Handpicked by Our Editors

Matilda
Age 8+
5

Matilda

Why We Recommend It

Clever Matilda handles bullying kids and berating adults with fantastical solutions that bend slightly dark and surreal.

Read our full review
Are your kids looking for children's movies that are a bit more "grown up?"

Movie ratings don't always help you find good family movies. We assume that a G or PG movie rating means a movie is appropriate. But kids this age are changing rapidly socially and emotionally and can be very impressionable and vulnerable.

It's important to choose movies that aren't scary and that have good role models, because your kids will imitate what they see.

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Movies New in Theaters for Kids (ages 5-8)

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We have no movies new in theaters for [Movies][5-8][drama]. Would you like to see if there are movies new in theaters for 2-4 year olds or 9-11 year olds?

New on DVD for Kids (ages 5-8)

showing: drama
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Spectacular! (2009, Rated NR)
Parents Need to Know...

that this tween-targeted musical offers positive messages about self confidence, self expression, and finding friendship and inspiration in unlikely places. The main character evolves from self-absorbed rebel to a (mostly) reliable team ... read more

Age 8+
Spectacular!
3
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The Velveteen Rabbit (2009, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that although this engaging live-action/animated feature (based on the classic children's book) deals with some themes -- like neglect and death -- that may need explaining, it does so in a way that's gentle enough for young viewers. ... read more

Age 5+
The Velveteen Rabbit
3
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Christmas Caper (2008, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that the main character in this made-for-TV movie is a professional thief who's hiding out from the cops after her latest crime goes awry. She's hardly a positive role model for the niece and nephew left in her charge, encouraging the ... read more

Age 8+
Christmas Caper
3
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Schoolhouse Rock! The Election Collection (2008, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that this series of animated songs are reliquaries of a more innocent time. Many parents (especially the Gen X'ers) will remember these songs fondly, for they take patriotic themes celebrated during the bicentennial year and put a groovy ... read more

Age 5+
Schoolhouse Rock! The Election Collection
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The Final Season (2008, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that even though this is rated PG, there's some inappropriate content for the movie's target market -- 8-10-year-olds. One of the movie's central characters, high school student Mitch, acts out because of his mother's recent death. He ... read more

Age 8+
The Final Season
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Flight 29 Down: The Hotel Tango (2008, Rated NR)
Parents Need to Know...

that this made-for-TV movie -- which features High School Musical co-star Corbin Bleu -- wraps up the tween-targeted series Flight 29 Down. It would be helpful to newcomers to see previous episodes before watching this movie, since ... read more

Age 8+
Flight 29 Down: The Hotel Tango
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Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that one of the main characters in this made-for-TV movie is a tween who's rude to adults and his teen mentor throughout most of the story -- but he eventually shapes up and comes to respect them. Peer pressure is a dominant theme, with a ... read more

Age 7+
Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board
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Believe in Me (2007, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is one of the few films in the "inspiring sports drama" genre that deals with female athletes. Battling the sexist double standard that girls' teams don't matter as much as boys' is the movie's central theme. Based on a true ... read more

Age 8+
Believe in Me
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The Astronaut Farmer (2007, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is an uplifting family-friendly fantasy populated by realistic characters and settings. Younger kids might need some context to understand emotional scenes involving a grandfather's death and a rocket crashing. A character ... read more

Age 8+
The Astronaut Farmer
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Pride (2007, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this fact-based drama deals with racism head-on from its very first scene, in which Terrence Howard's character, Jim Ellis, is the only African American at a swim meet in 1960s North Carolina. A scuffle breaks out, and he ends up ... read more

Age 8+
Pride
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One Night with the King (2007, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a well-crafted epic that remains true to the biblical story of Esther. Some characters plot, scheme, kill, and steal, but there's not much sexual content, and the violence is limited to some stabbings (very little blood is ... read more

Age 8+
One Night with the King
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Akeelah and the Bee (2006, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that the movie includes mild language (the s-word) and early on, some "attitude" from the young girl at its center. But her "ghetto" vernacular is a show to try to "fit in," a thematic concern throughout the film, for the girl and adults ... read more

Age 8+
Akeelah and the Bee
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The Greatest Game Ever Played (2006, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this movie features sustained and occasionally eruptive family tensions (father doesn't want son to play golf). Characters smoke (cigars, pipes, and cigarettes) and drink (the working class drinkers are especially rowdy in a pub ... read more

Age 8+
The Greatest Game Ever Played
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Miracle (2004, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this movie has brief strong language and some intense sports scenes. There is a discussion of a team member's loss of a parent. Some younger viewers may be uncomfortable with the pressure Brooks puts on the team and his dismissal of ... read more

Age 7+
Miracle
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587: The Great Train Robbery (2004, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that this amusing movie has a little bit of danger, and issues well-worth discussing with kids about making decisions, but there's nothing to worry about. read more

Age 6+
587: The Great Train Robbery
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Iron Will (2003, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that this snowy coming-of-age film shows the teen hero confronting dangerous obstacles on the way to accomplishing his dream. While the heartwarming theme is excellent, sensitive children should be shielded from this film. In it, Will's ... read more

Age 8+
Iron Will
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Heidi (1993) (2003, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that the very young may find a few scenes emotionally intense. Kids will see Heidi left with a gruff grandfather who says he doesn't want her. And she'll see her grandmother waste away and die. Originally shown in two parts, the nearly ... read more

Age 6+
Heidi (1993)
5
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The Rookie (2002, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that although this movie is rated G, it will not be of much interest to younger kids. And some children might be upset by the scenes of Morris with his father, who is cold and unsympathetic, or by the financial problems faced by the ... read more

Age 7+
The Rookie
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1776 (2002, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that this musical history lesson, while rated G, still brings up slavery and shows the founding fathers as inspirational but still flawed individuals. read more

Age 8+
1776
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Searching for Bobby Fischer (2002, Rated PG)
Parents Need to Know...

that at the core of this story is a valuable lesson about sportsmanship. Children in the 6-8 age bracket will enjoy seeing someone their own age intelligently portrayed, even if they don't quite grasp his particular gift or the situations ... read more

Age 7+
Searching for Bobby Fischer
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Swiss Family Robinson (2002, Rated G)
Parents Need to Know...

that pirates attack and threaten; the Robinsons fight back with a variety of homemade weapons. Although there's no bloodshed, the violence looks real. The pirates that attack the family are subject to some now-dated Asian stereotypes. read more

Age 8+
Swiss Family Robinson
4
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