Essential Movies for Children by Age (4-16) and Gender

With children at home on holidays and most great movies available for streaming on-demand, I have often wondered which movies are essential viewing for girls and boys at different ages.

Thanks to suggestions from Google Gemini AI, here is a list of the top-ten for various ages.

Note that there was a lot of overlap in the suggestions between similar ages, so I have skipped some specific years. Also note there is very little overlap in the suggestions between genders. Rightly or wrongly, very different movies are suggested for girls and boys. However, being a parent of both girls and boys I know for a fact that boys can enjoy the movies suggested for girls and vice-versa. Every child is different, so you as a parent should take these suggestions with a grain of salt.

4 year-olds

For 4 year-old girls:

1. My Neigbor Totoro (1988)
2. Frozen (2013)
3. Moana (2016)
4. Ponyo (2008)
5. The Muppet Movie (1979)
6. Sing (2016)
7. Trolls (2016)
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Toy Story (1995)
10. The Princess Bride (1987)

For 4 year-old boys:

1. Cars (2006)
2. Toy Story (1995)
3. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
4. The Lego Movie (2014)
5. WALL-E (2008)
6. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
8. Monsters, Inc (2001)
9. Ratatouille (2007)
10. Paddington (2014)

6 year-olds

For 6 year-old girls:

1. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
2. Frozen (2013)
3. Moana (2016)
4. Encanto (2021)
5. Brave (2012)
6. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
7. Tangled (2010)
8. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
9. Matilda (1996)
10. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

For 6 year-old boys:

1. Cars (2006)
2. Toy Story (1995)
3. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
4. The Lego Movie (2014)
5. The Incredibles (2004)
6. WALL-E (2008)
7. Monsters, Inc (2001)
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

8 year-olds

For 8 year-old girls:

1. Moana (2016)

2. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

3. The Princess Bride (1987)

4. Matilda (1996)

5. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

6. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

7. The Parent Trap (1998)

8. A Little Princess (1995)

9. Paddington (2014)

10. The Secret Garden (1993)

For 8 year-old boys:

1. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

2. The Lego Movie (2014)

3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

4. The Incredibles (2004)

5. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

7. Back to the Future (1985)

8. The Goonies (1985)

9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

10. The Karate Kid (1984)

10 year-olds

For 10 year-old girls:

1. Moana (2016)

2. Hidden Figures (2016)

3. The Princess Bride (1987)

4. Matilda (1996)

5. Spirited Away (2001)

6. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

7. Whale Rider (2002)

8. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

9. The Parent Trap (1998)

10. Anne of Green Gables (1985)

For 10 year-old boys:

1. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

3. The Lego Movie (2014)

4. Star-Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

6. The Goonies (1985)

7. Back to the Future (1985)

8. Jurassic Park (1993)

9. The Karate Kid (1984)

10. The Iron Giant (1999)

12 year-olds

For 12 year-old girls:

1. The Goonies (1985)

2. Matilda (1996)

3. Spirited Away (2001)

4. Whale Rider (2002)

5. Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

6. The Princess Bride (1987)

7. Hidden Figures (2016)

8. Moana (2016)

9. Lady Bird (2017)

10. Booksmart (2019)

For 12 year-old boys:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

3. Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse (2018)

4. The Goonies (1985)

5. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

6. Back to the Future (1985)

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1992)

8. The Sandlot (1993)

9. The Karate Kid (1984)

10. Remember the Titans (2000)

13 year-olds

For 13 year-old girls:

1. Age of Seventeen (2016)

2. Lady Bird (2017)

3. Little Women (2019)

4. Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

5. Spirited Away (2001)

6. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

7. Moana (2016)

8. The Princess Bride (1987)

9. Hidden Figures (2016)

10. Queen of Katwe (2016)

For 13 year-old boys:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

2. Mission Impossible–Fallout (2018)

3. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

4. Jurassic Park (1993)

5. War of the Worlds (2005)

6. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

7. Arrival (2016)

8. District 9 (2009)

9. The Sandlot (1993)

10. Mid90s (2018)

14 year-olds

For 14 year-old girls:

1. Lady Bird (2017)

2. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

3. Spirited Away (2001)

4. Moana (2016)

5. Hidden Figures (2016)

6. Mean Girls (2004)

7. Bring it On (2000)

8. The Princess Bride (1987)

9. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

10. Booksmart (2019)

For 14 year-old boys:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

3. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

4. Inception (2010)

5. The Goonies (1985)

6. Superbad (2007)

7. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

8. Back to the Future (1985)

9. The Sandlot (1993)

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

16 year-olds

For 16 year-old girls:

1. Lady Bird (2017)

2. The Farewell (2019)

3. Booksmart (2019)

4. Persepolis (2007)

5. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

6. Frances Ha (2012)

7. The Virgin Suicides (1999)

8. Lost in Translation (2003)

9. Amelie (2001)

10. Moonlight (2016)

For 16 year-old boys:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

2. Inception (2010)

3. Fight Club (1999)

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

5. Good Will Hunting (1997)

6. The Social Network (2010)

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

8. Do the Right Thing (1989)

9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

10. Whiplash (2014)

Suggested movies were provided by Google Gemini using prompts of the form:

What are the top [X] essential movies for a [Y] year-old [boy/girl] to watch?

#GeminiAI #GoogleGemini #parenting #cinema

What movies would you as a parent add or remove to these suggestions?