Youve survived the heatwave, perhaps already been away, and still the school holidays stretch languidly into September, demanding plans and playdates and activities to fill the slowed summer hours. Sitting the kids in front of the TV for hours on end obviously shouldnt be the only solution, but it neednt be as passive as all that. A family film marathon can be a cheerfully sociable use of shared time not to mention a cheap one, for parents burnt out on repeat cinema trips to Minions: The Rise of Gru. But which streaming platforms will serve you best this summer? And how few of them can you get away with subscribing to? Allow me to break down the best they have to offer.
The top option seems like a no-brainer: over the past century, Disney+ has evolved from a film studio into the key corporate influencer of childhood (and beyond, it seems, as adults thirst for Disney-branded superhero entertainment shows no sign of abating). A perverse part of me wants to tell you that Disney+ isnt worth throwing monthly subscription fees into the coffers of a company that hardly needs the spare change. The more practical part sees how invaluable it is for parents of small children.
The highlights are obvious, beginning with the platforms near-complete library of animated features from the Disney and Pixar stables. Perhaps the kids will insist on watching Frozen, Moana and Toy Story for the 17th time; perhaps you can wield your parental nostalgia rights and try out a classic thats new to them. My own childhood loyalties compel me to plump for The Little Mermaid, though equally Ive never seen a kid uncharmed by The Jungle Book. If you dare try Bambi, be mindful of the fact that its exactly as laceratingly sad as you remember.
Should you be ready to move on to live action, large-scale musicals do the job just as well as when they were the four-quadrant blockbusters of the 1950s and 1960s. Disney+ has the essential pair of Julie Andrews vehicles. Mary Poppins, with its animated interludes, dash of teaching-moment suffragette politics and effectively bittersweet conclusion, is an ideal transitional film for young viewers, while The Sound of Music presents parents with a few more real-world complications to explain, but enough indelible songs and curtain-clad japery to make it all palatable.
Otherwise, the eternally endearing Muppets bridge the gap between juvenile whimsy and more grownup wit: Disney+ has 2011s fresh, bouncy reboot The Muppets, but also 1979s original The Muppet Movie, which plays just as spryly, and with more enduring songs. As for slightly older children willing to shed fantasy entirely, Robin Williamss nearly 30-year-old smash Mrs Doubtfire remains antically funny and just rude enough, even if its gender politics havent aged quite as well as the stars bravura performance. For quieter, thoughtful children, meanwhile, Mira Nairs Queen of Katwe is among the Mouse Houses more underrated recent offerings. A stirring, kind-hearted true story of a Ugandan girl rising from poverty to international chess competitions, its like a sunnily wholesome Queens Gambit.
For anyone unwilling to pay for Disney titles, the free BBC iPlayer has a couple of treats still on offer: Tom Hollands first (and best) two outings as Spider-Man Far from Home and Homecoming are on the platforms current film menu for the next two weeks, as is Monsters, Inc still, for my money, one of the warmest and peppiest capers in the Pixar canon. Prefer to hit up the Beeb for more homegrown kids fare? Youre in luck: also on offer currently is Aardman Animations droll prehistoric comedy Early Man no classic, but even Aardmans boilerplate films have more character than most and the original, still heart-lifting adaptation of The Railway Children, particularly well timed if youve been on a family outing to see the likable sequel in cinemas.
You can head to Netflix for the most deservedly beloved British family films of recent times. Paddington and Paddington 2, with their tender, visually inventive and occasionally riotous reinvention of Michael Bonds bear-out-of-water tales, might just be the cream of the streamers childrens movies though theres a good deal to choose from, especially via their dedicated Netflix Kids platform. Netflixs in-house animation has been particularly impressive of late. Last years zany The Mitchells vs the Machines, in which a dysfunctional family fights a robot apocalypse, was a clever, hyperactive delight; this years The Sea Beast, a rip-roaring, monster-hunting adventure on the high seas, sees them emulating classic Disney with splendid results. (No surprise there: director Chris Williams also gave us Moana.)
