Family Movie Night

As I mentioned earlier this week, one of the ways to spend ZERO on family entertainment is with a Family Movie Night. We started just last year, when our youngest turned 4 (before that, they’d just fall asleep to a movie). Pretty quickly, my husband and I decided that we’d be in charge of picking the movies so we don’t get stuck sitting through Alvin & the Chipmunks or anything like that. Some movie nights are very simple–just pizza and a movie at the end of a busy week. Once in a while, I theme our food to the movie. This time, I went with a theme: we added a few vegetable rolls and chopsticks to our dinner. The kids loved it!

We think that family movies are another opportunity to learn about new people and places. Case in point–if you haven’t tried a Miyazaki movie, let me recommend a few! Disney has taken many of Hayao Miyazaki’s classic anime films from Japan and reworked them with English-speaking actors doing the voices.

Our absolute favorite is Spirited Away, and if you’re new to Miyazaki, you’ll appreciate the intro from Pixar’s John Lasseter. A young girl, Chihiro, travels to a magical world where she learns to be brave, helps a friend, and saves her parents (turned into pigs by the world’s witch). Rated PG.

Another family favorite is Ponyo, which is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Ponyo is a little goldfish who befriends 5-year-old Sosuke, a boy who lives by the sea. Their friendship and adventures bring her to the world as a little girl. This is such a sweet story, great for little ones. Rated G.

Next time you’re thinking Family Movie Night, here are 4 ways to do a movie night for FREE:

1. Find a RedBox DVD Kiosk near you (usually in Walmart or McDonald’s). Sign up for the RedBox email or check a site like RetailMeNot for codes that give you FREE movies. They come up pretty often!
2. Find a Blockbuster Express DVD Kiosk (in my area, they’re in Safeway stores). I get free codes via email, and I update my Blockbuster Express Codes post when I do, so check it when you’re looking for a free rental. I also shoot those out on my Facebook page.
3. Check your local library. Some public libraries have a good selection of family movies, especially the “classics.”
4. Trade with a friend or neighbor. I love asking others what their favorite family films are; it usually gives us a good list of new movies to try with our own kids.