What film for a two year old?

Lil Grips (actually 22mo) really likes Monsters Inc and will sit through the entire thing, but not any of the other animated films we have. We think it’s because there’s lots of action from the start and there’s always lots of cuddly fun creatures on screen even during the dialog, and the ratio of dialog to action is quite favourable.

Several other films we tried didn’t work at all. I thought Ratatouille might be good, with the fun rats messing about and stuff, but after watching it through her eyes there’s just too much talk and not enough action. Likewise Cars and Up (thought that would be fun with the birds and dogs, but no).

So what else can you suggest?

man bites dog

horton hears a who

tiggers great adventure

schindlers list (as told by dr seuz)

None – plenty of studies are showing that TV is bad for two and unders. Read a book instead and save the films for later…

NOT Pierre Paolo Passolini’s ‘Salo o le 120 giornate di Sodoma’. 😯

Wait until they’re at least 3, for that one.

Ours liked Wall-E (19 months when they ‘watched’ it) ((ie, it was on and they were briefly captivated by it)).

Today though they mostly liked watching the lambs that have just been introduced to the field next to our house 🙂

101 Dalmations (Disney cartoon one)
Shrek
The Wiggles
Singing Kettle (not movies per se, but…)

All are favourites with Thud (2 1/2)
2

My 3 1’2 year old just saw Tangled, and loved it. Lots of singing and action, she has been Rapunzel obsessed ever since..

None – plenty of studies are showing that TV is bad for two and unders. Read a book instead and save the films for later…

Our study suggests that for this little one the TV she watches in the way she watches it is not bad for her.

In any case I am asking about films not TV.

And thanks for the tip, we do read lots of books. She’s been ‘reading’ herself since about 6mo.

Wall-E – of course, good idea.

+1 for Wall-E. My 2yo and 4yo love it, although Octonauts on CBeebies is their current fave.

Toy Story?

My 2 yo is getting into Star Wars. He wants a pink lightsabre

TV, It’s the 3rd parent in my house

Ponyo and My Neighbour Totoro are both popular films in our house. Also the Wallace and Gromit shorts.

None – plenty of studies are showing that TV is bad for two and unders. Read a book instead and save the films for later…

Any studies into brain deterioration in parents forced to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar five-hundred times in quick succession? Because I swear I’ve got measurably thicker as a result of that damn book…

There’s only a couple of feature lengths, but you can’t beat a bit of the Backyardigans imo.
Great music and a good breadth of stories- worth chasing down the dvds.

How about Madagascar or Ice Age – would the combination of cuddly furballs and slapstick appeal to Lil Grips? Personally, I can’t sit through the squirrel piece in Ice Age without wetting myself at his little facial expressions…

5 children and IT

actually maybe not, i think one of the kids gets eaten….

not a movie but my 22mo loves bear in the big blue house…sky+ it off disney channel

Ice age.. yeah perhaps.. Annoys me a lot tho but yeah it’s a possibility.

Toy Story – we watched TS3 and she sort of liked it. Didn’t sit through the whole thing but did keep coming back to watch some more.

Madagasgar – haven’t tried.

Wallace and Grommit is a fine suggestion though, she is even more obsessed with Shaun the Sheep than she is with Monsters Inc.

i have 23 month old boy and a just turned 3 year old girl

Both love toy story trilogy and Shrek 1,2 and 4. They seem to enjoy Ice age I’ve never seen it but they laugh from the back of the car.

There is a Japanese film called Ponyo which they both really like.

The girl is now getting into classic Disney films with princess in them. Though i find them really repative

Totoro!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Neighbor_Totoro

My kids love it.

Kiki’s delivery service isn’t bad either. But that one above is a most excellent film.

Oh yeah, Ponyo, good too! Same basic genre and I think from the same studio.

In any case I am asking about films not TV

Sorry, I didn’t know you were talking about cinema – Tangled or Gnomeo and Juliet would fit the bill.

…but seriously, it’s the frame rate and speed of movement that is thought to have an adverse effect on the developing brain (as well as advertising). Ours love old school stuff like Mr Ben, The Clangers and Mary Mungo and Midge. They are so much slower than the modern stuff.

random references included in link

My 2 YO can’t get enough of Alvin and the Chipmunks. I thought this would be a little grown up for him but the amount he laughs at the “munks” says otherwise. Plenty of music and slap-stick from the start. Ice Age is another favourite, as is the first 10 minutes of Shrek.

Desperate to find something new to throw in the mix for my own entertainment/sanity!

I’d never attempt to stick a kid infront of a DVD at such a young age.

Bee Movie or rather strangely…Mamma Mia!

I’d never attempt to stick a kid infront of a DVD at such a young age.

No? Why not?

PS we don’t restrain her or anything. She actually watches monsters of her own volition. Asks for it too.

random references included in link

Seen that kind of thing before. Correlation, yes. Causal link – seems far fetched to me. As in, there are lots of other factors that could influence both TV time and school performance.

Toy Story.

Ours love it.

Finding Nemo was an early favourite here, and Cars, Bugs Life and the film length features from Thomas, Bob the Builder etc…

I’ve found that if a kids film is in the Radio Times and gets 1 star then my kids will love it, the live action Thomas film is a great example.

And Toy Story of course!

PS at what age did people let their kids see Star Wars (the original) for the first time? It’s quite dark and people die etc etc…

“I’d never attempt to stick a kid infront of a DVD at such a young age.”

Do you have kids? When you are absolutely broken you need that 3rd parent – especially if you don’t hav help around.

My daughter loves snow White and Cinderella. I like them now too. Then at bed time she reads the story too.

But she has got a bike so it’s not all bad!

trainspotting.

..but seriously, it’s the frame rate and speed of movement that is thought to have an adverse effect on the developing brain

Perhaps, but have you seen CBeebies? It’s mostly very placid stuff, esp the younger kids shows. Especially the “camera” work.

Do you have kids?

Ha ha… Yes!

When you are absolutely broken you need that 3rd parent – especially if you don’t hav help around.

No I don’t! I’m actually a single parent and if I can entertain a toddler just fine (along with a further 5 kids) without the need for a TV/DVD whether I’m broken or not, so can you!

That’s great gw. Do you have 5 kids (?) and they wake at night then you have to go to work ? If you do, hats off!

BEE MOVIE

No, they don’t often wake at night. Yes, I get up and work 5 (long) days a week, and at the weekends I can still manage very basic arithmetic 🙄 maybe you should have taken your hat off a while ago?
😛

Ice Age Trilogy, Cars, How to train your dragon, Up, Lion King, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story Trilogy. And my lots personal favourites – Nature programmes.

No, they don’t often wake at night. Yes, I get up and work 5 (long) days a week, and at the weekends I can still manage very basic arithmetic maybe you should have taken your hat off a while ago?

What do they do while you’re working long hours?

they’re either at School or with me. 😉

Lol. 6 kids it is then. If you do that all on your own and they are all young so you have to supervise them (i.e. there are no older ones) at the weekend while you work with no help that is genuinely impressive.

I feel like a bad parent

I suspect that there is more to GW’s story than he is letting on.