Netflixs real animation coup, however, is its exclusive streaming hold on the Studio Ghibli library, which caters to a usefully wide range of ages and sensibilities. For toddlers, the mellow, none-more-gentle My Neighbor Totoro is a safe bet, but older, more fanciful kids can thrill to the knottier, more perilous quest narratives of Spirited Away and the like.
Shifting back to American fare, theres the robust, airborne adventure How to Train Your Dragon, and a number of worthwhile live-action titles, including the Bowie-starring neogoth fairytale Labyrinth, by now the source of multiple generations of childhood nightmares; Danny DeVitos enduringly popular Americanisation of Roald Dahls Matilda; and the sensitive, rather sweet disability parable Wonder. Families with kids edging into teendom, meanwhile, can hardly do better than Greta Gerwigs smashing, stout-hearted rejig of Little Women.
Netflixs subscription-based rivals lag somewhat behind in their family-friendly selections. Apart from the gorgeous, wild-spirited Irish animated folk fantasy Wolfwalkers and the attractively shot but unsurprising nature documentary The Elephant Queen, Apple TV+s originals have largely passed over that market. At a push, you could also include this years dewy-eyed best picture Oscar winner Coda, an inclusive adolescent drama suitable for families who can handle a mild sex joke or two. Browsing the paid-VOD selections yields arguably richer rewards, among them Steven Spielbergs still-luminous, somehow 40-year-old alien friendship tale ET the Extra-Terrestrial.
Prime subscribers can stream Aardmans gently irreverent Shaun the Sheep: The Movie and a pair of auteurist spins on Roald Dahl: Wes Andersons arch, stop-motion Fantastic Mr Fox and Nicolas Roegs sensational, viscerally macabre The Witches, as well as a buried gem from the 90s in John Sayless wistful, mistily atmospheric selkie tale The Secret of Roan Inish. But, as with Apple, you have to pay separately for some of the best picks: still, its worth a few extra quid for the marvellous farmyard romp Babe or the lavishly imagined, 80s-tastic fantasy trip The Neverending Story.
On Sky/Now TV, subscribers have an easy solution in the full library of Harry Potter sagas, endlessly rewatchable to kids hooked on the mythos. But parents can also try out a solid-gold classic: now in its ninth decade, The Wizard of Oz continues to startle children with its transportive, iridescent world-building.
Anyone wishing to go vintage with a more international bent can head to the free streaming platform Plex: their mixed bag of content somewhat surprisingly yields French film-maker Albert Lamorisses simple, lyrical and plainly heart-rending 1956 short The Red Balloon, which made me cry buckets aged five. Not much has changed.
Finally, at the arthouse end of the family-viewing spectrum, you might not expect to find anything for children on Mubi, but for adventurous parents and open-minded young ones, there are discoveries to be made. Children old enough to read subtitles would do well to try out the empathic, childs-eye social realism of Saudi charmer Wadjda, while the stop-motion French animation My Life as a Courgette hits a rare balance between adult wisdom and youthful innocence in its portrait of a lonely misfit child finding comfort and community in a rural orphanage. Pair it with some surreal, mirthful wackiness from the platforms selection of Hungarian animated shorts: Scenes With Beans will tickle kids with a penchant for the bizarre.
Over on the similarly highbrow BFI Player, two outstanding films fill that tricky gap for emotionally mature children gradually crossing into grownup storytelling. Spanish director Carla Simns vibrant, suitably seasonal coming-of-age drama Summer 1993 tackles complex themes of grief and self-worth with a soft, sure touch. Also set over a young girls formative summer, meanwhile, Cline Sciammas impeccable Tomboy offers an ideal entry point into a 21st-century understanding of gender identity, without ever feeling like a message movie. Whos to say you cant sneak a little learning into a summer movie marathon?
