Good "family friendly" anime

[Fried Egg]

I'm recently bought "My neighbour Totoro" and my four year old daughter absolutely loves it. Watches it again and again and I can see why. It really is a lovely film that works well at the level of a young child but can also be appreciated as an adult. Unlike most Hollywood films aimed at young children, it wasn't sickly and dull to watch.

I would love to find more anime films like that. Are there any others that people would recommend for young children and as good as "My neighbour Totoro"?

 

[Connavar]

Princess Mononoke is better family film than anything from Disney and co.

 

[Nesacat]

I think you'd be fine with just about anything that Studio Gibli has done. Here's what I have seen that would fine for the whole family.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki(
Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)
Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki)
Pom Poko (Isao Takahata)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)
Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
The Cat Returns (Hiroyuki Morita)
Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
Tales from Earthsea

The last I looked it was possible to get boxed sets with many of the movies at very reasonable prices.

 

[Overread]

Pretty much Everything Ghibli is family friendly - its streets ahead of most american films (think like Walt Disny used to be without all the musicals )
Mononoke is a really good flim - but note that they don't skimp on reality when it comes to injuries -- but its a 1st class film

 

[Talysia]

I'll agree that you can't go wrong with Ghibli. I'll have to have a think to see if there are any other anime films that are family friendly, though. I was sure there were a couple.

 

[Fried Egg]

"Princess Mononoke" is a PG (not to mention the cover looks a little violent). "Grave Of The Fireflies" is a 12. Bear in mind, this must be suitable for a four year old therefore I probably need to restrict my choice to films graded as U. Still, I'll bear such films in mind for future family viewing!

"Kiki's Delivery Service", "The Cat Returns" look good though...

I currently have "Howl's Moving Castle" lined up to watch this weekend.

 

[Overread]

hmm Grave of hte fireflies might be a little old for a 4 yearold - but keep it in mind *and when you do go to watch it make certain there are tissues to hand)

The rest should all be U - if they do have a pg its probably nothing big (remember pg is not an age limit perse but more a guidline to say some parents might dissaprove of certain parts)

 

[Fried Egg]

I guess I'll just have to watch them first...

 

[Overread]

you say that like its a chore

 

[Mouse]

I love My Neighbour Totoro!! Howl's Moving Castle is good. As is Laputa: Castle in the Sky. I'd say Princess Mononoke is too gruesome for a 4 year old. Obviously Spirited Away is totally ace...

 

[Iorek444]

For a four year old, Princess Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies might be a little too much to handle (though of course you can watch them first and decide - you know your child much better than we do)

 

[Connavar]

Mononoke isnt violent at all.

Its ghibli, their cuteness will make it look good for a kid of that age.


Tom and Jerry is more violent than Mononoke.

 

[Iorek444]

Mononoke isnt violent at all.

Its ghibli, their cuteness will make it look good for a kid of that age.


Tom and Jerry is more violent than Mononoke.

While that's true, Tom and Jerry is a much more cartoon type of violence. Mononoke has a lot of blood, which some four year olds may not be able to handle that well.

 

[andreyu]

I agree that the Gibli films are very good, but i must say i still have a soft spot for the old Disney classics like 101 dalmatians and The Aristocats.

 

[Fried Egg]

Tom and Jerry? They don't get to show that on TV these days! More's the pity...

 

[Overread]

yah - go out and get the DVDs of the old series - make sure you kid gets to watch quality TV
(I recomend animation from the 80s - best animation the west has ever done for TV!)

 

[Thadlerian]

Mononoke isnt violent at all.

I have to disagree there. For a person used to Totoro, Princess Mononoke is very graphic. Arms and heads are chopped off, blood is spraying more than once, and some of the demon god scenes might seem rather disturbing.

From My Neighbour Totoro, the obvious next step is Kiki's Delivery Service - one of the rather underrated Miyazakis. From there on to Castle in the Sky. Both of them very family-friendly.

 

[tyr]

Fried Egg, a very good thread. I don't have kid of my own, but I have a god daughter, and I think carefully every time I want to give her a present.

I agree with Thadlerian. I watched Princess Mononoke after I finished my college, and I winched when I was seeing the arrow chopped off head scenes.

Grave of Fireflies's ending is so sad, I don't dare to watch it again.

IMHO, Kiki's Delivery Service is safe for family.

One Ghibli production that I recommend: Whisper of The Heart (the Japanese title: Mimi wo Sumaseba).

There is a movie that I haven't see it myself, but I am looking for it, and someone said it is a "family friendly" anime: The animes from creator Hisaichi Ishii: My Neighbors The Yamadas for Movie version; or Nono-chan for TV-series version. A comedy about a japanese family.

There is another Miyazaki's "family friendly" anime that I like to see. It is a TV-series anime: Sherlock Hound. Loosely based on Sherlock Holmes, but the characters are dogs.

 

[ravenus]

Mononoke isnt violent at all.
Its ghibli, their cuteness will make it look good for a kid of that age.
Tom and Jerry is more violent than Mononoke.

I personally felt that the violence in Mononoke felt a lot more realistic. And very young kids may not be entirely comfortable with the idea of slime spewing boars in their death throes. And yeah, all the arrows severing arms and sending arterial sprays, as someone else mentioned.