies. They were her singing class. I didn't catch that the first time thru either.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LittleSaylorBoat* 
They weren't her babies. They were her singing class. I didn't catch that the first time thru either.

Thank you! I just told her and she seems happy they still have a mother(s?).


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mybabysmama* 
Would little ones be interested in Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful life?" There's references to WWII, but I don't remember what they are.

When the JS character is a boy, his boss at the pharmacy punches him repeatedly in the ear, deafening him in that ear permanently. And of course there is the suicide attempt ...


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## living_organic (Sep 25, 2006)

How about the Avonlea series? (Tales of Avonlea or Road to Avonlea depending on what country you live in)

I think that show was on for like 9 years and I don't remember any violence...Although one of the children is living with her cousins and Aunts because her father is having legal trouble and her mother died long before. Though the story focuses on life in Avonlea.

There is also Anne of Green Gables, again about an orphan...

My dd loves watching classic movies with me, like

Singin' in The Rain

Andy Hardy movies

Pot of Gold with Jimmy Stewart is great

Hail the conquering hero


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tatermom* 
What about some of those old Shirley Temple movies (other than the Little Princess)... I know I saw them as a kid and liked them but I can't remember specific titles... though wasn't she missing one or both parents in most movies?? What's up with that??

I remember one (at least) Shirley Temple that has her Mother hit by a car. (Again with the Dead Mother Theme. Seriously, wtf?!?) You hear a shriek and breaks screeching and then, I think, you see legs or an arm on the ground from behind a car. Not a nice image for a young one.







I do love Shirley Temple Movies, but I'm not sure how many fit the OP's requirements.

OK,







I just spent _waaaaay_ too much time on http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000073/ looking at Shirley Temple Movies' plot synopsis and almost all of them have a dead mother or father or both. Maybe if you have both of your parents, then your life is just not interesting enough to make a movie?

*Blue Bird* seems to be the only one that is OK. There's a fantascy scene with her deceased grandparents, but those are grandparents, not parents.

She has both parents in *Baby Take a Bow*, but dad is an ex-con and there is a theft. I think I remember some threatening with guns in that one, and there is a chase scene, but I don't recall 100%.

If you ff through the very beginning of *Young People* then it should be ok. She has both parents, but they are her adopted parents. --Baby in a basket left for Vaudville performers who adopt her then take her to the country so she can have a normal life. Then they put on a show including flashbacks using footage from previous Shirley Temple movies.

This made me think about Judy Garlend. What about *Meet me in St Louis*? Not so much a kids movie, but there's no violence and both parents are living. Wait, I think there's a mildly scary scene on Halloween with Margaret O'Brien. Hmmm. But the music and costumes are great. Judy Garlend sings "The Trolly Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

Then there's *Everybody Sing*.

OK, gotta go pay attention to my DD now.


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## GradysMom (Jan 7, 2007)

I second (or third) Parent Trap, Haley Mills version which also leads to perhaps Pollyanna if you are ok with the fact that when the story opens up she is already an orphan.... Pollyanna is full of lessons about different people learning to be friends...

I loved Labrynth with David Bowie when I was around ten. THere is scene were the fire loving puppets start kicking there own heads around that is really creepy... but I loved the movie. Not sure how a very young kid would take it since the bad man kidnaps a baby... but his sister comes to rescue him...

Honestly this sounds like a pretty tough list to compile because plot really comes from conflict... although it also begs the question, why do adults have such a hard time percieve appropriate levels of conflict in childrens movies... like few animators get down on the floor a play with there kids or something. How about the intense conflict of trying to learn how to walk or talk... or fit a square peg in a round hole....

I ammend my statement.... Disney has trouble with this... not all animators.


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EviesMom* 
I personally think Disney picked up on it from doing fairy tales initially and adopted in many of their other stories like Nemo and Bambi.

The Bambi movie was based on a book by Felix Salten, which is much darker and more brutal than the movie. Disney left in the death of Bambi's mother, but took out a lot of other things that were even more disturbing. (Bambi is actually a really good book, by the way, despite - or, dare I say, because of - the disturbing parts.)


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## sugarcube78 (Jun 20, 2006)

I know someone mentioned this... but CURIOUS GEORGE.... i love listening to Jack Johnson... it's a win win for us all.


