The summer holidays are here, and with them the dreaded words “I’m bored.” Well, fear not, because we have ten brilliant, creative and engaging summer holiday kids’ movies to keep those words at bay.
1. BUGSY MALONE (1976)
Alan Parker’s gloriously unique kids’ mobster musical is a timeless joy, full to the brim with splurge guns, cream pies, art deco sets, and toe-tapping musical numbers from the legendary Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie).
In Parker’s pre-pubescent gangster world, adults are kept at bay even though they sing every classic song in the Bugsy repertoire. In late-20s New York City, we follow Bugsy (Scott Baio) through a gangland feud as his loyalties are torn between impressing the city newcomer, Blousey Brown (Florence Garland), and protecting the business interests of Fat Sam.
Unlike anything before or since, Bugsy Malone is delightfully cheesy, deliciously mad and undeniably brilliant. Here, Alan Parker pays homage to classic gangster movies through a child’s eyes, offering a musical like no other. So get down to Fat Sam’s, where you’ll always find a table, and there’s always room for just one more.
2. THE LION KING (1994)
The first Disney animated feature, not based on an existing book or fairy tale, The Lion King, roared into cinemas in 1994 and helped Disney find its voice again. Drawing on elements of the classic coming-of-age story and weaving them into Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Lion King remains one of the bravest and boldest Disney films ever. Add the music of Tim Rice, Elton John, and Hans Zimmer, and the voice talent of James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and it becomes possibly the greatest Disney film ever made.
3. THE ROCKETEER (1991)
Created by comic book writer and artist Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer debuted in comic stores in 1982, offering readers a blend of serial adventure and Indiana Jones-inspired action. However, despite its comic-book success, few people saw The Rocketeer in theatres, as the troubled Disney production nose-dived when it should have soared.
Joe Johnson’s movie would inhabit a world similar to that of Raiders of the Lost Ark, as the audience would be bathed in 1930s action and adventure reminiscent of the Saturday-afternoon serials that drew young crowds into the Picture Palaces of old. Like those old Palaces, it’s a film that shines with Art Deco beauty, offering a spectacular action sequence akin to modern Marvel hits like Captain America: The First Avenger. The action sequences are full of suspense and wit, and the performances are sublime, from Timothy Dalton’s dastardly Neville Sinclair to Billy Campbell’s all-action matinee hero Cliff and Terry O’Quinn’s slick Howard Hughes.
Thankfully, in the years since its release, The Rocketeer has found a dedicated fan base; it’s just a pity that so many never got to experience it on the big screen.
4. TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES (2018)
Poor Robin is always in the shadow of Batman’s cape, with his juvenile crime-fighting never enough to secure his own movie franchise. But at least he has the Teen Titans at his side, even if they are also relegated to the sidelines by the famous Justice League.
Starting its life on TV, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies saw our favourite dysfunctional teen heroes arrive on the big screen in 2018, embracing their debut with irreverent humour, colour and more than a dose of anti-Justice League fervour. The result was an entertaining and engaging film full of gags transcending age boundaries, from the tongue-in-cheek humour aimed squarely at the DC Comics Universe to pop culture references and Looney Tunes-inspired mayhem. So grab the popcorn, turn down the lights, and settle in for Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, it’s a wild, loud, and fun trip into the lighter side of DC.
5. WOLFWALKERS (2020)
The year is 1650, and the place is Kilkenny, Ireland. Oliver Cromwell’s puritanical and violent subjugation of the Irish people is underway as colonial English forces establish new towns by carving away swathes of ancient woodland. Bill (Sean Bean), a robust, northern English man, has been dispatched to Kilkenny with his young daughter, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), to rid the woods of the native Irish wolf. However, deep in the forest, an ancient magic survives in the form of a mother and her young daughter.
From the Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon, the creative force behind The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner, Wolfwalkers is a beautiful, engaging and thoughtful journey into folklore and fantasy. Here, the animation is a living and breathing watercolour that lights up the screen, bathing us in its artistic brilliance.
