2014 Oscars: Family Friendly Academy Award Nominees
For all of the educational opportunity in the Academy Award nominees’ films, it’s sometimes tough to pinpoint which ones outside the Animated Feature category would pass for family friendly. Good news: Box Office Mom and Common Sense Media have done it for you. And Learning Liftoff has reviewed several of her picks to help guide parents in determining whether it’s appropriate for their particular child to watch and why. When one adds up this mom’s list and this year’s animated nominees, families actually have a nice list to fill a Netflix queue.
The selected movies are all nominated for an 2014 Oscar, not necessarily best picture, but they are nominated in one of the various Oscar categories.
There’s really no question when it comes to which movies are a good bet for kids age 5 and up. Despicable Me 2, in which Gru (voice of Steve Carell), his three adopted daughters, and the beloved minions are back in a sequel to the popular 2010 movie Despicable Me. Now we see Gru as a loving father, not the evildoer who wanted to steal the moon. And, of course, there’s Frozen, in which Princess Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), soon to be Queen, and Princess Anna (Kristen Bell), are not only sisters, but best friends. Though things gradually change as Elsa develops the secret power to create snow and ice and things get out of hand. Finally, the younger kids would enjoy The Croods, about a prehistoric family who were forced to leave their cave after a natural disaster destroyed the whole area.
Box Office Mom also does a great job of breaking down details within a list of PG13-rated movies for pre-teens and teens that includes some with educational, literary or historical value that we’ve reviewed: Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and Saving Mr. Banks.
What are your picks for Sunday night? Please tell us by posting a comment below. And, for more thoughts about family friendly media from Learning Liftoff, be sure to visit our Movies & TV category.
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Deanna Glick
Deanna Glick has spent two decades as a writer and editor, covering education policy, adoption, and other issues of interest to children and families. Deanna has also worked and volunteered for youth-focused nonprofits, including Students Run LA and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. A California native, Deanna loves to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail and spend time on the Shenandoah River near her Northern Virginia home. She often finds writing inspiration through her 8-year-old daughter, who loves to read, paint, play sports, and learn.
