The holidays will feel a bit different this year, but some traditions cannot be thwarted. Though your gatherings might be smaller than usual, there are a ton of family-friendly viewing options. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite kid-friendly TV and film picks below.
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“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (2020): A toymaker who lost everything when his apprentice betrayed him is inspired by his granddaughter to return to the trade in this fantastical musical. It boasts an all-star cast — Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Hugh Bonneville and Phylicia Rashad — to boot. (Streams on Netflix)
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“Hair Love” (2019): Matthew A Cherry’s Oscar-winning short, about a little girl who helps her dad figure out how to do her hair, clocks in at just under seven minutes but will stay with you for much longer than that — especially if you’ve ever struggled to love your own hair. (Streams on YouTube)
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“Ratatouille” (2007): We wouldn’t let Remy, the rat chef at the centre of this Oscar-winning animated film, cook our Thanksgiving dinner, but we’ll gladly take his culinary tips while we wait for the musical conceived by TikTok users to materialise.
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“Coco” (2017): This tender and vivid Pixar/Disney film is rooted in the Mexican tradition of Da de los Muertos, the annual time when families honour their departed loved ones, so it’s a great preamble to discussing grief with younger kids (or processing it at any age). The story revolves around a young aspiring musician who - in a quest to reverse his family’s long-standing rule against music — finds himself among his ancestors in the Land of the Dead.
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“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2008): Force-sensitive families will enjoy this animated “Star Wars” series, which takes place between Episodes II and III of the Star Wars prequel saga and lets an intriguing heroine shine.
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“The NeverEnding Story” (1984): This is familiar territory for ‘80s kids, but why not let the younger generations see what movie magic looked like in the pre-CGI days?
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“Paddington 2” (2017): The marmalade-loving bear has a run-in with the law in this fun sequel, which features one of Hugh Grant’s finest performances as villain Phoenix Buchanan. The first film isn’t bad either.
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“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018): Miles Morales goes from Brooklyn teenager to superhero in this Oscar-winning animated film featuring an ensemble cast of voices (Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld and Mahershala Ali among them) and, for what it’s worth, a song that toddlers seem to love.
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“Home Alone” (1990): Is it even the holiday season if you don’t watch Macaulay Culkin (and Catherine O’Hara!) in this blockbuster and its 1992 sequel?
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“Julie and the Phantoms” (2020): A teenager grieving the loss of her mom starts a band with three ghosts in this Netflix dramedy, which is far less morbid than it sounds — and perfect for musically inclined tweens/teens. (Streams on Netflix)
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“The Baby-Sitters Club” (2020): Ann M. Martin’s treasured teen series gets a decidedly Gen Z update, featuring several charismatic new talents.
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“Toy Story 4” (2019): Andy’s toys are back for another beautiful and emotional adventure in this Oscar winner.
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“Hamilton” (2020): Lin-Manuel Miranda cut some coarse language out of his Tony-winning musical so even the kids could learn about the ill-fated Founding Father and his American Dream.
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“Anne with an E” (2017): This Canadian series, an adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s famed children’s novel, finds Anne of Green Gables at her pluckiest - and has a passionate fan base that bristled over the show’s cancellation earlier this year. (Streams on Netflix)
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“Black Panther” (2018): The late Chadwick Boseman is the heart of this breathtaking and culturally significant Marvel film.
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“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946): Every year — but especially this one — we can benefit from the life lessons in Frank Capra’s beloved Christmas classic.
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