Favorite Movies and TV Shows

Toddlers and Preschoolers
Written By Sophie Smith

Below are my personal recommendations  - the “Embrace” section are options where you should feel zero hesitation, while “Consider” are also beloved in our fam, but require more parental judgment as to whether they are right for your child. Every child has their own interests and sensitivities, so definitely “co-view” (i.e. watch together) in the beginning to ensure it’s appropriate. 

For guidance on how to approach screen time limits and best practices, visit my Screen Time page. For more age-based content recs, check out the lists on Common Sense Media.

Embrace:

Toddler (2-3)

  • Bluey - sweet while still being funny. Full of poignant moments and even parenting ideas!

  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - sweet and slower pace

  • Mr Roger’s Neighborhood - doesn’t get more wholesome than this

  • Sesame Street - might even learn something, according to the research!

Preschooler (4-5)

  • Ponyo (find the English version) - Miyazaki film (same director as Spirited Away) you’ll want to watch with your child. Spectacular animation and storyline. We loved this one so much we bought a pet fish who we named Ponyo.

  • Encanto & Moana - Lin Manual Miranda lyrics, beautiful messages, strong, non-princessy female leads

  • Toy Story - the GOAT, great for boys and girls; also one of the rare instances where the sequels retain the quality


Consider:

Toddler (2-3)

  • Curious George - encourages curiosity, but also a bit of mischief 

  • Madeline - opportunity to build off the books (which we adore). Other great books with companion TV series are “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “Frog and Toad”

  • Mickey Mouse

    • Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is the modern version most kids watch and it’s fine, tries to be educational

    • Personally, I enjoy watching the really old shorts from the 1940s (e.g. The Little Whirlwind, Mickey’s Birthday Party, Trick or Treat, etc). It’s cool for the adults to admire the hand-animation!

Preschooler (4-5)

TV Shows:

  • Spidey and his Amazing Friends - these are pretty fast paced and stimulating, but have provided so much fun fodder for play (this hilarious takedown of Spidey and Disney Junior is worth a read)

  • Fancy Nancy: nice for expanding vocab since the whole shtick is she likes to use “fancy” words

  • Elena of Avalor and Sofia the First: strong, spunky princess shows

Do it for the nostalgia (and great music, too!), if you can look past the old-fashioned gender roles

  • Snow White & Sleeping Beauty - two of the oldest Disney movies with much slower pacing and gorgeous classical music throughout

  • Mary Poppins - the first 20 minutes are boring for young kids so consider skipping, but then the classic songs and magical moments begin!

  • Wizard of Oz - similarly slow in the beginning (black and white section in Kansas) so might fast-forward to Munchkinland. Wicked Witch and Oz can be a bit scary, but the rest is golden. We loved reading this book version.

  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - some absolutely delightful songs, especially fun if you have a car-obsessed kid

Do it for the tunes, but maybe skip the scary parts: 

  • Beauty & the Beast*: “Be Our Guest”, “Tale as Old as Time” - need I say more?!

  • Aladdin*: my childhood fave (fun fact: for one of my early birthdays, my mom hand-drew a “pin the belly button on Jasmine” game)

  • Little Mermaid*: amazing songs, remember “Part of their World”, “Under the Sea”, “Kiss the Girl”

  • Lion King: make sure you’re prepared to maybe discuss Mufasa’s death, or skip that part

  • Coco: may also lead to important convos about death and ancestors

  • Mulan: some scary battle scenes, but banger songs (lyrics are mostly over their heads)

  • Frozen (Frozen 2 is also fantastic): beware, this may send you on months-long Elsa/Ana obsessions

  • Hercules: very underrated, IMO!

*With these classic princess movies, many parents are understandably concerned about gender stereotypes and body image. But there is reassuring research here!

  • In a study of preschool-aged children, watching Disney princess movies was associated with more female stereotypical behavior a year later, but had no impact on body image (parental body esteem, other the other hand, was highly predictive of child body esteem)

  • In a follow-up study of the same cohort years later, the researchers found that those who had early engagement with “princess culture” actually had more egalitarian gender attitudes and similar or better body esteem in early adolescence. Their theory is that these movies really put the female protagonist front and center, which sends an important message.

Avoid: 

  • Cocomelon - hyperstimulating, mindless slop

  • Peppa Pig - whiny characters and annoying snorts

Sophie Smith
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