Cars (2006)

Family Rated G

This Pixar production depicts a human-free racing world where even the stands are filled with four-wheelers. The movie’s moral imperative is to teach a hotshot rookie (Owen Wilson) a lesson in humility via an unplanned detour in the tiny desert town of Radiator Springs, but the picture’s true value is visual. Limited in terms of

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)

Family Rated PG

An improvement upon 2004’s Garfield if for no other reason than the mistaken-identity plot means the annoying title feline (again inexplicably voiced by Bill Murray) has only half the screen time. Tim Curry gives Prince, Garfield’s British doppelganger, a nice, aristocratic burr, while Billy Connolly provides the movie’s only laughs as Dargis, a malicious lord-in-waiting

Over the Hedge (2006)

Family Rated PG

This animated feature scorns both McMansions and suburban sprawl, and mostly will be enjoyed by McMansion-residing suburban sprawlers. That irony is not lost on the filmmakers. As it details the adventures of a pack of woodland creatures (the likes of Garry Shandling, Steve Carell and Wanda Sykes provide pitch-perfect vocals for the rich character animation)

Wild, The (2006)

Family Rated G

This has a plot nearly identical to that of 2005’s Madagascar, even though Disney’s press notes claimed the concept was first pitched to the studio nine years earlier. Once again, a pack of mismatched zoo animals plan an escape, only to find themselves poorly equipped to survive in an actual jungle. The visuals certainly have

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Family Rated G

Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book, about an eccentric, reclusive candy maker who invites five children to tour his factory, as envisioned in the psychedelic 1970s. From the trippy musical numbers – those Oompa-Loompas are the stuff that nightmares, or at least bad trips, are made of – to the screaming color design, this enchants kids

Home on the Range (2004)

Family Rated PG

A minor Disney effort, Home on the Range relies heavily on the eternal charm of farm animals. You loved them as a 2-year-old, you’ll like them well enough here. A touch of absurdity also helps, starting with the goofy plot: Three cows – voiced by Judi Dench, Roseanne Barr and Jennifer Tilly – set out

Princess Diaries, The (2001)

Family Rated G

A clunky, obvious modern fairy tale about a high-school klutz (Anne Hathaway) who finds out her grandmother (Julie Andrews) is the queen of a fictional European country – and that she technically is a princess. Many parents expressed gratitude that the movie is clean and innocent – too bad it’s not good as well.

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Family Rated PG

Stuart Little 2 sometimes feels as unnecessary as many of this summer’s sequels – after all, if E.B. White didn’t write another adventure for his tiny mouse, why do we need another movie? – but this follow-up’s innocence and charm likely will win you over nonetheless. A bonus is computer animation that’s both witty (Stuart’s

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005)

Family Rated PG

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Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Family Rated PG

The story of a troublemaking alien who visits Earth disguised as a dog and is adopted by a feisty orphan girl in Hawaii, Lilo & Stitch takes a lot of glee in being naughty before it finds some small satisfaction in being nice. This holds as many lessons for little ones as something like Spirit: