NAKM: July 1, 2025

Film Recs for Youngins and Two Blockbusters Hit Theaters

Author

Brendan Knapp
July 01, 2025

How Young Is Too Young?

My childhood memories include hunting frogs in my grandparents’ creek, cruising the hood on my BMX, and playing backyard baseball with older kids. But some of my favorite memories are of movies I saw in the theater and at home with my family and friends.

Family film nights can help establish those warm and fuzzy feelings that all new parents can’t wait to create. But how young is too young to start family film night? Pediatricians say you don’t want children to experience any screen time before age two. Keep it limited at age three. And do your best not to allow excessive screen time until age seven.

I started watching films with each of my two kids around age two. My oldest was drawn to the Muppets and Moana. My youngest was drawn to Elsa and Yoda.

New parents, you’ll likely start with TV shows because the short-form storytelling is more palatable for younger kids. But there are benefits to experiencing long-form storytelling of films, such as the development of language skills, imagination, memory, and empathy. Reading is the best way to build those benefits, but movies also help — and you potentially create core memories in the process. 

I’m recommending five movies to launch a love of film with children under age five.

Cheers!

Brendan

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Fresh Cuts

The latest family films to hit all screens. Not all are winners. Watch at your own risk!

Streaming 🛜

  • Netflix

    • (July 1) 17 Again (2009) (10+)

    • (July 1) Annie (1982) (4+)

    • (July 1) Born on the Fourth of July (1989) (12+)

    • (July 1) Captain Phillips (2013) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Deer Hunter (1978) (12+)

    • (July 1) Friday Night Lights (2004) (11+)

    • (July 1) Here Comes the Boom (2012) (8+)

    • (July 1) The Karate Kid (1984) (6+)

    • (July 1) The Karate Kid Part II (1986) (6+)

    • (July 1) The Karate Kid Part III (1989) (6+)

    • (July 1) Mission: Impossible (1996) (9+)

    • (July 1) Mission: Impossible II (2000) (9+)

    • (July 1) Mission: Impossible III (2006) (9+)

    • (July 1) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) (9+)

    • (July 1) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) (9+)

    • (July 1) Pacific Rim (2013) (10+)

    • (July 1) Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) (6+)

    • (July 2) The Old Guard 2

    • (July 4) All the Sharks 

    • (July 8) A Star Is Born (2018) (10+)

    • (July 8) Trainwreck: The Real Project X

    • (July 9) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (10+)

  • Hulu

    • (July 1) Alita: Battle Angel (2019) (12+)

    • (July 1) Daddy Day Camp (2007) (6+)

    • (July 1) The Day After Tomorrow (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) Ford v Ferrari (2019) (10+)

    • (July 1) Home Alone (1990) (5+)

    • (July 1) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (5+)

    • (July 1) Home Alone 3 (1997) (5+)

    • (July 1) I, Robot (2004) (8+)

    • (July 1) King Arthur (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) (8+)

    • (July 1) The Longest Yard (2005) (10+)

    • (July 1) Pixels (2015) (8+)

    • (July 1) Prometheus (2012) (10+)

    • (July 1) Puss in Boots (2011) (5+)

    • (July 1) Real Steel (2011) (8+)

    • (July 1) The Sandlot (1993) (6+)

    • (July 1) Shanghai Knights (2003) (10+)

    • (July 1) Shanghai Noon (2000) (10+)
      (July 1) Taxi (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) Ted (2012) (12+)

    • (July 1) Ted 2 (2015) (12+)

    • (July 1) The Way Way Back (2013) (10+)

    • (July 3) Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia (2022) (5+)

    • (July 4) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) (12+)

    • (July 4) The Abyss (1989) (10+)

    • (July 4) The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) (10+)

    • (July 4) In the Lost Lands (2025) (12+)

    • (July 11) Big Momma's House (2000) (8+)

    • (July 11) Big Momma's House 2 (2006) (8+)

    • (July 11) Marmaduke (2010) (5+)

    • (July 12) A Quiet Place Part II (2021) (12+)

  • Paramount Plus

    • (July 1) Airplane! (1980) (10+)

    • (July 1) Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) (10+)

    • (July 1) An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) (10+)

    • (July 1) Beverly Hills Cop (1984) (10+)

    • (July 1) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) (10+)

    • (July 1) Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) (10+)

    • (July 1) Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) (6+)

    • (July 1) Chicago (2002) (10+)

    • (July 1) City of God (2002) (12+)

    • (July 1) Defiance (2008) (10+)