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## MamaPam (Oct 8, 2005)

I don't know that they fit the criteria perfectly but some things that might come close are
Curious George
Pooh's Heffalump Movie
Little Bear
Parent Trap
Freaky Friday


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## Pepperdove (Apr 13, 2007)

Surf's Up is a current favorite here. *I* love it as much as anyone!







(OT:has anyone noticed that Surf's Up and Cars have the exact same plot? weird. but we love Cars too, so whatev.)

Mighty Machines was in a LOT too for a while. Anyone here have Hard Hat Harry movies? They are similar, but goofier and from the 80's, so the clothes are so amusing.

Curious George gets better the farther along you get in it. The man in the yellow hat really grows as a character, he becomes confident and strong, and he values learning and kids! And Jack Johnson is my favorite right now. That soundtrack is always in the car cd player.


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## whateverdidiwants (Jan 2, 2003)

I forget who mentioned the Muppets, but in the first Muppet Movie, from Wiki:

Quote:

During their journey, they are pursued by the villainous Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), owner of a struggling french-fried frog legs restaurant franchise, and his assistant Max (Austin Pendleton); Doc Hopper (who wears an outfit similar to Colonel Sanders) wants Kermit to be the new spokesman for his restaurants, but when Kermit refuses, Hopper resorts to increasingly threatening means of persuasion.
It totally freaked me out as a kid.


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## hollytheteacher (Mar 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UUMom* 
Someone mentioned Happy Feet, and while I don't have issues with most movies, I thought I would throw this out for the more worried: My little one watched Happy Feet today (library DVD) and at the end she called, "Mom! Oh, my gosh! That girl peguin just left all her babies and her husband (she thought, I don't know) for Mumbles!". I wasn't watching it, so I don't know if the father of her babies was mean and/or if she brought the babies with her when she left him for Mumbles... But dd talked about that with every member of our family.







I am going to have to watch that freaking movie to see what the deal is so I can tell her the babies are ok. That they have their dad/were not abandoned by their mother. Although she is reading this over my shoulder and is saying , "It's a *movie*, Mom!" while rolling her eyes so far back into her head that she might fall over.

I don't think I can sit through another animated movie.








If anyone has seen it, clue me in maybe?

I found happy feet to be a horribly movie for kids! I rented it back when i was pregnant just for something to watch...there is tons of rude language, and the moral of the story seems to be if you don't have talent no one will love you so you better work harder at conforming. i vaguely remember some swearing in that movie as well.


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## daniedb (Aug 8, 2004)

The Hermie the Caterpiller movies are usually pretty good, with negligible amounts of scary. If there are scary parts, they are fairly mild, and are used to show that things can be misinterpreted into something scary when they really are not. They are about God and usually talk about the "Golden Rules" aka the Ten Commandments, kid style, so they're not for everyone.

Also, the VeggieTales movies usually rock, but the older ones tend to be less scary than the newer ones.


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## colobus237 (Feb 2, 2004)

Documentaries about plants and/or rocks. Baby Einstein videos.


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## tatermom (Jun 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ccohenou* 
Documentaries about plants and/or rocks.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ccohenou* 
Documentaries about plants and/or rocks. Baby Einstein videos.









:

I dunno if it's been mentioned, but the reason for the missing mom element of most Disney movies: Mr. Walt Disney was was orphaned at a young age and he wanted to make movies showing motherless children overcoming adversity.


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## Beeblebrox (Apr 6, 2005)

I'll probably get the worst mom of the year award, but DD1 likes the Incredibles, Curious George, Cars (come to think of it, I don't think there is any violence in Cars, but there is one part where he says he's in hillbilly hell) and she also likes The Simpson Movie







. The last one we actually don't let her watch anymore though.


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## Erinok (Sep 11, 2006)

I think that there is going to be conflict in any movie. I think that it is how you handle it/ present it to your child.

I know my 2 y/o likes to be a little scared. he will ask to watch monster house and then hide his face during the scary parts (but he loves the thrill of being scared). he also finds parts of the movie cars scary and even scenes from thomas the train. so there is no telling what is going to be scary to a child.


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## Beeblebrox (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Erinok* 

I know my 2 y/o likes to be a little scared. he will ask to watch monster house and then hide his face during the scary parts (but he loves the thrill of being scared). _he also finds parts of the movie cars scary_ and even scenes from thomas the train. so there is no telling what is going to be scary to a child.

