Review: Best movies to watch as a family

Kids’ movies are to family movies what macaroons are to macarons. They share characteristics, but they are not the same.

Macaroons have a shredded coconut base, while macarons are meringue-based. Similarly named, both deliver an explosion of flavor, but other than that, they have little in common, just like kids’ movies versus family films.

Movies for kids are just that, films with the agenda to entertain young imaginations, with little regard to anyone old enough to get a driver’s licence. Family movies have a broader appeal, aiming to entertain all members of the clan.

They are same… but different.

With that in mind, here’s a list to help make movie night enjoyable for all members of the family, no matter what age.

1. In “Kung Fu Panda,” Jack Black voices Po, an overweight, kung fu-crazy panda who dreams of becoming a master warrior.

In his rich fantasy life, his enemies would go blind from his “sheer awesomeness.” In reality, he is the son of a noodle maker with no moves, no skill.

When he is accidentally crowned Dragon Warrior, a once-in-a-thousand-years honour, he must look inside himself to conjure the skills to live up to the title and beat the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane), bringing peace to his valley.

State-of-the-art computer animation brings the fun characters to life, but the gorgeous hand-drawn animation in the fantasy sequences is uncommonly sumptuous for a story like this and gives the movie real character. Imagine if Akira Kurosawa had directed a kid’s movie and you’ll get the idea.

“Kung Fun Panda” is packed with wit and action and is a rare animated feature that will appeal to all members of the family.

2. The big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic book “Where the Wild Things Are” isn’t a movie for kids as much as it is a movie about being a kid.

The hero is Max, a lonely nine-year-old who goes to an imaginary island populated by seven make-believe giants who crown him king of the Wild Things.

Not much happens, but there are some very arresting images – Max and monster Carol rolling down a sand dune, a “wild rumpus” and a dirt fight.

But it’s not about the action, it’s about primal feelings, things that either arenot usually touched on or are glossed over in most kids’ films: sorrow, loneliness and the difficulty of growing up.

It’s a magical movie with a dark, melancholy tone that isn’t typical of children’s entertainment, but since this isn’t really a kids’ film, that shouldn’t matter.

3. With a near-perfect 99 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” is a movie that blends exciting science fiction with touching family drama.

The story of a gentle alien, stranded on earth and cared for in secret by a 10-year-old boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas), his brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and little sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore), has some scary moments, but its compassionate heart recommends it for the whole family.

On the surface, “E.T.” is a movie about an obviously rubber alien puppet, but as soon as he and his glowing finger interact with the children, all artificiality fades away. Somehow, he blossoms into a fairy-tale character, one that brings with him great, family-friendly messages of friendship, loyalty, courage and selflessness.

But it’s not the movie’s many morals that earn it a recommend, it’s the film’s ability to warm the heart with humour and real emotion.

4. All the highlights from the book “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” including the famous “We must, we must, we must increase our bust” mantra and her famous prayers, are present in this movie version.

Director Kelly Fremon Craig, who also wrote the screenplay, maintains the lack of pretence and sense of authenticity that set author Judy Blume’s book apart from the pack in this gentle realization of Margaret’s story.

The film perfectly captures Margaret’s tentative steps into adolescence and the life-changing power that comes along with each of her discoveries. It’s a trip into self-acceptance at a very complicated time in her life, as she grapples with relationships—with her anti-religion parents, her new friends and Moose, the cute boy from down the street—and situations she struggles to understand. Like the book, which runs an economical 149 pages, the movie is a small story that tackles big issues.

5. Ranked 39th on a list of the 100 greatest family films of all time by Channel 4, “Bugsy Malone” is probably the strangest movie on this list.

Set in Prohibition-Era New York, it’s a musical about a war between gangsters and Bugsy Malone, a good guy who falls for a speakeasy singer who’s entangled with the crime boss.

What makes it strange, and a family film, is that it features child actors playing all the adult roles. Stars Jodie Foster and Scott Baio hand in charming performances, but it is the movie’s flourishes, like machine guns that fire cream pies, and its boisterous and good-natured vibe that make it fun for the whole family.