For most of us, it’s been a long few weeks (or months? Or has it been years?) of being stuck at home.
For those of us with young kids, there’s probably been an awful lot of kid-TV consumption going on lately. And let’s face it, there’s only so much cheesy children’s programming our sanity can take.
So if you’re hoping to find some great watch-together options that won’t drive you batty but also won’t corrupt the innocence of your elementary school-aged children, here are some great choices that are available streaming right now.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
The best thing about the Lego movies is that most of them have a lot of humor that’s legitimately funny for adults, without being inappropriate for the kids. This sequel to the 2014 Lego Movie is no exception.
As a grown woman, I enjoyed The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part quite a bit. And my kids did even more.
This one features a few funny songs, lots of spazzy Lego-building, and a quest to save some Lego characters who have been kidnapped some cute but evil Duplos.
In addition, earlier this year, the film took home the top honor in the Best Movies for Families category at the Movieguide Awards. Movieguide reviews films from a Christian and family-friendly perspective and works within Hollywood to inform the industry of the need for faith- and family-friendly content.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
The Lego Movie 2 took home the award for best movies for families. Director Mike Mitchell said, "It's so fun to work on these movies because Trish [Gar, co-director] and I get to watch it with an audience as we're working on it. There's nothing cooler than looking at a dad laughing at one of our jokes and he looks down at his 8-year-old daughter and she's laughing at the same joke." Mitchell called the experience, "inspirational," and went on to say, "I'm so thankful for you guys and [Movieguide founder and publisher Dr. Ted] Baehr to honor a film that's for the whole family."
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is rated PG for mild action and rude humor. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, HBO NOW (and cablenet HBO, meaning it's also On Demand and HBO GO), and Hulu.
Megamind (2010)
If you missed this animated supervillain-turned-good-guy movie because Despicable Me was getting more attention in 2010, you seriously missed out. I’m not ashamed to admit that I can quote this Will Ferrell/Jonah Hill/Brad Pit/Tina Fey movie almost by heart, and my kids are well on the way (more about why I love Megamind here).
This one is also PG for things like peril/action etc., but it’s pretty tame for the most part. Megamind is streaming on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes and Hulu.
Lost in Space (2018)
This is a Netflix original series that is both family-friendly and mostly un-cheesy (shockingly enough!). It’s a remake of the series of the same name from the 60s, and it’s about a family who travels through space but goes off course to an unknown planet.
Lost in Space is rated PG and is pretty clean. However, the action is a bit intense at times and might be too much for some younger viewers. There are also a few uses of profanity to be aware of. Along with being available on Netflix, episodes can also be purchased on YouTube, Google Play and Vudu.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
If your kids love superheroes but you don’t love the PG-13-ness of most superhero movies, this animated Spider-Man film is a good choice. Its storyline of multiple Spider-Mans in different universes can be a bit confusing at times, but it’s pretty entertaining, nonetheless.
This one does still have quite a bit of fighting-action (and a couple mild profanities) but over all its PG rating is pretty accurate.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Netflix.
Our Planet (2019)
If your kids are into animals at all (and maybe missing the zoo!) this docu-series from Netflix might hit the spot. It shows animal habitats from around the world and is fairly interesting for adults too.
Our Planet is rated G, though be advised that it does feature some animal death and a bit of info about animal mating. The only other caveat with this one is that it is rather pro-climate change agenda, which can be annoying if you’re not, but I didn’t find the show to be extremely in-your-face about it.
Our Planet is available only on Netflix.
Image: Shutterstock
Adrienne Thorne is a Catholic mom, blogger and screenwriter.
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