Oh do you mean the Frank scene? Yeah I can definitely see how that could be scary. When it came on I started laughing and telling DD how silly I thought it was because at times I think she bases her reactions on my reactions to things. Not all the time, but I can definitely tell when she's looking to me.


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ccohenou* 
Documentaries about plants and/or rocks. Baby Einstein videos.


I don't know.... some parts of "The Secret Sife of Plants" can be pretty racy! I saw an orchid documentary that was anything but mild!


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## Barbee (Nov 27, 2004)

in the muppet movie, doc hopper hires an assassin named snake to kill kermit. miss piggy also beats up a room of men.
i agree with the pp in that you have to know what your own child wants to handle. last year any violence in movies would result in ds becoming overly aggressive. so, we only watched things like baby einstein and my all time favorite, surf's up. now he can deal with a little more action although i'm still pretty picky about what he sees.


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## Zuzu822 (Oct 5, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pigpokey* 
When the JS character is a boy, his boss at the pharmacy punches him repeatedly in the ear, deafening him in that ear permanently. And of course there is the suicide attempt ...


Not too be picky, or excuse the violence, but George had already lost the hearing it that ear rescuing his brother when he fell through the ice.

Plus, there's also the scene in the bar when the schoolteacher's husband hits George. Oh, and when George yells at the teacher on the phone, yells and frightens his kids, Mr. Potter stealing the money...


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## mchalehm (Feb 5, 2007)

Okay, to begin with--I respect the OP's wish to find nonviolent movies. I'm not knocking that if it's important to you!

I just thought I might throw in the suggestion that some movies with violent elements might still be okay for toddlers. My daughter watches a lot of movies with us. We don't do TV at all but we watch a lot of movies. She likes a lot of things that I think are pretty good value for the violence, if that makes sense. I'm not sheltering her from it because I think (although many movies are violent just for the sake of violence) that sometimes it's part of the message. I want her to see things that I think are good, not sappy crap. She is pretty unscareable, though, so that makes things easier for me.

Anyway, the point is just that I would prefer to screen something decent that has some violence than a movie that has no redeeming artistic value at all but isn't scary.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Beeblebrox* 
I'll probably get the worst mom of the year award, but DD1 likes the Incredibles, Curious George, Cars (come to think of it, I don't think there is any violence in Cars, but there is one part where he says he's in hillbilly hell) and she also likes The Simpson Movie







. The last one we actually don't let her watch anymore though.


We are Simpsons fans, and we watch that movie a lot.









Although our current movie is Hairspray and even the 2 yr old loves it. The bible lady cracks us up.


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## windorabug (Mar 8, 2007)

Oh I second Hairspray!
I just watched "Mr Magoriums Magic Emporium" - no violence, he does die but it is not shown he just sits down & away he goes. And they do talk about him "leaving" But he is 143 years old.
I personally didn't really care for the movie but thought while watching that you & your family might enjoy it.
Take care


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## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
The 'run on the bank' scene in Mary Poppins scared the HELL out of me when I was a child.

EVERY movie is going to have a source of conflict. They call it 'plot'.

Rather than summarily banning EVERYTHING, why not simply make a case-by-case judgement based on the particular film and your particular child?

Yes, this.

I think if you're looking for something to not have conflict, you're not going to find it, and perhaps TV-free is what you're looking for.

And why not motherless movies?

My kids will be exposed to things that aren't always ideal, but that's where my parenting comes in







The world around us isn't always beautiful, and I think there's always a lesson to be learned from things that are "bad."


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## e(Lisa)beth (Aug 17, 2007)

The bank scene in Mary Poppins still freaks me out! And I loved Shirley Temple movies as a child but as a PP said, most of them involve the loss of a least one parent, either during the movie or before the movie begins.

A movie I loved (and still do) is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and I can't recall any violence or sad elements in it at all. Of course, young kids probably won't be very interested in it - I think I first watched it at around eleven.

What about the Charlie Brown specials?


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *e(Lisa)beth* 

What about the Charlie Brown specials?

Lucy is a bully.


