Real talk: If you watch one more episode of Paw Patrol, you’re going to go postal on those cartoon canines. You need a good selection of family movies for toddlers and preschoolers that your kid and you will love. And you need it NOW.
To come up with our list of age-appropriate programming for the under-five set, I used my own experience as a mom of both a toddler and preschooler, as well as tapped my parent network for their opinions—and they had thoughts. “The Land Before Time is *not* a good choice for a 3-year-old,” one mom warned me, detailing how her kid had nightmares about T-Rexes for the next six months after watching it. Because here’s the thing about this particular age group—you may think your kid is super into dinosaurs or sea creatures, but one look at the sharks in Finding Nemo and your toddler is ready to throw his beloved sharkie stuffy into the trash for good.
The fear factor isn't the only consideration worth keeping in mind with this particular cohort—ideally, the movie you put on has some feel-good takeaways, too. You know, nice messages about friendship, teamwork and how to share toys with your sister (OK, that last one may be wishful thinking). And since toddlers and preschoolers don’t exactly have the best attention spans, you need something that will hold their interest long enough for you to put on a load of laundry or start making dinner. Oh, and finally while you want the movie to be engaging, you also don't want it to be overly stimulating. Sounds like a tall order? Keep reading for 32 great flicks that tick all the boxes.
One note about screen time: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends minimizing or eliminating media exposure for children under the age of 18 months. As such, our movie recommendations below start from age 2.
