KidCrunch

Some of the best kids movies of all time were made by Pixar Animation Studios (now owned by Disney.)  On the next rainy weekend, set the kids up with some popcorn and work your way through this list of Pixar’s first 10 feature films:

1. Toy Story (1995|Rated G)  Fantastic kids movie about the life of a boy’s favorite toys, Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
2. A Bug’s Life (1998|Rated G)  Pixar takes us to the miniature world of bugs.
3. Toy Story 2 (1999|Rated G)  The gang saves Woody from the toy museum in this best-ever kids movie sequel.
4. Monsters, Inc. (2001|Rated G) Charming peek into the hidden world of Monstropolis.
5. Finding Nemo (2003|Rated G) Underwater adventures of a young clownfish captured by a scuba-diver.
6. The Incredibles (2004|Rated PG) The incredible (and almost normal) lives of funny superheroes in suburbia.
7. Cars (2006|Rated G) Rookie race car Lightning McQueen on his way to the big race.
8. Ratatouille (2007|Rated G) A young French rat becomes head chef at a Paris restaurant.
9. WALL-E (2008|Rated G) Lonely robot Wall-E finds love and his purpose in life.
10. Up (2009|Rated PG) 78-year-old Carl and young stowaway Russell on an uplifting trip of a lifetime.

Remarkably, there is not a “dud” on the list - Pixar is a perfect 10 for 10.  Next up, Toy Story 3 in 3-D, to be released in June 2010.  If the trailer is any indication, the hit streak is likely to continue.

What are your family’s favorite Pixar movies?  Ask your kids and leave a comment.

Related Posts:

• Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000
• Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies of the 1990s
• Best Sports Movies for Kids

Shop for these Pixar movies and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.

Two star-filled, G-rated Disney movies were released on DVD today:

• Hannah Montana The Movie (Rated G)  Hit Disney film starring Miley Cyrus as herself and her other self, Hannah Montana.  Miley returns to her roots in this wholesome movie with a message about remaining true to your family and friends.  Also includes must-have How to Do the Hoedown Throwdown line dance instructions!
• Pete’s Dragon (Rated G) Another Disney movie with even more star power (in its day) than Hannah Montana.  This often overlooked Disney classic features the talents of Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Jim Backus, Mickey Rooney and even a young Jeff Conaway.  The animation seems a bit primitive by today’s standards, but the live action/cartoon combination was ground-breaking when released in 1977.  A great movie for the whole family, including the grandparents.

Shop for these kids DVDs and other new kids DVD releases at the KidCrunch Store.

Related posts:

• New Kids DVDs:  Super Heroes and Sci-Fi
• Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000
• Best G-Rated Movies of the 1990s

Today’s kids DVD releases:

• Bedtime Stories  Entertaining family film starring Adam Sandler.  We saw this in the theatre and the whole family really enjoyed it.
• Disney released a three-volume collection of its short animated films including Volume 1 Mickey and the Beanstalk, Volume 2 Three Little Pigs and Volume 3 The Prince & the Pauper.
• The Tale of Despereaux  The adventures of a brave and virtuous mouse, based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Kate DiCamillo.

Shop for these new DVD releases and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.

It rained today and our baseball and softball games were cancelled, so the whole family went to see Race to Witch Mountain.  Everyone liked it.  It had some cool special effects, a lot of exciting chase and escape scenes and some funny parts.  It was entertaining enough to keep my interest throughout the movie, though it started to feel a little long towards the end.

There were no really ‘bad’ parts or language.  The PG rating is due to some scary scenes and violence, mostly gunfire and explosions.  My 5 year old daughter (who is tougher than most) really liked the movie, but hugged my arm and hid under her jacket for a few scenes - like when the bad alien’s helmet came off and revealed his gooey head.

I enjoyed the cameo roles of Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann who played Tia and Tony in the original Escape to Witch Mountain in 1975.  These actors appeared in the restaurant scene as the helpful waitress and the police officer.  Many reviews of the 2009 version say it is not as good as the 1975 classic.  I remember that I loved the original as a kid, but I do not remember a lot of the movie or why I liked it so much.  My kids asked which version I liked better.  I ordered the DVD to refresh my memory and to let my kids decide for themselves which is better.

Shop for these and other family movies at the KidCrunch Store.