![]() Produced by Stephen Chow ( Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer), it’s unsurprising that this is a high-energy, kinetic romp from start to finish. However, a chance meeting with peasant daughter Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) soon sets Monkey on an altogether more important journey – one to becoming his best self. Determined to prove himself and become an immortal king, Monkey sets out on a perilous journey to vanquish all the demons in the land. Yang ( Crazy Rich Asians) stars here as Monkey, a magical monkey (who’d have thunk?) with superpowers and attitude problems living in 7th century China. Inspired by Wu Cheng’en’s epic 16th-century Chinese novel Journey To The West, The Monkey King, helmed by The Boxtrolls’ Anthony Stacchi, is an action-packed martial arts animation that’s ultimately about what it truly means to belong. ![]() Perhaps most importantly however, Nimona’s story refused to go unheard, sending a powerful message to kids everywhere never be afraid to speak up and stand out. Gorgeously rendered in eye-popping 2.5D animation, Nimona offers a progressive, stereotype-challenging, family friendly parable on self-acceptance, the perils of xenophobia, and the complicated nature of truth that’s all wrapped up in a riotous fantasy adventure. A sort-of revisionist fairytale, the film stars Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Moretz as outlawed knight Ballister “Bal” Blackheart and shapeshifting agent of chaos Nimona, misunderstood malcontents who form an unlikely bond as they try to prove Bal’s innocence. Nick Bruno and Troy Quane’s adaptation of ND Stevenson’s beloved graphic novel is a visually inventive, caustically witty, subversive and diverse animation. But then Netflix resurrected Nimona - and boy are we glad they did. It was canceled, left in cinematic limbo for a while. Marrying visual daring with a real willingness to reach farther than the 40 pages of Yarlett’s book ever could, turns out Kaufman For Kids works. ![]() Capably helmed by first-time director Sean Charmatz, DreamWorks’ latest is that rarest of beasts - a family-friendly film stuffed with bold swings, big ideas, and a mad reference to David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. This Kaufman-penned picture follows youngster Orion (Jacob Tremblay), a typical anxiety-addled Kaufman protagonist in pint-sized form who’s forced to face his fear of the dark when he meets, well, the Dark (Paul Walter Hauser). And its answer arrives here in the form of Orion And The Dark, an ambitious adaptation of Emma Yarlett’s beloved children’s book. ![]() “What if Charlie Kaufman brought his unique brand of existential dread to a vaguely Inside Out evocative DreamWorks animation featuring Werner Herzog narration?” It’s a question we’re sure many a ten-year-old has asked over the years. So whether you are young, have younglings in your life, or are simply young at heart, read on and get ready to fill your watchlist with wall-to-wall bangers. From modern classics to timeless family film favourites, stop-motion masterpieces to horizon-expanding anime, and stories that range from the supremely silly to the poignant and profound, we’d like to think there’s something here for everyone. We’ve got down with the kids, reconnected with the child within, and spent A LOT of time on Netflix to bring you our hand-picked list of the 25 best kids' movies on the streamer. Thankfully, your cool aunt/uncle Empire is here to help. But in an age where you don’t have to leave the house - or even the sofa - to lose yourself in the magic of moving pictures, it can be hard knowing where to begin when it comes to finding the films that will truly connect with the next generation of budding young film buffs. The best of them can even play a pivotal role in shaping who we are and how we see the world we live in. Whether it’s a fantastical voyage to a wondrous realm, an imagination sparking animated adventure, a formative first encounter with a favourite hero or fearsome villain, or perhaps a poignant coming-of-age tale that helps prepare us to take our first steps into a wider world, of one thing we can be certain - the movies we see when we’re kids stay with us for life. There’s a unique magic to be found in the films you discover as a child.
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