Movies Kids Should Watch

Jason Keil from Lifehacker writes about the 25 movies every kid should see before age 13. Since my youngest is close to being on the cusp of that cutoff age, I am interested in the list.

There’s no reason adults can’t watch (and love) movies intended to entertain children, but it’s almost inevitable that they will lose a little bit of their magic when not viewed through young eyes—sometimes a sense of childlike wonder is that special sauce that takes a film from good to great.

Most of these are pretty obvious, though Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus was a bit of a surprise. I believe my son has seen a good portion of these films, although The Iron Giant stuck out to me as one he should view at least once. The aesthetics and message of this one are well worth the investment of time.

The Iron Giant (1999)

I have been disappointed to the extent my son chooses to watch people play video games on YouTube over art with narrative and symbolism. I cannot help but think that this will lead to some sort of deficiencies in his understanding of the world. Perhaps he won’t build the empathy necessary to put himself in other’s shoes? Or maybe he won’t see the meaning behind the material things?

These are truly some of my concerns. Of course, it’s part of my job as a parent to make sure my child’s cultural diet is nourishing. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.

culture

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