What We Watched on Disney + in April
I think we can all admit that our kids are watching more TV than what we once considered normal. Which has my kids getting through seasons of shows quickly. Finding more shows that they’ll like can be daunting, there’s so much to choose from. So to help you and yours find content that those littles will sit and enjoy, I compiled a list of the shows that we’ve been watching over the month of April. Our kids are 1, 5 and 7. The shows we choose from have a Y rating or Y7 rating. Each day the kids watch a TV show while I get some house cleaning done in the afternoon. On Mondays and Tuesday they much choose a show they all want to watch, on Wednesdays our son gets to pick the show and on Thursdays our daughter gets to pick a show. This has created a bit of a variety and makes everyone feel heard.
Kids TV Shows
Clone Wars
We are big Star Wars fans at this house. The kids have grown up with the stories, having plenty of books that introduced them to the characters at an early age. The Clone Wars is a TV show that tells tales of the adventures of the Jedi during the time between Episode II and Episode III. With lots of battle scenes this show can be a little dark for younger viewers but our kids love it. And typically watch with a pretend lightsaber or blaster to get the bad guys.
*Clone Wars is currently Lincoln’s favourite.*
Lion Guard
This show is rated Y, making it an easy choice for the whole family. The show involves Simba’s son Kion and his friends keeping the Pride Lands safe from harm. The cast is filled with different animals and genders, making a neutral choice. There’s often an appearance by old favourites, Rafiki, Timon and Pumba. Our kids are currently nearing the end of the 2nd season. This show has at least one song during each episode. There are bad guys, including hyenas and crocodiles.
*Lion Guard is currently MacKenzie’s favourite.*
Little Mermaid
The kids have only watched one of these episodes. This show is from the early 90s, I can remember watching it as a child. The show is rated Y7, so there’s sometimes darker storylines. There are often songs over the course of the show and the voices used include the original talent from The Little Mermaid film.
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
We started throwing this show into the mix to give our youngest something to enjoy. He doesn’t sit through the whole show but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t enjoy the little he does watch. Even though it was Winnie the Pooh the kids enjoyed it more than they expected. But they say they would choose their many other options before picking Winnie the Pooh. So I don’t think we’ll be watching this again. I’ll try Mickey Mouse Clubhouse next.
Muppet Babies
This was one of Lincoln’s choices. It’s a show they’ve watched on and off over the last couple years. The shows feature the Muppet characters as youngsters and under the care of the Ms Nanny. Each episode includes two short stories, keeping the attention of even the youngest viewer. They use their imagination to go to all kinds of magical places. Our daughter MacKenzie has become less fond of the show over the last number of months, claiming she is too old for the content. It’s rated Y.
Sofia the First
Sofia the First has always been one of my favourites to watch with MacKenzie. Sofia the First is a new princess, becoming crowned after her mother marries the king. She’s learning to become a princess and how to meld the two parts of her life together. The shows have music in each episode. There are 4 seasons and the show is rated Y.
Disney LEGO Frozen Northern Lights
These are short little episodes of your favourite Frozen characters. The episodes are only 8 minutes and tell the tale of Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristof and Sven searching for the Northern Lights. The show is all done in Lego people and pieces, similar to the Lego movies. It’s very humorous for both adults and children. It’s a fun lighthearted thing to throw on at the end of the day.
Family Movie Afternoon
Each Friday, as a treat for making it through another week during these uncertain times, we take a break from it all by watching a movie all together. It’s a movie of my choice. I’ve been choosing from very old films that I’ve always wanted to watch and never had access to, and movies I’ve loved and couldn’t wait to share with the kids. We’re on a rotation of watching a musical one week and a non-musical the next. And of course, these movies have to be accompanied by popcorn. It makes for the perfect way to end off the week. Here’s what we watch in the month of April.
