Every parent knows what it’s like to watch a kids’ movie: it’s loud, it’s annoying, and your kid will want to watch it a million times. At best, it might make you chuckle once or twice.
If you’re looking for kids’ movies that won’t make you want to tear your eyes out, the r/AskReddit thread, “What kids’ movie has no right to be as good as it is?” should be right up your alley.
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*Coco*
“I was pleasantly surprised that my 7 year old son loves Coco and watched it on repeat for a long time. I thought it might be a little to [ sic ] deep and emotional for him to be into, but he loves it!”
*Treasure Planet*
“I was obsessed with this movie when it came out… I was 15 and so was the main character, and I think I just felt his loneliness and uncertainty about his future so deep down in my soul. It’s so hard for kids to deal with that feeling of not belonging and not living up to the expectations being put on you.”
*Hook*
“Way better than any children’s movie I can think of besides Princess Bride or The Neverending Story. Robin Williams opposite Dustin Hoffman with Bob Hoskins and Julia Roberts, all playing characters like it was the most fun they’d ever had.”
*The Muppet Christmas Carol*
“Back when I was teaching (special ed, very small academic focused private school) I put A Muppet Christmas Carol on when the three students I had that day couldn’t agree on a movie. They all groaned and moaned about it, but their options were movie or I make them some school work… so they watched the movie. After 15 minutes they were all completely absorbed. They ended up absolutely adoring it and have asked to watch it again several times.”
*Tangled*
“It perfectly shows off emotional manipulation, and the songs and art are fantastic. My only critique is that we didn’t get to see the aftermath of Rapunzel coming to terms with her trauma, but it’s understandable given the time restraints and target audience.”
*Wreck-It Ralph*
” I’m bad. And that’s good. I will never be good. And that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.
I was in tears laughing when this came up in the very beginning. Bad guys anonymous?!? I mean, freaking genius. Hysterical. But man, when it comes up at the end…wooo, I was a sobbing mess. Amazing how those arcs work.”
*A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit*
“All Wallace and Gromit films are fantastic. But A Grand Day Out was made on £10,000 and you can tell, not because it’s shoddy but because not a single movement of its clay animation is wasted. It’s perfect. The amount of time and effort that that film must have taken baffles me.”
*A Goofy Movie*
“I was an assistant manager at a movie theater when it came out. I could get my family into movies free, but I had to go with them. When that movie came out my little brother begged me to take him. I brought him, my sister and my mom, thinking I’d duck out after a few minutes & shoot the shit in the office with whoever was working.
“I ended up watching every minute & absolutely loving it. My mother, a woman now well into her 60’s, still loves this movie to this day.”
*Meet the Robinsons*
“It’s literally such a perfectly complex story, it all ties together in the end, it’s so fricking sad, it deals with childhood trauma, healing from trauma, growth, omfg it’s so good. No one knows this movie. There are zero faults, none.”
*Lilo and Stitch*
“I watched this again recently as an adult, and I realized it’s a story about an older sister trying to keep her family together with some aliens thrown in. Had me crying throughout the whole thing. Much different than how I remembered it as a kid!”
*Megamind*
“I had never heard of this movie when my brother gave me the DVD for Christmas when I was about 25. I just thought, ‘Hey, he forgot to get me something and picked up some random DVD at Best Buy. That’s fine, it’s the thought that counts.’
No, turns out it’s one of his favorite movies, and I realized why after I watched it. What a gem.”
*Up*
“I feel like everyone forgets the scene where Carl looks through the Adventure Book, I feel like that is more emotional than the opening. Carl believes that he didn’t get to take Ellie on the adventure she wanted only to realize that their life was the adventure and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
*Shrek 2*
“The Fairy Godmother singing “Holding Out for a Hero” while Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots are storming the castle (with help from friends) is one of the greatest cinematic moments of our time. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.”
*How to Train Your Dragon*
“The learning to fly scene is amazingly well done. Unfairly well done. It gives me chills thinking back to it. It’s the moment when Hiccup gives up on planning and strategy and they both just lock in and fly by synchronous instinct…”
*Inside Out*
“First time I saw the girl return home in that Pixar film Inside Out.
“Got a kid about the same age and we were nearly on the verge of moving far away, it literally hit home hard and that scene got to me. The way that girl doesn’t say anything when she is home and just starts crying assassinated my masculinity… it was a one shot kill, a head shot to the emotional barrier I had spent 30 years building.”
*The Lego Movie*
“I was expecting it to be a 90 minute toy commercial. Instead it was really, really good, with a good message about creativity and some great songs.
“Also Lego Batman was better than most live action superhero movies.”
*Spirited Away*
“Legendary director at his prime with a movie that he was given full creative control over with a decent sized budget and no forced tie ins or studio meddling. This movie is amazing, but it has every right to be amazing. It’s how amazing movies should be developed.”
– u/eziril
*The Land Before Time*
“It’s been like 20 years since I’ve seen that movie, but thinking about his mom dying puts me near tears. When he sees his shadow and thinks it’s her just for a moment—utterly devastating “
*Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*
“I admittedly didn’t watch it when it came out. But when it won best animated feature at the Academy awards I was like ‘there’s no way this movie is that good.’ I finally got around to watching it a short time after that on Netflix and I was blown away by how good it was. Probably one of my top 4 favorite hero movies.”
*Moana*
“Moana is amazing, and the soundtrack is incredible. My wife and I watched this ‘because our son loved it’ for a solid year after it came out. We know every word to every song. The story, the visuals, fantastic. Chef’s kiss.”
