3 Magic movies for any age list with reviews and discussion questions
Written by the Ent, the Hobbit, and the Unicorn
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3 Magic Movies for Any Age
The world is filled with magic! You just have to know where to look. We would like to help you with our list of magic movies for any age. Whether you have a little one at home or older teens, we’ve got some fun suggestions with discussion questions.
Under 6?:
-Check out Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Elena of Avalor, Super Monsters, or Super Why!
Aladdin (Ages 6 and Up)
Know Before you Watch
Rating: PG
Length: 2 hrs. 8 min
Release Year: 2019
Stars: 4 out of 5
Themes: Purpose, Identity, Gender Roles, and Leadership
Warnings: Some intense scenes involving genies (Overall the imagery is less creepy than the original animated movie
Quick summary:
Aladdin is a homeless man living with his pet monkey when one day he happens upon the princess of Agrabah. Things begin to intensify when Aladdin receives a lamp which holds the power of a long lost Genie.
Discussion Questions
- What was your favorite song/musical number? What did you enjoy about it?
- Aladdin and Jafar started out in the same places- what caused Jafar to become the villain?
- Aladdin and Jasmine both envied the way the other person lived, but learned that they both felt the same way- trapped. Have you ever envied someone else and found a similarity to them? Or found out their life wasn’t what you thought it was?
Aladdin (2019) Review
Aladdin is a fun movie with lots of beautiful, powerful scenes. Each actor brings a great balance of gravitas and levity to their characters. The plot is interweaving and interesting, while also fun and whimsical. Overall, this is a great movie for individuals or families. Also, we suggest the 1992 classic animated movie as well, but it may not be as suitable for the little ones. Check out our full Aladdin review with more thoughts and discussion questions!
Other suggestions for Magic movies for 6+
-Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The C.S. Lewis classic comes to life in this fun adventure. There are lots of religious allegories that are fun to dissect and discuss with families.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ages 10 and Up)
Know Before you Watch
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 10+ (Depending on your child)
Running Time: 2 hours and 39 minutes
Release Date: November 14, 2001
Stars: 4.5 out of 5
Themes: Friendship, Growing Up, Power of Love
Warnings: Parental neglect, Death of loved ones, Some intense, dark scenes
Quick Summary:
Harry Potter is a young parent-less boy living miserably in his aunt and uncle’s house with his older cousin Dudley. His whole world is flipped upside down when he receives a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He finds himself in a new magical land, with friends Ron and Hermione, full of excitement but also danger.
Discussion Questions:
- What Hogwarts house do you think you belong in?
- Harry finds himself breaking a lot of rules. Is it ok to break rules if you think you are helping people?
- Hermione overhears Ron say some nasty things about her and it really hurts her feelings. How can you make a difference by being nice to people even if they aren’t around to hear it?
Harry Potter Review:
Harry Potter is one of the most iconic children’s movies to date, and for good reason. The neglected boy in the cupboard under the stairs finds himself front and center in the Wizarding World as the Boy Who Lived, but handles his newfound fame with humility. All of the child actors in the film do a fantastic job embodying their characters to the fullest. The adult actors also do a fantastic job, with names such as Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, Richard Harris as Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, and many more. It truly is a movie for the ages.
Other suggestions for Magic movies for 10+
– Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Beyond
If you or your family enjoyed Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, there are seven other movies in this series to enjoy. You may also like Fantastic beast or it’s sequel (You can check out our review here)
Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (Ages 14 and Up)
Know Before you Watch
Movie: Seven Faces of Dr. Lao
Rating: Passed (1964)
Age Suggestion: 14+
Running Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes
Release Date: March 18, 1964
Stars: 4 out of 5
Themes: Wonder and amazement, community, human nature
Warnings: There is a sensual scene with Pan that is potentially inappropriate for under 13. One scene involving racial stereotyping of Native Americans (shown to be inappropriate).
Quick Summary:
Abalon is a small Arizona town. The townspeople are being pressured to sell the town to the greedy Clint Stark, with only a few people, led by the newspaper editor, trying to save the town. Suddenly, an old Chinese man appears and announces that he is putting on a circus! Amazing things start happening…will they be enough to save the town? And will the newspaper editor convince the widowed town librarian to give love another try?
Discussion Questions:
- What aspects of human nature do the various characters in the circus represent? How the people of the town react to them the first night of the circus?
- How does Clint Stark view people at the beginning of the movie? What causes him to change? (a good extra thought here is to discuss if he was evil or a good person who was disillusioned).
- One way to look at the world is that the world is under an enchantment – a bad enchantment. It takes another spell to break this. How do you see that in this movie? What is the real spell that can break the bad spells?
- “The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it.” What do you think Dr. Lao meant when he said this? How would he say we need to look at life?
Seven Faces of Dr Lao Review:
Clint Stark is trying to buy out the town because he alone knows a railroad is coming through. He, like most of the people of the town, is disillusioned in some way with life. A mysterious circus arrives led by Dr. Lao. On the first night the people in the town start to face themselves – the circus is like a mirror. For instance a nagging wife is turned to stone by Medusa. Not to worry, Merlin changes her back, but the experience changes her. On the second night Dr. Lao produces a spectacle which changes everyone.
The 7 Faces of Dr, Lao was the final movie that the legendary George Pal both directed and produced. Tony Randall plays Dr. Lao and all seven of the characters in the circus. About halfway through you can see the hourglass from “The Wizard of Oz”. It was apparently hanging in the props department and was simply re-used. The movie won an honorary Oscar for makeup (one of only two that were ever given). It would be many years later that makeup became a recognized category.
I have loved this movie for many years. While many teens may point out that film techniques today are much better than, for instance, stop motion animation, this would be a great movie to watch with them to help point out that many older types of filming were highly developed (It took 11 days to stop-motion animate the brief segment where all the heads appear on the Loch Ness monster, for instance).
One other personal note: the movie uses a favorite famous Bach piece, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, during the fall of Woldercan. A good piece of trivia is to find other movies that use this.
Other suggestions for Magic movies for 14+
-Stardust
-Go on an adventure with Tristan, as he searches for a fallen star for his beloved. A grand fantasy story based on the book by Neil Gaiman.
What to check out next:
If you enjoyed this list of suggestions, check out our mystery , musical , and pirate family movie night suggestions for every age group!
And our post with 50+ family friendly streaming suggestions here!
What is one of your favorite magic movies?! Tell us below and please take a few seconds to share this on social media!
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