Escape to Witch Mountain
Escape to Witch Mountain was released in 1975. I was not familiar with the movie but it popped up as a suggestion to watch once we finished Apple Dumpling Gang. When I saw that it was rated G and realized the main characters were a brother and sister I thought it would be a good fit for our clan. I was right. The movie is about two children who work together to return to their family after years apart. They have magical powers but what makes the movie spectacular is the relationship these children share. I would strongly recommend this as a watch for kids elementary school aged. Our kids give it a thumbs up.
Once Upon a Mattress
This was a Wonderful World of Disney TV movie. It was filmed in 2005. Once Upon a Mattress is a musical based on the Princess and the Pea, it features Carole Burnett, Matthew Morrison and Zooey Deschanael. There’s lots of music, dancing and great costumes. It wasn’t quite what I had expected, the content was a little riskay but it went over the kids heads. This film is rated PG.
Flubber
Flubber stars Robin Williams in the height of his career. I can remember going to this film as a child and was excited to watch it with the kids. Especially Lincoln, as he loves silly scenes and typically laughs out loud which becomes infectious. The movie is about a professor who creates a new rubber like substance. There are some villains in the film but nothing dark. More silly than scary. The films is also rated PG.
High School Musical 3
We watched the first two high school musicals over the last couple months so the kids were ecstatic to find out there was a third. This movie is about the groups final year of high school. There are plenty of songs and dance numbers to keep all kids entertained. Even though these movies are about kids in high school, our kids love the story line. After watching the film the kids did tell me that their favourite high school musical movie is the first, and then the second proceed by the third. The movie
Kids Movie Night
For years we have been doing movie night on Saturday evenings. We normally go through the Disney films in chronological order. Starting with Snow White and working our way to the latest release. When we first got Disney + we got away from this when we watched some of the movies our kids had never seen because we didn’t own them. Now that we’re off that pattern we’ve been finding new ways to come up with the weekends movie pick. Right now the kids are still on a sequel kick after loving Frozen II, so many of the choices have been sequels and surprisingly some of them haven’t been all that bad.
Cinderella II
Cinderella II was our daughter’s pick. She has always loved Cinderella, having come by it honestly. Her nursery was decorated with Cinderella and she has a beautiful quilt made by my aunt that has different Cinderella sayings. So when she saw this title on Disney + she leapt at the opportunity to watch it. The movie is 3 different tales of what happens to Cinderella once she and the prince have married. She enjoyed it, it certainly wasn’t my favourite and not one I would put on a must watch list. A great one for the kids to watch while you have to do some work or are doing house work. It’s rated G.
Peter Pan – Return to Neverland
Return to Neverland is a sequel to Peter Pan and is very well animated. The story is of Wendy’s daughter, and is set during war time. Wendy’s daughter is a realist and doesn’t believe in Peter Pan or pixies, that is until she is taken to Neverland by Captain Hook. We were very impressed with this film, including the songs that were apart of it. I would recommend putting it on the list to watch as a young family, it certainly is for kids 10 and under. It is also rated G.
Monsters University
I had never seen this movie and couldn’t wait to watch it as a family. We have the game colour brain and many of the characters keep popping up as question so we were somewhat familiar with the film. This isn’t a sequel to Monsters Inc but it’s a prequel. Monsters University tells the story of Mike and Sully in University studying at the Scare School. They compete in what’s called the scare games. It’s a story of friendship, resilience, and teamwork. It’s rated G.
Onward
The newest film from Pixar is Onward. It is a brand new release that many people didn’t get to see in theatres due to the current pandemic so Disney released it on Disney +. We watched it as a family and the kids seemed to enjoy it, although it was a dark concept. I suppose most of the Disney movies are. It’s a story of 2 brothers on a journey to spend one day with their father who had passed away years before. They go on a fun adventure using magic and courage. One of the nice things about this film is it’s a male dominant cast. So many of our families favourites are female dominated: Moana, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins. Having a movie about two brothers was refreshing. The movie is PG.
Having all these Disney films at our fingertips has made this season more enjoyable than it could be. I love rediscover these Disney classics and loosing myself in searching out films from decades past. Who knows what else we’ll stumble upon.
