Television

I forgot to plug the nonprofit Common Sense Media— I frequently check this before watching movies with my fam so I can get a heads up on what themes to expect and gauge whether it would be appropriate for my kid at the moment. The site has rating systems that are pretty detailed: not only info about profanity, drug use, and violence, it also has ratings for representation, gender messages, and educational value. There’s even a “Talk to Your Kids” section that has discussion suggestions specific to that movie. The site isn’t specific to movies, either— it covers books, television, games, etc.

Ohh boy, my time to shine. I'll try to break it down based on safeness. I'll avoid listing some obvious ones, like main Disney movies. There may be some spoilers in my notes. Also "suggestive" may be more accurate as level of awkwardness. And everything is my opinion.

As safe as can be:

• Arrival (while the military is involved I don't recall there being any violence)
• Brewster's Millions
• Cars
• Cast Away (there's the part where he's testing out hanging himself but IIRC it's not explained, you'd have to already know what he's trying to do)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Coraline (IDK how you rate the "violence" in this movie since there's no blood)
• Erin Brockovich
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
• The Geatest Game Ever Played
• Honey I Shrunk the Kids
• Hotel Transylvania 1 & 2
• Iron Giant
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• The Martian
• The Neverending Story (there is the one guy that is disintegrated but I think that's the only questionable part, though there is the death of Atrax)
• My Cousin Vinny
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Planet 51
• Ponyo
• Ratatouille
• Return to Oz (though there are parts that are scary and creepy for young children, and it's got the whole mental asylum)
• Robots
• The Sandlot (there is the one kissing scene)
• The Secret World of Arriety
• Spirited Away
• Sully
• Unstoppable
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Your Name

Some violence:

• Alice in Wonderland (live action version)
• Back to the Future 3
• Brave
• Castle in the Sky
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (original)
• Despicable Me
• Ex Machina (it's basically violence free until the end when a person is killed. You could skip that part.)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• First two Harry Potter movies have the least amount. 3 has more. The rest either have a lot of violence or revolve around death.
• The Goonies
• Heavyweights
• Knives Out
• Matilda
• Meet the Robinsons
• October Sky
• Real Steel (Sci-fi boxing movie, the violence outside the ring is more what I'm thinking of though)
• Shrek

More violence:

• 9
• Most any DC/Marvel movie (I'm not going through them all, but I can only think of a few that are suggestive in any way. The first Ironman and Thor come to mind.)
• Big Hero 6
• Crocodile Dundee series
• Ender's Game
• Howl's Moving Castle (I don't recall there being any on screen but the whole story revolves around war)
• I, Robot
• Jurassic Park series
• Karate Kid (new one specifically but both are about the same)
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Nausica of the Valley of the Wind
• Planet of the Apes (original)
• Scott Pilgrim vs the World
• Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse

Slightly suggestive:

• 50 First Dates
• Accepted
• Big
• The Big Short (Margot Robbie narrates from a bathtub and there is a scene at a strip club. Nothing is shown)
• Blast From the Past
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Groundhog Day
• Office Space
• Pitch Perfect
• The Princess Diaries 1 & 2
• Smokey and the Bandit
• Summer Wars

More suggestive:

• Bicentennial Man
• Back to the Future 1 & 2 (there's the whole rape thing in the first one and Lorraine is a sex object for Biff in the second movie)
• Bruce Almighty
• Click

Violent and suggestive, or otherwise doesn't fit in any other category:

• Almost Heroes
• Dead Poets Society (has suicide)
• Ghostbusters 1 & 2 (first one has the whole ghost blowjob thing and also the 2 criminal ghosts that were given the electric chair)
• The Time Machine (either version)
• Tommy Boy

I left out most anything that was primarily action. IDK where I'd draw the line at family friendly. Something like The Matrix is just violence but didn't seem family friendly to me. There would be a ton more if I included movies like that though.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The Spiderverse movies are amazing pieces of art and relatively family friendly given their target audiences.

There are people who worked on them that clearly were paying attention in art class. Some of their work is so subtle I've had to rewind and just sit there stunned in amazement.

I think they've got a bit of something for everyone too.

The Princess Bride and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Second-Hand Lions, Big Fish, The Sandlot, October Sky, Little Miss Sunshine, A Little Princess, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, or Paddington

On old gems that nobody hasn't recently seen:

• Batteries Not Included
• Black Cauldron
• Labyrinth
• Return to Oz (1985)

it’s possible i’ve forgotten some random scenes with sexy or violent parts, but these are at least all rated PG. also skipped obvious kids movies.

apollo 13

all the back to the futures

bill and ted’s excellent adventure (bogus journey has some hell scenes that may be weird for kids)

cool runnings

dark crystal

ET

galaxy quest

goonies

jumanji 1995

star trek and star wars movies are generally pretty tame

three amigos

what about bob

Your name is a beautiful, mature yet safe, anime. I want to rewatch it right now.

Paw patrol

Labyrinth (1986), or Pan's Labyrinth (2006).