Are you celebrating Valentine’s Day with the kiddies this year? Here’s a guide to our favourite family-friendly romantic movies for you to watch with them this February 14th!
WALL-E: The sweet tale of a garbage-collecting robot named WALL-E, who’s charged with cleaning up the now-unpopulated Earth. WALL-E lives a mostly solitary existence until the sleek robot EVE arrives on a reconnaissance mission to determine whether Earth is once again habitable. WALL-E falls in love with EVE and follows her into space, putting himself in danger in the process.
Lady and the Tramp: We could have filled this list with Disney films, but we decided to eschew the perhaps more obvious choices (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty) in favour of some you might not have seen in a while. For instance, Lady and the Tramp, an opposites-attract story about a well-bred pup named Lady, and a mongrel from the wrong side of the tracks who calls himself the Tramp. Spaghetti-eating has never been more romantic than in this film’s iconic scene.
The Princess Bride: Kids and adults alike will fall for this clever and charming story about young love. When Buttercup (Robin Wright) is kidnapped by the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), it’s up to her childhood love Westley (Cary Elwes) to rescue her. Along the way, Westley teams up with a brave swordsman (Mandy Patinkin) and an imposing but sweet strongman (Andre the Giant) to help him in his quest. Full of hilarious cameos by Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook, the Princess Bride is a modern classic.
Beauty and the Beast: The only animated musical to be nominated for best picture, Beauty and the Beast is widely considered one of Disney’s finest films. Belle surrenders herself to the Beast in exchange for her kidnapped father’s freedom – while Belle and the Beast are adversarial toward each other to begin with, their relationship gradually blossoms into something tender and caring. Your little ones will love singing along with the classic tunes such as Be Our Guest and the titular theme.
Enchanted: Amy Adams is perfectly cast as naïve Princess Gisele, a fairytale princess transported to modern-day Manhattan by an evil witch’s spell. Gisele meets a cynical lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and soon she finds herself questioning her beliefs about love. Susan Sarandon is devilishly good as the villainous Queen Narissa, and James Marsden was meant to play the dashing Prince Edward, who sets out to rescue Giselle from her new surroundings.
Tangled: The classic Grimms’ fairy tale Rapunzel gets a modern update with actress-singer Mandy Moore voicing the magically long-haired teen. When a thief scales the tower she’s being held captive in, Rapunzel kidnaps him, and convinces him to help her escape so that she can finally explore the outside world. We love Moore’s sassy take on the character, and Zachary Levi is also very funny as Flynn, the bandit.
Ever After: This Cinderella doesn’t need rescuing! In this different spin on the classic tale, Drew Barrymore plays Danielle, a spirited and independent young woman who becomes the object of Prince Henry’s (Dougray Scott) affections. While she has no designs on royalty, she does fall for Henry. Unfortunately, she has to deal with her mean and meddling stepmother and stepsister, who intend to thwart any budding relationship she and the Prince might have. Look for a great cameo by legendary actress Jeanne Moreau.
What’s your favourite family-friendly romantic film? Share your picks in the comments below!
Image: The Princess Bride, MGM, 1987