1. My Neighbor Totoro (1988, G)

Studio Ghibli's masterpiece about two sisters who move to the countryside and discover forest spirits. It's slow, gentle, and utterly magical — no villain, no manufactured conflict, just childhood wonder and dealing with a sick parent in the background. Your kid will want a Totoro plushie. You will buy the Totoro plushie.

2. Paddington (2014, PG)

A Peruvian bear in London who believes "if we're kind and polite, the world will be right." Sounds saccharine, but this movie is legitimately perfect — funny for adults, heartwarming for kids, and teaches immigration empathy without being heavy-handed. The sequel is even better, which shouldn't be possible.

3. Moana (2016, PG)

Disney's best modern princess film, full stop. Moana is driven by purpose, not romance. The music slaps. The ocean is a character. And the grandma's death scene will wreck you in the best way. Bonus: It's a great entry point for talking about Polynesian culture and wayfinding.

4. Inside Out (2015, PG)

Pixar's brilliant visualization of emotions as characters inside an 11-year-old's head. This movie teaches kids (and adults) that sadness isn't the enemy — it's necessary and valid. Every family therapist recommends this one. Watch it before middle school hits.

5. The Iron Giant (1999, PG)

A boy befriends a giant robot from space during the Cold War. It's about choosing who you want to be rather than what you're built for. The "Superman" moment at the end will destroy you. Criminally underrated when it came out, now properly recognized as a masterpiece.

6. Spirited Away (2001, PG)

Another Ghibli film, but darker and stranger than Totoro. A girl must work in a bathhouse for spirits to save her parents who've been turned into pigs. It's weird and beautiful and teaches resourcefulness in the face of overwhelming odds. Some younger kids find it scary; know your audience.

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982, PG)

Spielberg's classic about a boy who befriends an alien. Yes, it's old. Yes, the effects are dated. But the emotional core is timeless — friendship, loss, wonder, and that bike-across-the-moon moment that's been parodied a thousand times for good reason.

8. WALL-E (2008, G)

The first 40 minutes are nearly dialogue-free — a robot cleaning up Earth's trash falls in love. Then it becomes a story about consumerism, environmentalism, and what makes us human. It's Pixar at their most ambitious and it absolutely works.

9. Hugo (2011, PG)

Martin Scorsese made a kids' movie about a boy living in a Paris train station who discovers the forgotten filmmaker Georges Méliès. It's a love letter to cinema, magic, and finding purpose. Visually stunning, emotionally rich, and introduces film history without being a lecture.

10. The Princess Bride (1987, PG)

"As you wish." A fairy tale that gently mocks fairy tales while being a perfect fairy tale. Quotable, funny, romantic, adventurous — and the frame story of a grandfather reading to his sick grandson adds emotional weight. Kids will quote this for years. So will you.

11. Coco (2017, PG)

Pixar's meditation on death, memory, and family through the lens of Día de los Muertos. This movie teaches kids that death isn't the end — being forgotten is. The "Remember Me" scene is an all-timer. Have tissues ready.

12. The Wizard of Oz (1939, G)

Dorothy, Toto, yellow brick road — you know the drill. But watching it with your kid, you'll notice how sophisticated it is: the Wizard is a fraud, home is complicated, and you had the power all along. The transition from sepia to Technicolor still hits.

13. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989, G)

A young witch moves to a new city to start a delivery business. It's Ghibli's most grounded film — about work, independence, creative burnout, and finding your place. No big villain, just the challenges of growing up. Deeply comforting.

14. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, PG)

Wes Anderson's stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl. A fox tries to reclaim his wild nature while being a suburban dad. Visually distinctive, funny, and surprisingly deep about identity and family expectations. The dialogue is whip-smart.

15. The Secret of Kells (2009, NR)

An Irish boy helps complete the Book of Kells while Vikings threaten his monastery. The animation style is unlike anything else — flat, stylized, gorgeous. It's about art, faith, fear, and courage. Slower-paced but mesmerizing for the right kid.

These aren't just "good movies for kids." They're films that respect young viewers' intelligence and emotional capacity. They introduce big concepts — death, identity, environmentalism, creativity, empathy — without talking down or traumatizing.

They're also films that hold up on rewatch as your kid grows. A 5-year-old sees Totoro as a fun forest creature. A 9-year-old understands it's about processing a parent's illness. An adult sees it as a meditation on childhood wonder. That's the mark of a great film.

Not every film will land with every kid. Some kids are ready for Spirited Away's strangeness at 6. Others need to wait until 9. Some will love Hugo's slow build; others will be bored. That's fine. This list is a starting point, not a syllabus.

The "scary" question: Several of these films have intense moments. The flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz. The bathhouse spirits in Spirited Away. The government agents in E.T. If your kid is sensitive to peril, preview first or wait a year. Here's more on navigating scary content.

Co-viewing is the point. These films create conversation. "Why did Sadness need to touch the memories?" "What would you do if you found a giant robot?" "Is it okay that the Wizard lied?" Don't just press play and leave — stick around for the questions afterward.

Before your kid discovers Marvel movies and YouTube reaction videos and whatever Gen Alpha is obsessing over next, these 15 films offer something rarer: stories that expand rather than distract, that teach empathy rather than just entertain, that you'll actually want to rewatch.

Will your kid love all of them? No. Will they ask for Bluey instead? Probably. But the ones that do land will become part of your family's language, your inside jokes, your shared emotional vocabulary.

And honestly? In a world where "screen time" feels like a constant negotiation, these are screens worth the time.

Start with one film that matches your kid's current age and interests. Make it an event — popcorn, cozy setup, phones away. Watch together. Talk afterward. See what sticks.

And if your kid falls in love with Studio Ghibli or Pixar or Roald Dahl adaptations, explore those rabbit holes — there's so much more where these came from.