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## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

kids-in-mind.com is great for this, you can do a search by rating either sex, violence or profanity. There are lots of movies I forgot about like Babe! I use them for all my family movie reviews because they don't necessarily give the entire plot away, but give lots of detail with specific mentions of what is of concern. Charlotte's Web gets a 2 for violence. Other movies that haven't been mentioned that I also liked were Fly Away Home (though I do believe there is a dead mother), Rocket Man, The Secret Garden (dead mother), Nightmare Before Christmas (slightly scary stuff, my kid loves it), and Zeus and Roxanne (older kids I would think?). My kid loves Zathura, but it's a bit scary, gets a 5 for violence.


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## living_organic (Sep 25, 2006)

Oh, and there are some great movies from a company called "Feature Films for Families"

I think they are an LDS company, my parents used to buy thier movies all the time.

The Buttercream Gang was a good one...um Girl of the Limberlost was also good...but the dad was dead in it...and the mom was a meanie till the end.


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

I've got another one!

*Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot* or, *Mr Hulot's Holiday*














:

It is so very entertaining and there is hardly any "plot" at all. It's basically a series of funny events that happen when Mr Hulot takes a summer vacation at the sea. It could even be watched in the original French and it's still funny. Actually, it could be watched with the sound on mute and it would still make your whole family laugh.

(There is a very brief scene with a rifle being shot into the air, but it is by a "hunter" in a wheel chair who mistakes a car horn for a duck. And there is a scene with some quarreling after a misunderstanding during a couple of card games, but it's pretty innocuous.)


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## HipGal (Aug 16, 2006)

I think the reason so many movies have a mom or dad that has passed away is that it automatically gives you sympathy for the character.

I agree that Totoro is a wonderful movie! But it does have a scene where Satsuki is yelling at Mei and calls her "Stupid" and says something like "so what if mommy dies? Is that what you want?" It is also pretty scary when they can't find Mei for a good stretch of time.

Kiki is not really scary. Oh, there is a scene where she is flying in a storm and might fall. And there is a sad part where she loses her powers and gets depressed.

Curious George also has a scene where the man with the yellow hat yells at him (after calling animal control to come take him away). Yeah.

Cars is not really scary. Except for the combine scene, but that is fairly short. There is some disrespectful language (idiot, moron, stupid).

The Little Bear movie has an animal that might eat them (like a mountain lion or something?). And one bear is missing his parents, but is reunited in the end.

Sorry for all the bummers. I have a pretty sensitive son, so I notice these things.







That said, he does watch the above movies (with a little parental support the first time). He really wants to watch the Incredibles, but in reality it is too scary - he loves superheroes right now, but asks to skip most of the movie. He thought Toy Story was too scary also. We mostly stick to preschool TV shows right now (Curious George, WordGirl, Teletubbies (cracks my kids up for some reason!), Clifford, Max & Ruby).


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## Zan&Zav (Nov 25, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ccohenou* 
Documentaries about plants and/or rocks. Baby Einstein videos.


Venus fly traps can be dangerous


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

did kipper ever have a movie?

kipper is the most gentle laid back series......

the two little ensteins movies are pretty mellow. (though not one adults can stomach more than a few times LOL)

most disney movies, even if G have some element that can be intense for young children. my DS watched aristacats when he was 2 for the first time and though he enjoyed it, it was fairly intense for him for a while (the fight at the end scared him a lot).

for older kids, how about the "little princess" and "the magic garden?" or the remake of "little women?" i recall my 9-ish yo DSD loving these. "the secret of the roan inish" is really good too. OH OH i loved "whale rider." these are all movies everyone can watch.

this is a new concept you know.... we watched "old yeller" "bambi" "born free" when we were kids... all intense movies with lots of emotional stuff.


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## karennoviolence (Sep 3, 2013)

Anne of Green Gables

The Railway Children

The Slipper and the Rose.xxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## alaura24 (Jun 3, 2013)

My son is in love with TroTro, which is a British cartoon about a toddler donkey and his discoveries about the world. Very gentle, very relatable.

We also discovered that Buster Keaton's The General is awesome. It's a silent movie, so the storytelling doesn't go above my 2 year old's head, plus it's got a choo-choo! The physical action is thrilling, but not violent.

I'd also recommend some Chaplin movies, but some may have too much punching/kicking for comedy for some parents' taste.


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## sarapesma (Aug 5, 2016)

*TRULY non-violent family movie- Humming Boy ( available on amazon )*

Very good and *absolutely* not violent animated film for children. A lot of diverse characters, a lot of beautiful landscapes and interesting stories with moral ends. I recommend this film to all parents who have children at the age of 2-6!

Sara


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