Students are required to watch each movie before class. All are available online (many for free on streaming services) or at a library. 

PDF Ratings and Review

PDF Rubric for Projects

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Kahoot
Google Slides
Google Docs

Students will be shown clips from the movies listed when we discuss them. These will be shared from the teachers screen. Students will have watched the films at home before the clips are shown in class. 

During class while reviewing these film students difficult or upsetting topics may arise. I take great care to validate students feeling about tough topics, while also keeping the class moving in a constructive way. For example, The Call of the Wild even though this is a "simpler, somewhat sanitized take on the book" students may still be upset with the treatment of animals. If this topic is brought up by students we will discuss how the film used cinematography to tell the story. What film techniques such as CGI, sound, scene cuts, music and more to handle telling the story without harm to animals.  

These films were chosen with care and are all rated G or PG. However, you know your student best please review the Common Sense Media guidelines for each movie before registering and consider your student. I have included the recommendations from Common Sense Media ratings and what parents need to know under each movie. The website this information was taken from is: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

1								The Secret World of Arrietty
							Rated G 2012 1 hr 34 min
							Common Sense 7+, Parents 6+, Kids 6+

Parents need to know that The Secret World of Arrietty is a charming and unexpectedly profound anime film from the Japanese studio responsible for movies like Ponyo, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. It's full of heart but also has some sad moments and tackles some somber themes -- including illness (Arrietty befriends a child who is said to be dying) and estranged family relationships -- which may make it a little intense for the youngest moviegoers. There's a kidnapping, and a sick young boy's mother sends him away to stay with a relative for a while -- a separation that may upset some little kids. But overall the movie is very sweet, and there's no swearing, smoking, drinking, strong violence, or overly sexy content to worry about.

2							Because of Winn-Dixie
						Rated PG 2005 1 hr 25 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 7+, Kids 6+

Parents need to know that beneath the heartwarming, often funny, story of a young girl's relationship with a lovable mutt, Because of Winn-Dixie deals with some significant life experiences, (abandonment, alcoholism, death of a loved one, and the difficulties that come with major change in a child's life). The issues are treated sensitively and gently, without too much detail. Multiple positive messages are either clearly stated or subtly integrated into the story and character arcs. The few action sequences are either comic (dog pulling down policeman's trousers, falls, chases) or mildly suspenseful (flashback of a bear, the dog catching and releasing a mouse, and the dog fearfully reacting to thunderstorms). There is one use of "hell," and a couple of insults ("booger-eater," "retard"); someone steps in some messy dog poop.

3							The Never Ending Story
						Rated PG 1984 1 hr 34 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 7+, Kids 8+


Parents need to know that while the overall message of The Never Ending Story, which encourages children to become lovers of books, is a positive one, the scary adventures that take place in the film will scare very young children. The faceless "Nothing" sets out to destroy the land of Fantasia, and while the hero of the film has no weapons (at least until the story's end), he does engage in a bloody clash with one of the Nothing's emissaries. Other potentially upsetting incidents involve a steamrolling monster, bullies throwing a child into a Dumpster, and a beloved horse being sucked into a swamp.

4							Hugo
						Rated PG 2007 2 hrs 7 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 7+, Kids 8+

Parents need to know that although Hugo is a book-based period adventure about the art and magic of movies that may be a tad too mature for younger elementary school-aged kids. Between the orphaned main character (whose father dies in a fire), the looming threat of being sent to the orphanage by the mean station manager, and an extended sequence about the history of early film, it's unlikely that kids under 8 will follow the sophisticated story. Since author Brian Selznick's novel is aimed at middle-grade readers, that's a good age to target for the movie, too. Kids who do watch will take away worthwhile messages about perseverance and overcoming fears, and budding filmmakers will especially delight in the movie's second half. Expect a little bit of flirting and hand-holding, a few insults, and one drunk (adult) character.

5							Howl’s Moving Castle
						Rated PG 2005 1 hr 59 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 8+, Kids 8+

Parents need to know that Howl's Moving Castle -- based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones -- is a gorgeous animated fantasy from famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki that includes mildly scary images (featureless blob-men, wraithlike wizards, explosions, and background war scenes) and a couple of dark night scenes. There's a bit of peril/tension when main characters seem to be in danger or possibly injured. The movie's primary imagery is magical and whimsical, including the rather charming titular castle, which clatters and wheezes, walking on mechanical legs. Compassion emerges as one of the film's major themes.

6							The Journey to the Center of the Earth
						Rated PG 2008 1 hr 29 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 8+, Kids 8+

Parents need to know that there's plenty for kids to love in this swashbuckling adventure that brings Jules Verne's classic novel to life. Some special effects may be scary for younger tweens, especially the dinosaurs and other creatures that attack humans -- and especially when viewed in 3-D. But there's hardly any swearing and there are plenty of role models, notably a female mountain guide who clearly isn't a damsel in distress.

7									Hoot
							Rated PG 2006 1 hr 30 min
							Common Sense 8+,Parents 7+,Kids 8+

Parents need to know the film concerns a corporation's illegal effort to build a restaurant on protected land. To stop a saboteur, the local corporate employee sets mousetraps and sends out trained attack dogs. The kids who are trying to stop the building also engage in illegal activities, such as setting loose alligators and cottonmouth snakes, deflating tires, spray-painting a police cruiser, organizing a town meeting under false pretenses, and tying up the villain in a closet. The company boss lies, cheats, and treats his girlfriend callously. Kids and adults use mildly obnoxious language ("dork," "sucks"). A chaste flirtation develops between the boy and girl protagonists.