Murina (Modern Films) The winner of last years Camra dOr for best debut at Cannes, Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovis sun-bleached but steel-cool psychodrama promises big things from its Scorsese-endorsed writer-director, but isnt out to show off. Its the dry, watchful quiet that lingers in this study of a restless teenager caught between her oppressive father and an alluring, agenda-carrying stranger.
The Emigrants (Elevation) Vilhelm Mobergs literary saga of a Swedish immigrant farming family finding its way in the New World was rousingly filmed by Jan Troell in the 1970s. Norwegian director Erik Poppes new version retains its compelling, old-fashioned sweep and doubles down on the panoramic magic-hour visuals, but hasnt quite its predecessors earthy soul.
The Outfit (Spirit Entertainment) As a humble but perceptive English tailor to the brassy gangsters of midcentury Chicago, Mark Rylances wry, dignified performance is the main attraction of this underworld chamber drama from Oscar-winning writer Graham Moore (The Imitation Game), which feels like it might have popped more as a stage piece.
See original here:
Streaming: the pick of the best childrens films for the summer holidays - The Guardian
- EU votes to ratify landmark High Seas Treaty - Euronews - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Cruise ship industry is booming despite spate of high-seas deaths - New York Post - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- The Indian seafarer deserves better in choppy high seas - The Hindu - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Pharrell Takes To The High Seas For Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2024 | Fashion - Clash Magazine - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- When it comes to fighting sea pirates, bones don't lie - Deccan Herald - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Seabirds spend nearly 40% of their time on high seas, study finds - NIWA - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- High seas drama: Cruise ship bound for Bahamas is diverted to Portland - Mainebiz - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- African Ports Overwhelmed By Red Sea Reroutings - gCaptain - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Party Pirates: A Hilarious Co-op Adventure on the High Seas - Game Is Hard - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Boat sinks in high seas off Malpe, eight fishermen rescued - Public TV English - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Arena's Swept Away is a Dark Tale on the High Seas with Music by Grammy Winners The Avett Brothers - The Zebra - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Money Memories: Finances on the high seas - Louisville Public Media - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- The Arctic Sunrise II Does the ISA have 'enforcement jurisdiction' on the High Seas? - EJIL: Talk! - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Severe Weather Impacting Multiple Cruise Ships - Cruise Hive - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Taking to the high seas for an up-close look at South Fork Wind - theday.com - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- High Waves and Rough Seas Forecast for Costa Rica Coasts - The Tico Times - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Diesel theft on the high seas: When international cargo ships meet fishing boats in the dead of night - The Indian Express - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Meet the couple who've been on more than 200 cruises - and love life on the high seas so much they're selling - Daily Mail - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Report to Congress on the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention - USNI ... - USNI News - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Simplifying Docker Installation on Linux - Linux Journal - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Mallory to Present 'Oceans Apart: Global Governance Approaches to ... - University of Arkansas Newswire - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- NEWS: A NEW 'Moana' Show Is Coming to the Disney Treasure ... - AllEars.Net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Things to do Oct. 13-19 in the Chicago suburbs, Northwest Indiana - Chicago Tribune - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Marine "Biomimetics" Could Be the Blue Economy's Next Big Hit - The Maritime Executive - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- All eyes on France this Saturday evening - Offaly Independent - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- 80s-themed cruise: A blast to the past with P&O's high-sea adventure - New Zealand Herald - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- High seas glamour: what its like to cruise the world with Cunard - Executive Traveller - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Warfare MMO Foxhole is adding naval combat complete with huge ... - PC Gamer - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- One Piece Season 2 Cast: Every Character Expected to Appear - The Direct - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- The future of Portuguese football: the pitch, the pixels, and the promise - PortuGOAL.net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Typhoon Koinu to cause high winds, rough waters in East Sea - VietNamNet - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Governing our seas using core principles of sustainability - Mail and Guardian - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Marine Medium Speed Engine Oil Market: Navigating the High Seas ... - Digital Journal - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Threats on the high seas and the Pak-Saudi partnership - Arab News Pakistan - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- China