Wolfwalkers explores diversity, humanity, friendship, and acceptance, but it also addresses the darkest periods of Irish history, including Cromwell’s efforts to strip Ireland of its culture and identity. It is an animated masterpiece full of charm, heart and artistic wonder.
6. MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND (1996)
Following the model established in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Brian Henson’s second feature would draw inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson rather than Charles Dickens. However, unlike The Christmas Carol, Treasure Island would steer a more comedic course. The result was a wild Muppet adventure, where Tim Curry stole the show as Long John Silver alongside a young Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins. However, the fact that Muppet Treasure Island is remembered more for Curry than Kermit would lead to unfair criticism of the final film.
Muppet Treasure Island is a beautifully crafted film that builds on the emerging confidence of Brian Henson’s pre-Disney buy-out studio, while returning to a Muppet Show-inspired style of comedy. So, lay anchor and grab the popcorn because you won’t find a better summer holiday kids’ movie.
7. NOW AND THEN (1995)
On the release of Now and Then in 1995, critics drew comparisons between Stand By Me and Lesli Linka Glatter’s coming-of-age tale starring Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson, Devon Sawa, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffmann and Ashleigh Aston Moore. These comparisons would see many critics of the day criticise Glatter’s film as a poor imitation of Stand by Me. Yet, despite a lacklustre box-office haul, Now and Then would find success on VHS, DVD, and TV as a must-see sleepover movie for an entire generation.
You may therefore find yourself asking why Now and Then has all but vanished in the United Kingdom and is near impossible to find, despite its stellar cast and a screenwriter who would go on to create Pretty Little Liars. The answer remains shrouded in mystery, but what’s clear is that Now and Then is a cracking summer holiday kids’ movie long overdue for a digital release.
8. SPIDER-MAN (2002)
Hands up if you owned a pair of Spider-Man pyjamas as a kid and climbed across the top of the sofa pretending to be on a high-rise building. Just me? Of course not. Out of all the characters created by Stan Lee, Spider-Man is the one everyone wants to be, and in 2002, after much delay, he finally arrived on our cinema screens thanks to Sam Raimi.
The roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man would sit safely in the hands of Tobey Maguire for two more films following his amazing arrival, with Spider-Man 2 possibly being one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Without Spider-Man in 2002, there wouldn’t have been a Marvel Cinematic Universe.
9. JURASSIC PARK (1993)
Every kid has been obsessed with dinosaurs at some point in their childhood. These hulking beasts, who once ruled the Earth, may be long dead, but they are certainly not forgotten. In 1993, Steven Spielberg was to bring them back using state-of-the-art digital effects that had never been seen before. Jurassic Park wasn’t just a summer blockbuster built on the same media campaign used by Spielberg in Jaws; it was a cinematic event of colossal proportions that heralded a new age of digital movie-making, thunderous sound, and gargantuan box-office receipts.
10. MY GIRL (1991)
Now often overlooked, Howard Zieff’s poignant coming-of-age drama My Girl remains a stunning exploration of death, grief, and the pain of childhood bereavement. Films exploring these themes set during early adolescence remain rare, and while many coming-of-age movies include death as a narrative device, few place grief at the centre of the story.
My Girl, like A Monster Calls and Kindling, has the confidence to place death front and centre while exploring friendship and coming-of-age themes as we join Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky), her dad Harry (Dan Aykroyd) and her new friend Thomas (Macaulay Culkin) during a ‘70s summer of change and transformation.
My Girl perfectly captures the complexities of the coming-of-age process through Vada’s exploration of her identity and the loss of a friend who, like her, sat on the fringes of school life. Here, the film’s exploration of self-discovery, first love, and loss tugs at the heartstrings without manipulating its audience. My Girl remains one of the best kids’ movies of the early 1990s and a testament to cinema’s power to help kids explore grief.
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