You Don’t Have To Watch Frozen And Other Princess Movies On Repeat!
Dads of little girls are cursed to endure watching every animated princess movie there is in the world. But daddies, you can still change your plight! Below are eight great non-princess films that my little girls love, movies that are fantastic alternatives to watching Frozen or other princess pictures on repeat.
We, boys, are highly overpowered by the girls in my home. There are three of them while there are only two of us (my eldest and me). So, we always have to give way to the two little girls (and the mom on some occasions) come movie time.
But family movie viewing moments don’t have to be restricted to whatever princess or Barbie movies are out there (as even my wife is saying she couldn’t endure another hour watching Frozen!). Below are the ten non-princess (including the live-action ones) and non-Barbie films we – including our girls – enjoy watching at home.
How To Train Your Dragon (1 And 2)
I don’t mind watching these animated film series on repeat. The first movie dealt with father issues that I find myself relating to. The second film had my wife crying in secret (she raved about how hateful Stoick was in the first movie but grieved over his death in the second one). And all my kids (especially my son) all love the different dragons and their equally differing characteristics. We even went on to watch HTTYD’s series episodes.
Big Hero Six
Who wouldn’t love Baymax and his endearing robot-voice saying “Ba-la-la-la-la-la-la” (yes, I counted that)? And a movie about a cute robot fighting bad guys is a hit with both boys and girls.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (Vols. 1 And 2)
I’m nurturing future science geeks at home. I’m a sci-fi aficionado myself, and I think I’m rubbing off my movie preferences to my kids. Just be prepared to answer very probing and inquisition-like questions when watching these installments like how come a raccoon talk or is there a genuinely blue and bald girl (or a green one) in real life or even why Star Lord’s father was the bad guy.
Also, you have to watch out for questionable vocabularies (translation: bad words) with these movies.
Toy Story (The Whole Series Is Great, But We Prefer The Third One)
The third installment of the Toy Story franchise is the best, and everyone in my home agrees. There’s something bittersweet about being toys of grownups and having a kid play with you again (if you’re the toy) after years of “neglect.”
The movie has two lead human characters (grown-up Andy and a little girl) which effectively silences the “equal gender representation in movies” debate my kids continuously have. Yes, they fight over who gets the most films – girls or boys.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
This one was both a father-son and a father-daughter movie. I was a bit misty-eyed in the end when Carina realized Hector was her father right before he plunged into the deep waters. It’s a movie with feisty female leads, funny lines, and pirates so, all the members of the family are appeased.
Be aware; there’s a bit of kissing in the end. Better watch out for that.
Penguins Of Madagascar
This movie is downright funny – all hilarious lines and “verb-ing” Hollywood stars’ names. I like this one better than the franchise its characters originally came from, Madagascar.
Moana
Okay, I said no princess movies, but arguably, this is one. However, Moanais far removed from the Disney princess films in the past. And my kids (including my son) loved this one compared to Brave(though I’m not saying the former is better than the latter).
The songs are fantastic additions, too. My children memorized the whole movie’s soundtrack from watching it on repeat for the next two months; their favorite being We Know The Way.
Power Rangers
Despite its meager viewers’ ratings, this is a household favorite. The movie might be a bit slow in the beginning but the fight scenes and the giant robots in the end made up for these. Although, for someone who grew up in the 90s and the early 2000s, I can say that nothing beats the original.
Be aware: some scenes in the movie (especially the ones with the antagonist Rita Repulsa) might be scary for little children.
If you want to find more movie selections for kids, check them out here: https://www.familyhype.com/children/childrens-products/toys/stuffed-animals/the-best-giant-stuffed-animals-for-cheap.html. If you also have some movies in mind, tell me by sounding off below!
- Contributor: A Movie Buff Father Of Three Who Thinks He’s Someone Cool