    • (July 1) Election (1999) (10+)

    • (July 1) Full Metal Jacket (1987) (10+)

    • (July 1) G.I. Blues (1960) (4+)

    • (July 1) G.I. Jane (1997) (10+)

    • (July 1) Glory (1989) (10+)

    • (July 1) Hamburger Hill (1987) (10+)

    • (July 1) Jackass: The Movie (2002) (10+)

    • (July 1) Jarhead (2005) (10+)

    • (July 1) Lords of Dogtown (2005) (10+)

    • (July 1) Major League (1989) (8+)

    • (July 1) Mud (2012) (8+)

    • (July 1) Saving Private Ryan (1998) (12+)

    • (July 1) Seabiscuit (2003) (6+)

    • (July 1) Stardust (2007) (6+)

    • (July 1) The Aviator (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Fighter (2010) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Patriot (2000) (10+)

    • (July 1) Titanic (1997) (10+)

    • (July 1) World Trade Center (2006) (10+)

    • (July 1) Zero Dark Thirty (2012) (10+)

    • (July 10) The Great Debaters (2007) (10+)

  • HBO Max

    • (July 1) Annabelle (2014) (12+)

    • (July 1) Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012) (9+)

    • (July 1) Dances With Wolves (1990) (8+)

    • (July 1) Get Out (2017) (10+)

    • (July 1) Insidious (2010) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat (1995) (8+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat (2021) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022) (10+)

    • (July 1) Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) (8+)

    • (July 1) Napoleon Dynamite (2004) (8+)

    • (July 1) Red Dawn (1984) (10+)

    • (July 1) Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) (4+)

    • (July 1) Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Amityville Horror (1979) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Amityville Horror (2005) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Big Lebowski (1998) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Great Wall (2016) (9+)

    • (July 1) The Meg (2018) (9+)

    • (July 1) The Three Stooges (2012) (6+)

    • (July 1) Taxi! (1932) (6+)

    • (July 1) The Public Enemy (1931) (8+)

    • (July 1) The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) (6+)

    • (July 1) Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) (4+)

    • (July 1) The Kennel Murder Case (1933) (6+)

    • (July 1) Picture Snatcher (1933) (8+)

    • (July 3) Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2024) (8+)

    • (July 4) On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) (10+)
      (July 4) Sinners (2025) (10+)

  • Disney+

  • Prime

    • (July 1) 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) (10+)

    • (July 1) A Bridge Too Far (1977) (12+)

    • (July 1) Baby Boom (1987) (8+)

    • (July 1) Back to School (1986) (10+)

    • (July 1) Bandits (2001) (12+)

    • (July 1) Blue Crush (2002) (10+)

    • (July 1) Creed II (2018) (12+)

    • (July 1) Death Warrant (1990) (12+)

    • (July 1) Double Impact (1991) (12+)

    • (July 1) Duck Soup (1933) (6+)

    • (July 1) Fast & Furious 6 (2013) (10+)

    • (July 1) Fast Five (2011) (10+)

    • (July 1) Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (8+)

    • (July 1) Gladiator (2000) (10+)

    • (July 1) Hidden Figures (2017) (6+)

    • (July 1) How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) (5+)

    • (July 1) It Came From Outer Space (1953) (6+)

    • (July 1) Mad Max (1980) (10+)

    • (July 1) Meet the Fockers (2004) (10+)

    • (July 1) Meet the Parents (2000) (10+)

    • (July 1) Paths of Glory (1957) (10+)

    • (July 1) Robocop (1987) (10+)

    • (July 1) Robocop 2 (1990) (10+)

    • (July 1) Robocop 3 (1993) (10+)

    • (July 1) Rocky (1976) (8+)

    • (July 1) Rocky Balboa (2006) (10+)

    • (July 1) Rocky II (1979) (8+)

    • (July 1) Rocky III (1982) (8+)

    • (July 1) Rocky IV (1985) (8+)

    • (July 1) Rocky V (1990) (8+)

    • (July 1) Saving Private Ryan (1998) (12+)

    • (July 1) Teen Wolf (1985) (7+)

    • (July 1) The Addams Family (2019) (4+)

    • (July 1) The Addams Family 2 (2021) (4+)

    • (July 1) The Bounty Hunter (2010) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Fast and the Furious (2001) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Funhouse (1981) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Great Train Robbery (1979) (7+)

    • (July 1) The Horse Soldiers (1959) (7+)
      (July 1) The Informant! (2009) (10+)

    • (July 1) The Perfect Storm (2000) (10+)

    • (July 1) Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) (10+)

    • (July 1) Windtalkers (2002) (10+)

    • (July 4) Game Night (2018) (10+)

    • (July 11) Better Man (2025) (12+)

  • Peacock

    • Not available by my deadline. Seriously, Peacock, get it together.

In Theaters 📽️

On Disc 📀

  • (July 8) Sinners (2025) (10+)

  • (July 8) The Legend of Ochi (6+)

News You Can Use (and Sometimes Booze)

  • Spaceballs: Dark Helmet returns! Rick Moranis will reprise his role in the long-awaited (probably) sequel Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. Josh Gad will apparently star. So expect an Olaf-like musical number.

  • Scrooge: Director Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) is lending his dark but detailed filmcraft for a new take on A Christmas Carol. I imagine it’ll make the Jim Carrey version as bright and colorful as a Guardians of the Galaxy fight scene.

  • Pixar: The studio announces a return to non-human characters with Gatto. It’ll come out in summer 2027 from Luca director Enrico Casarosa.

  • Bond: Denis Villeneuve, the director of the recent Dune films, will take over the Bond series. Expect a spectacle, but don’t expect it in the next couple of years.

Papa Do Preach!

“I promised I’d never let anything happen to him. But you can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him.”

Marlin, Finding Nemo

Let’s Get Rec’d!

Check my list before you wreck yourself next family film night.

Keepin’ It Real

The Adventures of Milo & Otis (1986) (2+)

Dogs and cats living together? Yes, The Adventures of Milo and Otis will cause mass hysteria in your house. These cute and fuzzy friends will take your young ones on an adventure that’s never too dangerous. But it’s a taste of what it’s like to enjoy getting lost in the world around us. It’s cute and fun and will be a total hit on family film night — even for some older kids.

Secret Sauce

Gay Purr-ee (1962) (3+)

Judy Garland and Robert Goulet deliver mostly decent show tunes in this forgotten gem. Gay Purr-ee won’t change your life but its pleasant animation and easy-to-follow story are excellent introductions for our youngest kiddos. It won’t change their life. But it’s cute.

Surprise — It’s Not Terrible!

Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023) (2+)

This is a new segment made specifically for this movie. Because Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is not as bad as you’d think. The series and 2021 movie are mind-numbing. The Mighty Movie is a step above. There’s a plot. There are character arcs. There are jokes that might even put a smile on your face. And it delivers a nicely packaged theme about overcoming fear. Perfect for timid little sponges who want to share a snuggle with you for an hour and twenty minutes.

Kickin’ It Old School

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) (Fetus+)

This is a sticky-sweet collection of A.A. Milne stories beautifully hand-drawn — some of Disney’s best work from the era. Pooh and his mostly friendly and wholly lovable neighbors wholesomely engage one another in three stories. It’s safe enough for the youngest minds and charming enough for the oldest. And when I say the youngest, I mean it. This is the safest film you can put on for first-time filmgoers.

Too Soon?

The Water Babies (1978) (3+)

What is Disney’s obsession with chimney sweeps? I…wait, this isn’t Disney? It feels like Disney. You know those cockney-filled films where chimney sweeps dance around in soot and sing multi-syllabic gibberish about how great life is. The Water Babies features all of that but also takes us under the sea to deliver a theme of unselfishness via talking and squawking marine life. It’s very Disney and very British.

For Your Eyes Only

What to watch after THEY go to bed.

Fritz the Cat (1972) and Felidae (1993)

I don’t know why animators get all frisky with cats. You don’t see this kind of thing with dogs. I hope. These are two cartoons featuring cats you should absolutely never show the kiddos. Fritz features drugs, sex, and race riots. It’s X-rated and earns the rating. But it’s also a collaboration of incredible talent: Comic artist Robert Crumb and animator Ralph Bakshi. Stream it on MGM+.

Felidae came out two decades later from German filmmaker Michael Schaack. It’s a dark morality tale that’s cute and stylish while featuring graphic violence, cat sex, and autopsies. Something for everyone! Except your kids. To see this one, you’ll need Darkroom — which is worth the $2 price tag for its subversive content.

The Man Behind the Mask

Thanks for reading and subscribing!

I am a former television news journalist who now writes about movies, parenting, and tech online (and occasionally on paper). My number one job, though, is making sure my girls grow up with steady heads on their shoulders. I think our shared movie nights have a positive impact on their self-esteem and develop an awareness of the world around them. I relish every night — except for maybe Baby Geniuses. I got through that one with my good friend George Dickel.

Brendan Knapp