Social Distancing Movies: Week 2

Are you looking for family friendly movies for movie night? Or are you looking for films with educational content for kids or teens who are out of school? Are you looking for a way to keep the kids out of your hair while you work at home? Maybe you just want a way to escape and forget the entire coronavirus pandemic…Whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got a recommendation for you. We’re posting one a day on our Facebook page and summarizing them here every week.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs In a crisis, we often feel like our world has turned upside down. For a humorous take on a world gone crazy, check out this animated story of a world where food starts falling from the sky. Kids will laugh out loud, but also learn that even when dangerous things happen, there’s always hope that things will get better. (PG, Grade: A-)

Harriet The story of Harriet Tubman is both educational and inspiring. If you’re looking for a movie for teens that demonstrates courage, resilience, loyalty, and self-respect, you can’t go wrong with this story of the woman who led scores of enslaved African Americans to freedom. (PG-13, Grade: A)

Swallows and Amazons Sometimes we all need to escape to a simpler time. Swallows and Amazons takes place in the 1930s in England’s Lake District. Four siblings persuade their mother that they are old enough to camp out in an island in the middle of the lake. But they don’t count on a pair of youthful pirates and a couple of Russian spies. (Unrated-but should be PG, Grade: A)

Togo If you’re following Mr. Rogers’ advice to look for the helpers in troubled times, Togo might be the kind of movie you want your kids to watch. Set in 1925, it tells the true story of the 1925 serum run where brave mushers set out across Alaska to bring diphtheria serum to the critically ill children of Nome. A Disney+ original, it’s streaming on that platform. (PG, Grade: A)

Abominable Grief can feel painful so Yi has been running from her sorrow over her father’s death. But then she comes across a wounded yeti. As Yi and her friends travel across China to help their new friend find his way back to the Himalayas, she discovers that her emotions and her talents can be a source of strength and power. (PG: Grade: A)

We Are Marshall Even though we can’t watch live sports on TV, there are still enough sports movies to give your family their sports fix. We Are Marshall tells the inspiring story of a college football team that struggles to carry on when most of their team members and coaching staff are killed in a plane crash. A great story of grief, resilience, and hope. (PG, Grade: B+)

The Sound of Music. For a family movie night, you can’t go wrong with this classic musical. The music is infectious, Julie Andrews is charming, and the story of standing up to evil is praiseworthy. Messages of love, courage, and the importance of family make this an easy pick. (G, Grade: A)

Wondering where to find these movies? Most of the DVDs can be ordered online but if you want to stream them, we recommend using justwatch.com to find out where they are streaming in your jurisdiction.