Traveling with kids - movies to travel with

Movies are great travel companions. Usually, my kids make do with the movies on board the long-haul flights we take, but we also always bring along a binder full of their favorite movies on Blu Ray and DVD when we go away for longer periods of time.


I have considered the option of bringing movies to play during our trip, either on my laptop, or on a portable media player of some kind, but have not gotten around to equipping myself for that, yet.

A portable blu-ray/DVD player is one option . Various services that allow you to stream movies and TV-shows that you can watch on your phone, tablet or portable computer is another option. These kinds of services, like those provided by Netflix and Amazon, are a great option, but may not always be feasible when you're traveling internationally.

Some movie companies now include digital downloads of the movies you buy on DVD or blu ray as part of the "package". FOX-Connect's digital copies is one such service, Paramount Pictures is another. Meaning of course that you can download movies (legally) and bring them along, without having to take the discs with you.

Here is a list of kids' movies that come highly recommended by my 5- and 9-year old.  They're great choices  whether you're bringing movies as DVDs or Blu-Ray discs on your trip, or if you prefer digitally downloaded files, or if you're looking for ideas for movies to pick from your streaming service.


Hayao Miyazaki movies
My kids have really fallen hard for many of legendary Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's movies. Here are their favorites:

• Princess Mononoke
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Spirited Away
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
• Ponyo

Another Japanese, animated movie my children adore is the very original and entertaining The Cat Returns.



Holiday-themed movies

• The Nightmare Before Christmas - This irreverent and funny animated Tim Burton movie puts a Halloween twist on Christmas.
• Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas - A great travel and Christmas story with Toot and Puddle.
• Franklin's Magic Christmas - My kids love this Christmas special from Franklin the Turtle.

Even more movies

• James and the Giant Peach - Based on a tale by Roald Dahl, this is a very original and entertaining movie.
• Lilo & Stitch - One of my own favorite Disney movies, ever. The kids love it too (especially since Stitch pretty much acts as a souped up toddler in destruction mode!)
• Monsters vs Aliens - Hugely entertaining and funny animated movie with Reese Witherspoon doing the voice for the terrific Susan, AKA Ginormica. 
• Despicable Me - super-villain Gru and his minions are thrown together with three orphaned girls and hijinx, as well as hilarity, ensues.
• Megamind - This take on superheroes and super-villains is one of those movies I enjoy just as much as my kids do!
• Bolt - A great movie about family, dogs, cats, and finding your way back home.
• Toy Story 1-3 - These three movies are modern classics. Terrific family entertainment.
• Wall-E - Another fantastic Pixar movie.
• Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection - My kids really enjoy the adventures of inventor Wallace and his intelligent dog Gromit. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is another favorite.
• The Princess Bride - This is an oldie but a goodie. I wasn't sure at first whether my kids would like this (I love it), but they really enjoy this funny take on fairytales.
• 101 Dalmatians - A Disney-classic that is highly rated by my dog-loving 5-year old daughter.
• The Adventures of Tintin - My kids hugely enjoyed the new movie, and have also fallen in love with the old Tintin TV-show that is also called The Adventures Of Tintin.