Types of Kids’ Movies
Just like films for adults, kids’ movies come in several varieties. Although they all generally feature jokes aimed at kids and situations the younger set can easily understand, the themes, plots, and characters do change depending on the type of kids’ movie it is. Most fall into the following broad categories:
Animated
Disney and PIXAR have been at the top of the animated film world for a long time, but DreamWorks has seriously challenged their supremacy with the Shrek franchise. This summer the two major studios will go head-to-head with Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda.
Most animated movies are computer-generated, which allows for more realistic, three-dimensional images. The plots often feature animals and other non-humans in exciting adventures. They usually also carry a sweet message about friendship, confidence, and doing the right thing.
Action-Adventure
Children love films that feature other children solving mysteries and engaged in daring feats. In most of these films, an adult accompanies them or watches over them from afar. This summer, the action-adventure slot is filled by Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D. Brendan Fraser and his nephew sidekick travel through the planet encountering awesome beasts and exciting special effects. As with all films in this subgenre, the action is high, the effects are daring, and the kid is capable and brave.
Child Hero
In most films featuring a child hero, the child has superhuman strength, but some feature children who are merely precocious. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl offers up a strong girl determined to save her family’s home. In contrast, 2006’s Sky High features children who are actual superheroes. Although they have adult mentors, they overcome adversity thanks to their super skills and teamwork.
Animal
Animals are a staple of family entertainment. In the children’s film world, animals can usually talk. Sometimes the children in the movie, and the rare adult, can hear them, sometimes they can’t. Animated films are often animal films, but there are also live-action films like The Shaggy Dog featuring animal heroes. This summer’s Space Chimps or Kung-Fun Panda are perfect examples of animated animal heroes.
Fantasy-Adventure
Fantasy-adventure and action-adventure are often combined, but fantasy-adventure movies have more emphasis on the otherworldliness, and otherworldly roles for children. In Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the children are average Brits who must return to Narnia, where they are royalty. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also falls into the fantasy-adventure genre because the children are wizards rather than ordinary humans.
Buddy
Buddy movies are as common in the children’s movie world as they are in adult film genres. Although adult buddy films are usually played for laughs, family buddy films can be played for drama or comedy. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a serious take on the buddy movie concept, while Toy Story plays it for laughs.
