"Taed Nelson" wrote in message
...
I'd like to get some recommendations of true family films, something that
would interest both parents and our 3-year-old.

We've watched most of the recent "classics", such as those by Pixar and
Disney. Many of the older Disney ones are too violent (such as _Fox and
the
Hound_) or scary. We also really like some of the anime such as _Kiki's
Delivery Service_.

However, I want to watch something other than animated films, and that's
where I'm having trouble... I've looked through the library and video
store
twice and have come up with very few titles that would interest all of us.

The big issue is that we want to avoid any violence, guns, swords, and the
like, but I don't think that there are any other hot-button issues. Other
adult themes such as nudity and paying taxes aren't an issue for us, but I
doubt there are any "family" films with that. I also don't want to watch
any bad movies!

The story also has to be simple enough on some level for a 3-year-old to
follow and understand.

A great film (though there are some parts we have to fast-forward through)
for us was _E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial_. My son understood most of the
movie, and even cried at both the beginning (where the space ship leaves
without ET) and where ET dies. (He can be surprisingly sensitive.) (It
was
also the re-release with the guns edited out, so it worked well for out
sensibilities.) _The Wizard of Oz_ also worked out well, again with just
a
little bit that needed to be skipped over. (That developed a big interest
in tornadoes, though, so we're read a number of books from the library
about
them.) He also sat through _Whale Rider_, and also cried when the whales
were stuck on the beach. _Babe_ is another good example (however, _Gordy_
is so bad that we stopped it about 15 minutes into it).

I'm also considering taking him to the 1956 version of _Around the World
in
80 Days_ next week at The Stanford Theatre -- from what I've read, I think
it should be fine for him, particularly since it has planes, balloons,
trains, and so on, which he's really into these days. Has anyone seen
this
and care to comment on it's level of violence (hitting, guns, swords,
etc.)?

Any other movie recommendations along these lines?

(Thanks in advance.)


We're planning on raising our son on anime (we're big fans). If you liked
Kiki's Delivery Service, how about My Neighbor Totoro? (its being
rereleased this summer so you can find the old version cheap - I think I saw
the DVD for $6 at Best Buy) Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Castle in
the Sky are also by Miyazaki, but a bit too violent for your standards right
now. We're currently collecting anime for our son, especially Robotech.

If you're worried about certain depictions in movies, there's a Christian
ministry (CAP) that analyzes movies for all sorts of things and reviews them
in excruciating detail (each review lists specific examples of violence,
sex, etc). That might be a good guide for you concerning more current
movies - http://www.capalert.com/capmarstartpage.htm.

I agree, finding good family movies is hard. I've tried thinking of some
that I liked when I was younger (but not at the age of 3). I'll leave it up
to you to decide how violent they are (I'm not as concerned) - Labyrinth,
Dark Crystal, any of the Muppet movies, Willow, Flight of the Navigator,
Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, and . How about old classics, like
Shirley Temple movies (I still love A Little Princess).

Honestly, I'd avoid Around the World in 80 Days if you're worried about
violence - it features Jackie Chan (as the servant character Passepartout)
so there's going to be a high level of martial arts (hitting), I'm guessing.
There was a decent amount of guns in the earlier versions I've seen. At
least I'd wait until more reviews came out to be sure. This review has a
number of spoilers about ATW80D if you want to know whats in it-
http://www.hkentreview.com/2003/columns/around.html. Hmm...there's a boxing
match scene, does that disqualify it from consideration?

- Joanne