Appropriate, non-scary movies for my 4 year old DD

[jchizever]

I am finding it really difficult to find good movies for my DD.  She is 4 years old.  She is a sensitive kid who get scared easily - so that obviously rules out Disney!!  So far the only one that I feel comfortable with is Mary Poppins. 

Any other suggestions for you amazing moms!

[limabean]

I really like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. A lot of people here also recommend Kiki's Delivery Service (by the same director as the first 2 I mentioned). That one's not my cup of tea, but it's definitely a gentle movie. 

[ecoteat]

Originally Posted by limabean 

I really like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. A lot of people here also recommend Kiki's Delivery Service (by the same director as the first 2 I mentioned). That one's not my cup of tea, but it's definitely a gentle movie. 

These three are favorites around here! We also like The Red Balloon and White Mane.

[NicaG]

-Wall-e (there are a couple of exciting moments, but overall it's a pretty quiet thoughtful movie, and funny!  I love that movie, and my ds does too)

-Singin in the Rain (you might have to skip through some scenes to get to the fun song/dance numbers)

[mamaupupup]

Hi there,

I am way against scary videos since I, as an adult, dislike scary movies...I really get how awful it can feel to be scared like that.  Especially at this age, kids (including mine) may have a very difficult time understanding what is real and what is not.  Having said all this, my Mother introduced the girls to Annie (don't do it) and Looney Tunes (don't do that either) and they have survived. 

My votes go to:  Clifford, Richard Scarry's Busy Town, and Little Bear (the sweetest of them all).  If you'd like more suggestions, I'll list more.

[tinuviel_k]

I was also going to suggest My neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo.

At age four my daughter really enjoyed Finding Nemo (we skipped the first few minutes with the barracuda).

[sunnygir1]

My dd loves Finding Nemo, too.  (The first few minutes are scary, though.)

Dd is almost 4 and also very sensitive to movies; she is afraid of scary/ominous music, scary/ominous lighting, people yelling/arguing, etc.  I honestly don't think she could handle some of the scenes in Mary Poppins, such as the scene at the bank.

We have Netflix, so can stream all kinds of material.  She loves to watch episodes of Dora the Explorer.

A movie we found that she adores is The Ballet Shoes.  She also liked Fly Away Home, but there is a kind of sinister guy in there trying to thwart their efforts.

[limabean]

I wanted to pop back in to say that we DVRed "Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron" a few days ago and just watched it last night, and it was a really gentle movie -- my sensitive kids both liked it. 

[jessemoon]

My kids (3 and 7) love Kipper.  So sweet and gently and no mean interpersonal interactions.  We also like Shaun the Sheep.

[Tjej]

It's soo funny, whenever I read these sensitive kid movie threads for ideas - about half the movies suggested my DD has been really bothered by (moved to tears or terrified).

Barney is very non-frightening.  He has a world celebrations movie that the kids like. 

Some Winnie the Pooh are very gentle (there is a very merry Pooh Year that the kids have liked).

Care Bears and the Big Wish is cheerful and the conflict isn't frightening.

Little Bear really is sooo sweet.

Tjej

[leahmn12]

Not a movie suggestion, but my sensitive little guy (3 y.o.) loves to watch the videos on the Mr. Rogers website (go to PBSkids.org). There are at least 20 of them ranging in length from 1-7 minutes or so. They are very sweet and tender, as well as interesting (like how crayons are made). The website is easy to navigate. Mr Rogers was a man who truly understood the importance of handling a child's mind with gentleness and care. He felt that children were sacred and his shows are evidence to that. He called the space between the television set and his young viewers "holy space". I love you Mr Rogers!

[puffingirl]

Originally Posted by leahmn12 

Not a movie suggestion, but my sensitive little guy (3 y.o.) loves to watch the videos on the Mr. Rogers website (go to PBSkids.org). There are at least 20 of them ranging in length from 1-7 minutes or so. They are very sweet and tender, as well as interesting (like how crayons are made). The website is easy to navigate. Mr Rogers was a man who truly understood the importance of handling a child's mind with gentleness and care. He felt that children were sacred and his shows are evidence to that. He called the space between the television set and his young viewers "holy space". I love you Mr Rogers!

I totally agree.  I loved Mr. Rogers as a kid but didn't recognize his total amazing-ness until I was a parent. 

My DD is slightly sensitive too and really likes Wall-E too.
 

[Jane91]

What about some older movies?

A lot (but not all) of the Shirley Temple movies might work, like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm or The Blue Bird.

Also, The Court Jester with Danny Kaye is another musical which is a lot of fun.  There is also "Hans Christian Anderson."

[chattyprincess]

dd is 4.5 and she is really into strawberry shortcake movies and holly hobbie movies. I will think about this some more and come back with more ideas!

[cygknit]

My 3.5 yo is sensitive, too and adores Kipper. It is very simple--meant for toddlers, I think-- but he's always talking about the characters. They're based on the books by Mick Inkpen, if you like to have a number of books to tie into the show. He also liked Nemo, with the first scene skipped. We do watch a lot of Thomas here. I'm not a huge fan, but it is very helpful for directing appropriate vs. inappropriate ways to talk to friends.

[SpiderMum]

I also recommend My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and Kiki's Delivery Service.  Miyazaki films rarely have villains...even the "bad guys" end up redeeming themselves and becoming friends.

[Ellp]

How about the Sound of Music?  Its not scary at all, except for the last few minutes and you could easily fast forward through all that and still have the movie make sense..

[jtbuko]

Check out Gustafer Yellowgold! Our local library was where we dicovered the DVDs, but you can preview on his website.

If you like the music my kids also liked the They Might be Giant DVD's (ABCs, 123s, and there's a science one).

Other favorites: Charlie Brown movies, PBS kids stuff, Meerkat Manor on Netflix, Planet Earth BBC movies

[moonjunio]

Another two lesser-known Studio Ghibli films that aren't too dramatic:

Whisper of the Heart

The Cat Returns

[catnip]

Most of the Scholastic video collection discs are fantastic. We also were big fans of the Wheels on the Bus series when my daughter was younger: http://www.thewheelsonthebus.com/. I also agree with the recommendation of Mr. Rogers. I'm going to disagree with Kiki, and Totoro though, I thought those ones were WAY scary, though not in an action movie sort of way.