Great Animated Films For Family Viewing
It’s no secret that many people love cartoons. Children especially enjoy watching them, but in the modern world, young adults, parents, and even grandparents can relax in front of the TV and watch a cartoon. Watching TV with your kids can bring back nostalgia for your own childhood, but many adults find that cartoons and animated films are worth watching entirely on their own merits. They’re not just for kids anymore. Very young children often watch educational television or apps and short cartoons on the internet during their preschool years. These shows usually include simple messages and lessons about friendship or sharing. Children quickly grow out of these shows, but older children enjoy more complex stories that involve superheroes, dragons, aliens, and of course “bad guys” – as long as they aren’t too scary. Cartoon shows and family movies can be filled with plenty of good role models, educational stories, and favorite characters that both children and adults can appreciate.
There’s a range of animated films and tv shows that are now considered “classics,” which parents often share with their children. Here are some of our favorites:
Cinderella
Who doesn’t enjoy “once upon a time” stories? Cinderella is one of the most popular and long-lasting fairy tales, and a brilliant Disney cartoon. It’s an example of good father-daughter relationships, and teaches kids to be kind and brave in any situation, perservere and not let problems stop you, and have faith in yourself and never stop dreaming. Children can learn what kindness, fairness and patience is while watching and discussing this movie with their family.
The Little Mermaid
People can hardly resist singing when they hear “Part of Your World,” “Under The Sea,” and other classic music from this popular Disney masterpiece, which teaches us follow our dreams in spite of other people’s contempt. And of course, it’s one more wonderful story that shows us that love can create miracles.
Beauty and the Beast
First off, it’s a great example of a young girl who adores reading books, and the story itself teaches us that real beauty is within, that we have to be kind to others and think not only about ourselves. We learn how to look beyond the things we can see. Getting to know people well and giving them a chance is important. Gaston’s character shows us that nothing and no one is as perfect as it seems. And love is surely stronger than hate.
The Lion King
This cartoon won the hearts of the audience. It teaches children some important lessons, such as the circle of life, romance, what a stampede is, and that we can choose not to give up, and remain strong no matter what. It’s a story of love and faith overcoming greed, betrayal and desperation.
Toy Story (1, 2, 3)
That exciting trilogy teaches us that we can’t judge a book by its cover, everyone grows up, toys are not just toys, and that a part of us will remain a kid forever, we are what we believe, it’s important to work as part of a team, and that we make our own fate.
There are plenty of other terrific cartoons and animated movies that our kids can watch, but the most valuable thing about any of these stories is that they offer our children models of what it means to be a human being and teaches them how to get through even scary or sad situations.