8								The Tale of Despereaux
							Rated G 2008 1 hr 33 min
							Common Sense 6+, Parents 6+, Kids 7+

Parents need to know that although it's animated, this adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's popular Newbery-winning fantasy about a brave mouse tackles mature themes like longing, grief, loyalty, and hurt. There's nothing worrisome in the story aside from a relatively minor character's sudden heart attack and a few scenes of implied violence (there isn't any blood or guns, though Despereaux has a fascination with swords). But because the story's pacing is slower than most animated films and the themes could be difficult for preschool children to grasp, it may be hard for the family's littlest members to understand what some of the characters are feeling.

9								Nim’s Island
							Rated PG 2008 1 hr 35 min
							Common Sense 7+, Parents 8+, Kids 7+
Parents need to know that Nim's Island is kid-friendly adventure movie that has some intense moments of peril (particularly during two scary storms) but is ultimately a positive story with a great role model for tween girls (and boys!). The book-and-science-loving 11-year-old heroine is left alone on a tropical island by her father (her mother died when she was a baby, which is explained in the opening sequence) and has to fend for herself when he's delayed in getting back to her. She gets scared and upset and even hurts herself, all of which may bother some young and/or sensitive kids, but she's also resourceful and not afraid to ask for help.

10							Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
						Rated PG 2005 1 hr 55 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 8+, Kids 8+

Parents need to know that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a colorful kids' adventure that -- like the book -- includes some intense scenes. Obnoxious children are ridiculed visually and in words by the Oompa Loompas and dispatched. One girl blows up into a giant blueberry, another boy is sucked into a tube, the other girl is attacked and pinned down by squirrels who proceed to throw her down a garbage chute. In one early scene, dolls burn up and their eyeballs pop out. The movie is much closer in dark tone to the book than its cinematic predecessor. Willy Wonka himself seems to disdain families.

11								The Jungle Book
							Rated PG 2016 1 hr 35 min
							Common Sense 9+, Parents 8+, Kids 9+

Parents need to know that The Jungle Book is a live-action/CGI update of Rudyard Kipling's classic book of short stories that has many scary/intense scenes involving menacing wild animals. With its blend of live-action and photo-realistic computer-generated effects, this action-packed adventure -- which was inspired by Disney's 1967 animated musical and has an all-star voice cast that includes Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, and Scarlett Johansson -- tells the story of young Mowgli (Neel Sethi), the orphaned "man cub" raised as a wolf and hated by the jungle's most vicious predator, tiger Shere Khan. There are several jump-worthy, intense moments (including one sudden and particularly sad death and several vicious animal fight sequences involving fangs, fur, claws, snarls, and roars) that are very likely to scare younger viewers (especially when seen in 3-D). Kids who are familiar with the story and know the animals they're seeing aren't real will probably be fine, but preschoolers and younger elementary-aged kids who have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality may not be able to handle Mowgli's frequent peril. All of that said, on the definite upside, the movie is gorgeous, and there are clear, strong messages about the importance of courage, teamwork, family (especially the non-traditional kind), and friendship.

12							Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
							Rated PG 2001 2hrs 32 min
							Common Sense 7+, Parents 7+, Kids 7+

Parents need to know that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first movie in the massively popular and successful Harry Potter series (all based on the books by J.K. Rowling), has some intense and scary moments. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and friends -- who are only 11 years old here -- are in peril and get hurt, but not seriously, and most of the scares come from fantasy creatures. There's a flashback to the (bloodless) death of Harry's parents and discussion about how they died and the villain who killed them. Characters show courage, teamwork, and loyalty. Friendship, standing up for others, expressing compassion, generosity, perseverance, and the triumph of the underdog are also strong themes.


13							Ella Enchanted
						Rated PG 2004 1 hr 34 min
						Common Sense 8+, Parents 7+, Kids 7+

Parents need to know that Ella Enchanted has some crude language ("bite me," "cute butt") and social drinking. It is supposed to be humorous when a character gets tipsy and has a drinking problem. There is violence, including fighting, knives, and swordplay, and there are a couple scary scenes where a main character is in peril. A character is hit in the crotch in a slapstick fight. In a more serious fight, it appears that a character is killed, but it turns out not to be the case. Ella's mother becomes ill and dies. Ella is ordered to shoplift and due to the curse, must obey.

14 							The Call of the Wild
						Rated PG 2020 1 hr 42 min
						Common Sense 9+, Parents 9+, Kids 9+

Parents need to know that The Call of the Wild is a family-friendly adaptation of Jack London's classic novel. Starring Harrison Ford, it's a simpler, somewhat sanitized take on the book -- which makes it more appropriate for younger viewers -- but the themes and messages of London's story are still as crisp as a Yukon sunrise. Canine hero Buck and his friends are often in peril; the dogs escape it, but humans, not always. Buck suffers one significant hit from a human on-screen, and additional animal abuse is implied through taunts, the sound and verbal acknowledgement of a whip, and seeing dogs passed out, pushed beyond their limit. Ford's character, John Thornton, stands up to Buck's owner about this cruel treatment, and Buck stands up to his pack's alpha dog, Spitz, who also behaves with bullying behavior. There's an epic dog fight as a result, but both animals end up fine (the same unfortunately can't be said for a cute rabbit that's killed by a mean dog). The movie is set on the frontier, where the saloon is the center of the community. Alcohol flows, but drinking is negatively portrayed, and Buck actually teaches temperance. The theme of this story has always been that life is a two-sided coin: You'll encounter the good with the bad, the great with the terrible, moments of danger and moments of security. Life is unfair, but it's also what you make of it, with new beginnings and final endings. And through the eyes of a CGI dog set against gorgeous scenery, it's an exhilarating family experience with themes of courage, perseverance, and teamwork.