Wants to Burn Out Southeast Asian Navies - Foreign Policy - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Sea of Thieves Will Have to Face the Reaper Sooner or Later - GameRant - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Whine Wednesdays: Pigs On The High Seas Disgusting Behavior ... - LoyaltyLobby - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Carnival Now Looks in Ship Shape for the High Seas - RealMoney - RealMoney - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Why a new UN treaty to safeguard the high seas matters | Mint - Mint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Navigating Unfairness on the High Seas: Class Action Waiver Clauses - Lexology - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- High-Seas Search for 39 Crewmembers of Capsized Chinese ... - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Wager by David Grann review a rollicking and nuanced history of the high seas - The Guardian - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- A musician from Sauk Prairie sees the world on the high seas - WiscNews - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How to obtain The Major-General minion in Final Fantasy XIV - Fanbyte - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- ShipRocked 2024: Artist Lineup Revealed For Hard Rockin Adventure On The High Seas! - Icon Vs. Icon - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Local playwright's Hollerwood show premiers at West T. Hill - The ... - Interior Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Meth worth several thousand crores seized from high seas by Indian Navy, NCB - The News Minute - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Salute to Sailors: Navy employs technology and training to ready sailors - WHP Harrisburg - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Ocean Race Summit Newport urges recognition of the inherent ... - The Ocean Race - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Max Reveals All of the New Titles Coming to It's Platform In May ... - Just Jared Jr. - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fisheries: agreement reached on sustainable management of ... - Oceans and fisheries - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- United Arab Emirates formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries ... - WTO Latest News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Murky Tar Balls Reappear on Goa's Golden Beaches | Weather.com - The Weather Channel - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Study: Fishing Subsidies Support Unregulated Distant-Water Fishing - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Rings Of Power's Morfydd Clark Hints At 'Quite A Lot Of New ... - Looper - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Chris Armstrong Short Cuts: High Seas Fishing LRB 18 May 2023 - London Review of Books - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- It's Chaos on the High Seas in New 'The Meg 2' Poster - Collider - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- From South Dakota to the high seas, the world gets less transparent - Coda Story - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stepping up action - Nature.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken Shiling tipped to return to Wellington the scene of its ... - Stuff - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary ... - The White House - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Bangladesh: Dangerous Cyclone Mocha expected to make landfall ... - Save the Children International - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken 294-metre Shiling tipped to return to Wellington - the scene ... - Stuff.co.nz - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Sneak peek: Inside Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever - The Points Guy - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War' is Celebrating Its 6th ... - Touch Arcade - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Is Deck 1 on a Cruise Ship Bad - Pros and Cons - Cruise Hive - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- US-Iran nuclear struggle is playing out on the high seas - The Telegraph - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Muscle Flexing In South China Sea: Why India-ASEAN War Games Send A Strong Signal To Beijing - ABP Live - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Everybody Has a Story: Surviving rough ride in a smelly ship - The Columbian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Holiday warning over Majorca party boats loved by Brits as officials vow massive new crackdown... - The US Sun - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Dark waters: how the adventure of a lifetime turned to tragedy - The Guardian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Guarding our seas and the blue economy - Philstar.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Driverless boats, enduring sensors on the special ops maritime menu - Defense News - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- List Of The Cleanest Cruise Ships In The World (2023) - Cruise Mummy - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Sea of Survivors: What if Vampire Survivors and Sea of Thieves had ... - Windows Central - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- All hands on deck as UN meets to protect high seas - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Season 4 Canceled at Netflix Even After Initial Renewal - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It? - Decider - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Is High Seas Governance? - National Oceanic and Atmospheric ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Move Over Disney: Carnival Is Grooming on the High Seas - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]