movies for sensitive 4 year old

[mainemommy1]

we rarely watch tv but when we are sick we do. Disney seems rather violent, scary, parents (animals) getting killed, dying etc. I am looking for suggestions for movies more appropriate for a sensitive young child. We have done the full length Thomas movie and Disney Cars is the only Disney one we've seen. Wizard of Oz is too scary. Anyone have some good ideas??

[LynnS6]

We recently tried Mary Poppins and that went over well. I think there are some Winnie the Pooh movies that are pretty gentle.

Mostly, though, we just don't do movies. Dd freaks out whenever the cellos play or whenever there's the least little bit of dramatic tension. She's clearly not ready.

[Llyra]

DD1 was like that. She used to cry when Winnie the Pooh's balloon broke and he fell into the gorse bush.

Older movies tend to be slower-paced and less edgy-- DD1 likes Mary Poppins, too, and she also liked Pollyanna, the Parent Trap (the old one), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and Charlotte's Web (the older animated one.) Charlotte's Web is emotional, when the spider dies, so if the sensitivity is about that stuff, it may not be a good choice, but it's very gentle, and not visually frightening at all. Just a bit sad.

[Kuba'sMama]

If you are just starting out and not sure what your dd will tolerate why not start with the kiddie videos, Dora, Backyardigans, Wonder pets, etc? I know they're commercial and all that, but my dd does love them and you will never find anything scary or violent in them. They're usually pretty easy to find at the library.

[Daffodil]

My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service are really lovely movies - gentle enough for young kids, but enjoyable for grownups, too.

[jen&james]

My first DS was and still is very sensative. He loves Mr Rogers and Sesame Street. As for movies, he has seen a few of the disney ones but most are too scary. Wall-e isn't too bad and is more of a love story but has some rough spots. Like the other poster said. I know they are commercial but wonder pets, and max and ruby are favorites here in our house and especially imagination mover and upside down show both of which are really silly and have him laughing hysterically.

[stlmomof2]

Milo and Otis. It's a really sweet, funny film that is totally appropriate for kids and I actually enjoy watching it. Both my 4 and 2 yo get totally wrapped up in it. The first time she watched it, DD started tearing up when Milo and Otis decide to (temporarily) go their separate ways. But it wasn't like she wanted to stop watching the movie--she was just really emotionally involved. We also watch Planet Earth documentaries. The kids love to talk about what the animals are doing. There are a lot of parts with animals eating each other but you can usually see it coming and fast forward if it looks like it might be too harsh. My DD really likes the live action movie of Madeline. I don't remember anything dark about that one.

[catnip]

Oh, see Totoro FREAKED my kid out.

TinkerBell is actually a pretty terrific kids movie. For something shorter, we love "The Wheels on the Bus" movies, or Mr. Rogers. Alot of the Scholastic video collection discs are fantastic, Cinderella is not as scary as most of the Disney ones. Also, we really like the Disney Sing-a-Long song collections.

[Red Pajama]

My boys were (are) very sensitive, too. Even Up bothered one of them. It wasn't the dogs, but the fact that a bulldozer was "naughty" and knocked over a mailbox. Even some Veggietales movies bother them.

We've had success with the sing-along option on the Sound of Music (you only watch the songs, not the whole thing). We've also recently discovered the Charlie and Lola series at the library. It's not a movie, but a TV series. It doesen't have the typical sibling strife, just good, enjoyable adventures.

Cars also works for us, but no other disney yet. I really object to Disney getting a G rating on most of their cartoons.

Many of the veggietales are ok, but I usually watch with them the first time and stop if they get upset by the conflict. They really like Bob the Builder, but that can have significant moments of "bad behavior" that the movie resolves in the end, but they only remember the conflict.

[One_Girl]

Dora, Berenstein Bears, Dragon Tails, Strawberry Shortcake, some of the Barbie movies, Backyardigans, and Elmo were some of my dd's favorites at this age. The have very few scary parts so she was able to handle them really well.

[Tumble Bumbles]

I second Milo&Otis. It is very cute.

[Asparagus78]

Originally Posted by Red Pajama

It wasn't the dogs, but the fact that a bulldozer was "naughty" and knocked over a mailbox.

Glad to know DS is not the only one scared by that!!!

I also recommend any Backyardigans - very gentle and the tunes are catchy, too!

[catinthehat]

My dd is terrified of Milo and Otis. As a pp suggested, we like the scholastic video collections for the most part. My dd loves homeward bound, although I think it might be too scary. Mary Poppins is great and The Point is fun. It is an old cartoon movie from the 60's or 70's with Ringo Starr doing vocals. Can't go wrong with Mr. Rogers.

[MeepyCat]

Would your kid enjoy something like "Singin' in the Rain"? Or other older movies with lots of singing and dancing?

[moobiegirl]

We love Curious George! Toy Story is another favorite.

[jessemoon]

Kipper is super cute and has no conflict or peril at all. We also like the Backyardigans.

[NicaG]

Wall-e. We love that movie! Good for kids and grownups too. We also just watched The Red Balloon over Christmas and it was really great, simple, sweet. Ds used to like Singin in the Rain, but only the dance numbers.

[lonegirl]

The VeggieTales movies are lots of fun, Both Tinker Bell movies, The Wiggles, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Super Spy (Backyardigans)

[stlmomof2]

Oh yeah, and DS loves Fantasia. He really uses his imagination and talks the whole time, explaining what's going on. There are some sinister scenes in terms of the mood they evoke but they never bother him. OTOH, the Humpty Dumpty character in some Dora video freaked him the hell out. Different kids will find different things scary--it's all so individual.

[ecoteat]

Milo and Otis, The Red Balloon, and Ponyo are favorites here. Ponyo isn't on DVD yet (soon!), but we saw it in the theater and have a book of the story and dd loves it. She was a little bugged out by the father until we talked about how everything he does is to protect his daughter that he loves so much. We could all watch The Red Balloon over and over again. It is really lovely.