Sometimes movie critics get so full about themselves and get hard while giving reviews. They forget that these films are children’s movies. Children are considered easygoing as they only demand characters they love and superheroes they can cheer for. But critics don’t get this about kids’ movies. Some underrated kids’ movies aren’t just magical for kids but are also the best when viewed through an adult’s eyes because they can see all the truly great things that went over our heads when we were kids.
9 of the Underrated Kids’ Movies
1. Oliver & Company(1988)
- IMDb rating: 6.6/10
- Director: George Scribner
- Cast: Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel r, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Dom DeLuise, Taurean Blacque and Carl Weintraub, respectively,
- Streaming Platforms: Disney+ Hotstar
- Year Of Release: November 18, 1988 (USA)
Oliver & Company is an animated film of the genre of musical adventure. Walt Disney Pictures produced the film. This Disney animated feature film is a faithful adaptation of the novel Oliver Twister by Charles Dickens.
In this underrated kid movie, Oliver is a homeless kitten who joins a gang of dogs so that she can survive on the streets. This kids’ movie is a musical treat with a great soundtrack throughout. The opening sequence of the movie gives detail on Oliver’s abandonment, and it is gut-wrenching.
It makes you sob throughout, and you have no soul if you are not crying after watching it. This kids’ film is worth watching alone for Cheech Marin’s Tito, a Chihuahua who steals the show with his antics and his budding romance with Georgette, which is a snooty poodle.
This film deserves more respect than it gets. It has talking animals which are amusing. It has a great voice cast, a fun soundtrack with heartwarming songs, and a surprisingly compelling storyline and characters.
2. Dunston Checks In (1996)
- IMDb rating: 5.3/10
- Director: Ken Kwapis
- Cast: Sam the Orangutan, Bob Bergen, Jason Alexander, Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett
- Streaming Platforms: Disney+ Hotstar
- Year Of Release: January 12, 1996
Dunston Checks In is a Canadian and American comedy kids’ film made for children in 1996. The story is about two boys. Their father is the manager of one of the hotels in New York City. There was an important social event to be held in the hotel and a week young boy checked in with an Orangutan.
In this underrated kid movie, the father figure takes everything slowly to solve the chaos. Though it received a lot of hate on the big screen performance of Orangutan is Oscar-winning. Orangutan is all we want to watch sassy yet empathetic, funny and emotionally compelling.
The owner of Dunston is evil as he threatens him with violence. This movie is a comedy film. But there are scenes it shows cleverness with some adult jokes; It is arguably even more fun when an adult watches it rather than as a kid because the jokes just come one after another while everyone stumbles about wreaking havoc. It has laugh-out-loud moments.
3. The Tale Of Despereaux (2008)
- IMDb rating: 6.1/10
- Director: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
- Cast: Robbie Coltrane, Richard Jenkins, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, William H. Macy, Tracey Ullman, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Matthew Broderick
- Streaming Platforms: Amazon prime video
- Year Of Release: December 19, 2008
The Tale of Despereaux is a 2008 animated adaptation of an adventure fantasy film based on the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo. It is considered one of the best-animated movies so far. It’s a fairy tale that is whimsical, elegant and very reminiscent of watching.
The character of Despereaux is an outsider as he never fits along with his peers. Mice are always supposed to be frightened and timid, but Despereaux is the contrary and is bold and curious. Instead of eating books in the library like other mice, he is the kind of mouse who teaches himself to read. Some incidents occur that lead to banishment from the whole rat authority.
Each character struggles with an inner burden or pain, and how each tries to resolve that affects the plot. It’s rather unique and thoughtful from other children’s movies failed to show.
4. Chicken Little (2005)
- IMDb rating: 5.7/10
- Director: Mark Dindal
- Cast: Zach Braff, Joan Cusack, Dan Molina, Steve Zahn, Garry Marshall, Amy Sedaris, Mark Walton, Don Knotts
- Streaming Platforms: Disney+ Hotstar
- Year Of Release: October 30, 2005
Chicken Little is one of the American computer-animation genres of science fiction and comedy film. It is produced by none other than Walt Disney. This movie is an adaptation of the “Henny Penny” Anglo-Saxon fairy tale. It is also the last animated film under the name of Disney animation films.
Chicken Little claims that a piece of sky has fallen on his head. After a year, the event repeats, and he discovers it is part of a UFO. No one trusted him and said he had gone crazy. But one day, the alien comes and invades their town.
This movie is filled with many characters who don’t fit in and are also awkward. They’re funny yet vulnerable. This movie sets a perfect example of the discomfort and stress that everyone faces while growing up. This movie is about a relationship that Chicken Little and his father share, which is very emotional to watch and overwhelming.
Chicken Little is a fun movie with the best one-liners and a pinch of adult humor. It is a must-watch family movie giving messages to both parents and kids. This movie should be given enough credit than it is getting.
