Ten films for kids and adults

Clearly we have to leave our own tastes aside when watching a film with the kids. Sometimes it pans out well; other times, less so. I recall a cinema visit in 2003 with my then nine-year-old son. We’d gone to see The Hulk – his choice – a film so tedious I had to chew my arm off at the elbow, leaving my hand reassuringly in the popcorn while I made my escape under the seats under cover of darkness.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are films ideal for all ages, and here, in mere alphabetical order, are ten of the best.

Cool Runnings (1993)

The true-ish story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team’s entry into the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, Jamaica not being a country noted for its snowy peaks. John Candy plays the coach, working against the odds and his own human failings. There are plenty of laughs plus ramped-up tension (in real-life, the Jamaican team crashed before the finals and were disqualified) make this a joy to watch.

The Incredibles (2004)

This was an Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature as well as Best Sound Editing (for those who care about that sort of thing). It’s the story of an ordinary-looking family with extraordinary powers, embarking on a Bond-esque adventure. Pixar, who produced four of the ten listed here, has an innate knack of catering for both sprog and adult, with the vibrancy of the animation, action that bowls along, and humour that appeals on several levels, from knockabout to nerdy references for the film buff.

The Iron Giant (1999)

I will not lie: I wept buckets – during a cartoon – sitting beside my then five-year-old son, who was more into the coolness of our titular hero. A young boy, Hogarth, befriends a giant robot at the height of the Cold War. When the US Army learns of the Iron Giant’s existence, the man versus machine roles become reversed as the robot exhibits the humanity the generals sorely lack. (I’ve just spotted that Vin Diesel voiced the robot, but don’t let that put you off.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl (2003)

This is seriously lengthy, at 143 minutes, but the action simply pulls you along as the time vanishes (the same cannot be said of sequels two and three, which drag like soggy bell-bottoms). Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush may co-star, but the show is stolen squarely by the comic turn of Johnny Depp playing Keith Richards playing the pirate captain, Jack Sparrow. Great gags, fabulous swashbuckling and an opening sequence to die for. Enormous fun.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Any student of film will tell you that William Goldman provided the script (from his own novel) for this timeless fantasy adventure. They may even know that it was directed by Spinal Tap’s Rob Reiner, and includes among its cast that film’s spandex guitarist, Christopher Guest. But only the serious film nerds may cite its place (number 46) in Channel 4’s 50 Greatest Comedy Films. (Boys may be put off by the words ‘Princess’ and ‘Bride’ in the title: assure them there’s fighting in it too.)

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

If in doubt, reach for The Simpsons. My two-year-old loves it for the colours – “Yay, Simpsons!” she cries, the moment the theme tune strikes up. My 16-year-old loves it for the humour, and I love it for both those elements, plus the fact that it keeps everyone happy. The movie plot involves President Schwarzenegger ordering a glass dome to be built over Springfield, to contain all the town’s pollution. Only Homer can save the day. Co-stars Spider Pig.

Spirited Away (2001)

The Oscar-winning, highest-grossing film in Japanese cinema history, also among the British Film Institute’s top ten films you should see by the age of 14 (as is Toy Story). This animated film is directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki  – his Howl’s Moving Castle is another must-see – and tells the story of a ten-year-old girl, Chihiro. She is spirited away into a fantastical land of ghosts and monsters, where she must save her parents from a witch’s curse. Ravishing, beguiling and utterly wonderful.

Toy Story (1995)

You’ve probably seen it – if not, do so instantly – but no list could claim to offer a Best Of without including this Pixar classic. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen voice Woody and Buzz Lightyear, talking cowboy doll and space-ranger action figure, treasured toys of their master, Andy. Will Buzz replace Woody in Andy’s affections, and can they escape the clutches of next door’s brat, Sid? It’s practically flawless, and the sequels are just as good.

Up (2009)

Another one that involved me weeping copiously – and I’d had to be cajoled into watching it. Pixar’s Up was an Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature and only the second animation to be Oscar-nominated for Best Picture itself. It tells the story of a widowed old gentleman who turns his house into an aircraft using helium balloons. He flies to the remote Paradise Falls – a dream of his late wife’s – in the company of a young wilderness scout and a dog. Way, way more moving than that makes it sound.

WALL-E (2008)

Last of the Pixar quartet, and an Oscar-winner for Best Animated Feature. WALL-E is a litter-collecting robot working alone on a future, litter-strewn future earth, whose only friend is a pet cockroach named Hal. EVE the robot appears, WALL-E falls in unrequited love and the future of humanity ends up in his… well, shovels. Time magazine placed it at number one in its movies of the decade, back in the distant noughties.