Any night can be family movie night, whether you like the classic accompaniment of popcorn or prefer to live it up and have a charcuterie. Whether in a blanket fort or under the stars, there’s no wrong way to do a movie night. Here are ten options for your next cinematic get-together.
The Parent Trap (1961)
Though audiences today are more likely to remember the 1998 Nancy Meyers-directed remake starring Lindsay Lohan, The Parent Trap, based on a German novel by Erich Kästner and directed by David Swift, is sentimental without being saccharine. Disney’s first take on the story features Hayley Mills playing both Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick. The pair go from enemies to best friends when they meet at summer camp and realize, to their amazement, they’re twin sisters long separated by their parents, Mitch (Brian Keith) of California and Maggie (Maureen O’Hara) of Boston. Desperate to know their other parent, the two decide to switch identities and try to get their parents back together. As one might expect, delightful consequences ensue, including foiling a marriage plot and recreating a first date (the latter of which involves a musical number that one will be humming days later).
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My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
For budding environmentalists who love country living, Hayao Miyazaki’s charming My Neighbor Totoro is a must-see. The film opens in 1950s Japan with Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka) and her little sister Mei (Chika Sakamoto) moving to the country with their father (Shigesato Itoi), to be nearer to their mother (Sumi Shimamoto) who’s recuperating from a long-term illness in a hospital. The film is a series of vignettes, featuring slice-of-life scenes of the sisters adjusting to their new life and exploring their surroundings, which include a trio of cuddly spirits and a giant cat-bus hybrid. It’s clear early on that magical realism plays a big part in this film, which is a Japanese classic by animation giant Studio Ghibli.
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The Land Before Time (1988)
Directed by Don Bluth (and produced by Steven Spielberg!), The Land Before Time tells of the long journey faced by Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon) and his newfound friends trying to beat earthquakes, famine, and being hunted in their quest to reach the Great Valley, a safe and food-rich haven. In the face of tremendous familial loss and ever-present dangers, one can’t help but root for these prehistoric tots to make it to their new home and be reunited with their families. Adults around 30 and older may especially appreciate this retro animated throwback.
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The Secret Garden (1993)
Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly), recently orphaned after a cholera epidemic, has moved from British India to live on the moors of Yorkshire at her uncle’s estate called Misselthwaite Manor in Agnieszka Holland’s adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Up to that point quite unloved, Mary is an ill-tempered child who has never known real joy. The discovery of a mysteriously locked garden amid a houseful of old secrets does much to pique her interest. She meets Dickon (Andrew Knott), a wondrous boy who has his own menagerie of animal companions, and Colin (Heydon Prowse), a sickly cousin who lacks the will to live. Maggie Smith, Laura Crossley, and John Lynch costar.
The excellent layered storytelling is balanced with the gorgeous cinematography, from endless vistas of moorland to tight closeups of a robin among curtains of greenery. The main themes of the film—colonialism, illness, grief, and healing—are deftly explored.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of The Secret Garden on DVD.
Matilda (1996)
Whether you’ve read the book or seen the film, the character of Matilda has long been touted as the first big literary bookworm to whom countless readers relate. The film adaption, directed by Danny Devito and starring Mara Wilson, is a whimsical take on the novel. Matilda Wormwood is a precocious six-year-old who loves to read and wants to escape her mean, neglectful parents (played by Devito and Rhea Perlman). But in getting her wish she trades one tough situation for another, where the school principle, Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) is a tyrant with a mysterious connection to Matilda’s lovable teacher Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz).
If it’s of interest, adults can have a larger conversation about the legacy of Roald Dahl, whose estate in 2020 issued an apology for past antisemitic remarks.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of Matilda on DVD.
Cinderella (1997)
There are countless versions of Cinderella across an equal number of cultures. This retelling by Robert Iscove for Disney of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical of Cinderella is an unsung version. Released in the late 90s, it stars Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher, and Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother, with a supporting cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, and Bernadette Peters among others. There’s much to recommend in this film, with a diverse cast, beautiful musical performances, stellar costumes and production design (reminiscent at times of a Broadway set), and the ever-present message to reach for more. It’s an endearing film and unique take on an old story.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of Cinderella on DVD.
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
The tragedy of losing one’s parents is difficult enough, but to also have to content with a con man incessantly trying to kill you in pursuit of your fortune is another. This is the core plot of the film adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events book series, directed by Brad Silberling and based on the first three novels. The Baudelaire Children, Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny (played by twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman), each armed with their own special talents, must outwit the insidious Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) in a series of trials as they try to find a safe place to move on without their parents. As the film implies, there’s much more to the Beaudelaire’s parents’ deaths than meets the eye. The audiobooks of the series, read by actor Tim Curry, are also excellent.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of A Series of Unfortunate Events on DVD.
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
What do you get when you combine a Shakespearean romantic tragedy with garden gnomes and Elton John music? Kelly Ashbury’s Gnomeo and Juliet, a fun rendition of the legendary play Romeo and Juliet. Gnomeo (James McAvoy) lives in the backyard of a blue house with a mailbox which bears the name Montague. Over the wood fence resides Juliet (Emily Blunt), a red counterpart whose mailbox reads, predictably, Capulet. Their respective homeowners loath each other for a forgotten reason, and their lawn ornaments have followed suit in their squabble, engaging in mutual acts of sabotage, pranks, and verbal jabs. It’s by chance that Gnomeo and Juliet meet, each out in disguise for a covert night operation. Despite the feud, the two fall instantly in love and resolve to be together, though various obstacles will try to stop them.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of Gnomeo & Juliet on DVD.
Ernest and Celestine (2012)
An unlikely pair bond over being out of place in this animated French film by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, and Benjamin Renner. The titular Ernest and Celestine are a bear and a mouse, voiced respectively by Lambert Wilson and Pauline Brunner. Each is pressured to fulfill familial obligations. While Celestine is reluctantly gathering a quota of discarded teeth to become a dentist, Ernest doesn’t want to be a lawyer like those in his family, but an entertainer. In pursuit of living in peace, they become friends, forcing their communities to confront past prejudices and shake up their class systems. Between both Ernest and Celestine dreaming of creative careers and a watercolor-esque style, art is truly at the center of this utterly charming film.
▶ Click here to buy your copy of Ernest and Celestine on DVD.
The Sea Beast (2022)
As swashbuckling adventures go, look no further than Chris Williams’ The Sea Beast, a tale of hunters pursuing fierce sea creatures. The story follows boatswain Jacob (Karl Urban) and an orphan named Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator) as they hunt the enormous “Red Bluster”. The pair go on an incredible journey and, in the process, learn the truth about the sea beasts. Unsurprisingly, not all is as it seems. The story visits a compelling past to an equally compelling timeline revealing a troubling conspiracy. Viewers will enjoy the antics of Jacob and Maisie, a couple of misfits who, with other unexpected companions, become a family.
A bonus selection of films includes any of the stunning animated stories in Tomm Moore’s Irish Folklore Trilogy, which includes The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014) and Wolfwalkers (2020).
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