5. The Pagemaster (1994)
- IMDb rating: 6.1/10
- Director: Pixote Hunt and Joe Johnston
- Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Welker, Ed Begley Jr., Mel Harris.
- Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
- Year Of Release: November 23, 1994
It is a kids’ movie which is a story of a young boy whose name is Richard Tyler. He is scared of everything, which is very frustrating for his parents. His life takes an adventurous turn when one day, to protect himself from the storm takes shelter in a local library. There he hits his head and gets unconscious. When he wakes, he sees that everything around him has changed.
For younger viewers, it is a magical movie. A movie is an innovative concept. All his imagination and story come to reality. The switch between live-action and animation makes it a fairy tale. This story also has an important message for everyone that face their fears and does things that they never imagined you could do.
6. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- IMDb rating: 6.9/10
- Director: Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale
- Cast: Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, John Mahoney, Jim Varney, Corey Burton, Leonard Nimoy
- Streaming Platforms: Disney+ Hotstar
- Year Of Release: June 3, 2001
This movie is known as the first movie that Disney ever made in this kind of genre. The story revolves around Milo Thatch, who is a cartographer and also a linguist. His fellow members told him about Atlantis’s beliefs, which made him believe that he could find and explore it.
One day his grandfather’s friend offers him money and a few crew to go and find Atlantis. But things all went in opposite directions to what they had planned. It is a movie in which the star cast plays an important role, from leading to side characters. This movie shows a good direction of switching roles which were very new for the viewers. It’s one of s well-developed, exciting, and all-around entertainment movie with many twists.
7. The Road To El Dorado (2000)
- IMDb rating: 6.9/10
- Director: Bibo Bergeron, Don Paul, Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Kline, Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, Edward James Olmos
- Streaming Platforms: Netflix
- Year Of Release: March 31, 2000
It is a movie about two con men. Name Tulio and Miguel in Spain. They, by mistake, wind up in the new world with the map that took them to El Dorado. When they finally reached their destination, they were mistaken for God, which gave them the idea of being a con and collecting gold as much as possible. There is still the question of why this movie was bombed on the big screen.
The Road to El Dorado shows how two boys have a bonding between them. They play the characters very well with apt dialogues full of sarcasm. The film is visually amazing with colorful animation; it brings life to the scenes. The villain here is quite scary with his mystical powers, just like in superhero movies. Two characters have amazing role play, making it a simple film with quality content.
8. The Swan Princess (1994)
- IMDb rating: 6.4/10
- Director: Richard Rich
- Cast: Michelle Nicastro, Howard McGillin, Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, Steve Vinovich, Sandy Duncan
- Streaming Platforms: Netflix
- Year Of Release: November 18, 1994
This underrated kid movie is a remake of the famous ballet Swan lake. Princess bride Odette and prince Derek fall in love. Derek insults Odette and leaves him, to which she is captured and turned into a swan. Derek demands that their marriage be arranged as soon as possible when they start to love each other. That’s when Odette interrupts and questions him about his hurry to marry her.
He replies that only her beauty attracts him, which offends Odette. Then and there, she cancels the wedding arrangement and leaves him. Then she gets attacked and kidnapped and turned into a swan. Derek wants to find and save Odette and the kingdom from under the control of the evil sorcerer’s stone. It has a beautiful message that is conveyed by these kids’ movies that your beauty and appearance are not all you need.
9. Gnomeo And Juliet (2011)
- IMDb rating: 5.9/10
- Director: Kelly Asbury
- Cast: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Hulk Hogan
- Streaming Platforms: Disney Plus
- Year Of Release: January 23, 2011
This underrated kid movie is considered one of the sweetest movies for kids. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s origin story of Romeo and Juliet but with the addition of garden gnomes in England. The dialogues are full of witty replies, humor, and, among all the things, the perfectly cast that greatly impacts the movie.
It has happy and funny endings, just like it is needed. This movie is also the best kids’ movie, apart from whatever the critics have to say about the movie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Users generally ask many questions; some of them are as follows
Q1: Which are the inappropriate movies for kids?
Ans: Poltergeist, Jaws, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Drop Dead Fred, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, The Sixth Sense, Jurassic Park. These are some of the films which can be scary or disturbing for kids.
Q2: What movies should a 5-year-old watch?
Ans: There are many kids’ movies that are interesting to watch. Lion king, Finding Nemo, Frozen, Toy Story, Beauty and the beast, Muppet movie, Lego movie, The princess bride, Jungle book and so on, as there are over 50 plus movies.
Q3: Is Harry potter a watchable movie for a 5-year-old to watch?
Ans: No right age is specified for a kid to understand a movie; it all depends on their understanding. But harry potter is categorized under 9-12 years to watch it.
