Instead, save these family-favorite films to your Netflix list, and the next time you’re caught without anything for the kids to do, you’ll have them ready to throw on at a moment’s notice.
Mickey sells the gang’s cow to buy some magic beans, and, well, you can guess what happens after that. Though it’s one of the earliest Disney animated films (the ninth, to be exact), it still looks great, and it’s fun to see Mickey and his friends take on some classic fairytale characters.
Though Netflix says the movie is rated PG, it’s still probably better suited for older kids who can understand the complex social issues at hand. Still, those kids will find an admirable figure in Atticus Finch — powerfully played by Gregory Peck in an Oscar-winning performance — as he works hard for justice in his Alabama town.
Who doesn’t love an adorable, abandoned mutt? For nostalgia purposes, rewatch the 1974 original — or, if you’re looking for something new, try Netflix’s 2018 remake.
Pee-Wee Herman may be an adult, but he’s always had the heart of a child — which is why it’s so devastating when his bike is stolen, launching him on journey across the country to try and find it and bring it back. Some parts may be too scary for really little kids, but Pee-Wee is indomitable and always manages to come out on top.
Kids will be so into the story of Fievel, the plucky mouse who immigrates to the United States from Russia only to be separated from his family, that they won’t realize they’re actually learning about an important period in the country’s history.
All kids go through a dino phase, and while this movie isn’t 100% scientifically accurate, it’ll still nurture their budding paleontological desires. If your kids are taken by it, a few of the film’s 13 (!) sequels are available for streaming on Netflix, too.
There’s a lot of creative muscle behind this movie: It’s based on a novel from the writer of The Secret Garden, and adapted by Alfonso Cuarón, director of Gravity and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But even without those accolades, the story — about a girl raised in India who is sent to a boarding school in New York when her father goes off to fight in World War I — is involving enough to stand on its own.
While there’s never an end to the love of Disney princesses, Mulan has a little more grit: She disguises herself as a man, takes her father’s place in the army, and becomes a great warrior. That sure beats going to a fancy ball.
This is the first animated film directed by Brad Bird, who would go on to do Ratatouille and The Incredibles at Pixar. And The Iron Giant, about a boy who befriends a colossal robot from outer space during the height of the Cold War, is just as warm and as thrilling as those his Pixar films.
When claymation chickens decide to (literally) fly the coop, hilarity ensues in this charming British film from the creators of Wallace and Gromit.
This story, about an exceedingly polite bear who gets transplanted from Peru to London, is sure to charm even the youngest movie-watchers — and put everyone in the mood for a marmalade sandwich.
When it comes to kids movies, you can’t really go wrong with something based on a book by Roald Dahl. Like The Adventures of Tintin, in The BFG director Steven Spielberg makes use of advanced motion-capture technology, this time to create a world inhabited by giants and visited by a spirited little girl.
All of studio Laika’s stop-motion animation movies — including Coraline, which is also available on Netflix — have some element of kid-appropriate danger to them. Young Kubo has to defeat sea monsters, skeletons, witch-like sisters, and a dragon in order to save his village and come to terms with his family’s history.
The Little Prince is one of those stories that you can love as a kid, but find deeper layers to appreciate as you get older. In Netflix’s own sweetly sentimental adaptation of the book, Jeff Bridges and Rachel McAdams provide voices for the characters.
The songs this movie are some of the best since Disney’s Beauty and the Beast days, and they’re only made better when seen in the context of Moana’s ocean-faring adventure. If this one ignites a love of Pacific Islands, you can also stream Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, which takes place on Hawaii.
Another pick better suited to older kids, this movie tells the inspiring true story of a girl from Uganda who becomes an unlikely chess champion. Parts of it may be hard for sensitive viewers to watch, but the theme of perseverance is a good one for kids mature enough to stick with it through the tough sections.
Rollicking songs (sung by Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick), pop-art colors, and an overall fuzziness to everything makes this movie ten times cuter than it needs to be. If your kids fall in love with Princess Poppy and Branch, they can move on to the Netflix Original TV series: Trolls: The Beat Goes On!.
Those who have kids who love superheroes — but aren’t too thrilled with the PG-13 violence in most comics movies — can compromise with this made-for-the-small-screen movie, where Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, and all the rest attend a high school where they learn to be heroes. Yes, they battle bad guys, but they also learn how to be team players and stick up for each other.
In this Pixar film, Miguel ventures into the Land of the Dead, and he comes back with a much deeper appreciation for his family — something every kid should be reminded of now and again.
A young, unexpected student is whisked off into a school for magic — sound familiar? If your kids can’t get enough of The Boy Who Lived, show them this tale of Mary, who is taken to the enchanted Endor College after she stumbles upon a magical plant, then has to learn to navigate the new world she finds herself in.
Jinx 