Top 9 Worthwhile Memorial Day Movies For Children To Watch

The purpose of the Memorial Day celebration is to honor the valiant deeds of our departed troops, who gave us the freedoms we do today. Apart from engaging in suitable Memorial Day celebrations, viewing movies with military or combat themes might serve as a solemn reminder of the real significance of the occasion.

Though there aren't many films specifically dedicated to Memorial Day viewing, there are plenty of films about the sacrifices made by service members and their families. Many of them focus on American life, romance, friendship, and other related topics, although the majority are dramas or biopics.

Among tons of films, we selected kid-appropriate movies for this list. They guarantee to make your kids appreciate the troops and their liberties even more. Let's explore this list of Memorial Day movies for kids.

Sgt Stubby: An Unlikely Hero 

This captivating, endearing, and entertainingly instructive film serves as a wonderful, poignant introduction to the War To End All Wars for younger audiences. It is an animated journey based on the true story of a dog that was highly decorated during World War I. At the conclusion, it will also leave parents and older children in a sloppy heap.

Senior viewers will appreciate the plot and the addition of Gerard Depardieu as a weary French soldier who befriends Conroy and the dog, but younger viewers will fall in love with Stubby right away because, happily, the animators kept him as realistic as possible in terms of appearance and voice.

Bedknobs And Broomsticks

Geared for lovers of Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a charming blend of live action, animation, and song. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and is based on books written by Mary Norton, who also penned The Borrowers. Set in World War II-era England, it features a delightfully British cast, including Bruce Forsyth. After being evacuated from London, three children are placed under the care of apprentice witch Eglantine Price (Lansbury). They are soon transported on a fantastical journey (on a flying bed) in search of a particular spell book. Along the way, they come across a country inhabited by talking animals and malevolent Nazis, as well as Eglantine's dishonest magical teacher, Tomlinson.

Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang

The nanny who shows up at your door when you need her and disappears when you don't is Nanny McPhee (Thomson, who also wrote the screenplay). She may not be as adorable as Mary Poppins—in fact, her visage is scarier at first glance due to warts, bushy eyebrows, and a nice set of buck teeth—but there is something endearing about her as she goes about imparting valuable life lessons to kids. Naturally, the fantastical caretaker made her debut in the charming Victorian-era film Nanny McPhee, and now she's back for more shenanigans in this entertaining follow-up.

Unlike the first film, which took place in a charming, fairytale-esque version of England with a backdrop of war, this one is more grounded in reality. Although this results in a rather erratic tone—it's whimsical one minute, gritty the next—it's nevertheless a delightful family treat because of some great performances (including cameos from Ralph Fiennes and Ewan McGregor) and kid-friendly gags.

Valiant

After providing the voice of Rodney Copperbottom in Robots, Ewan McGregor appears to have spent the majority of 2004 in a recording studio. He later voiced the protagonist of the British animated film Valiant.

Thankfully, he sheds his fake American accent here to portray a brave British pigeon that enlists in the Royal Homing Pigeon Service during World War II. This wing—pardon the pun—of the British military did exist since homing pigeons were used to transmit communications amongst the Allied Forces, and some of them even received medals for their bravery.

The Book Thief

Based on Markus Zusak's novel, this Second World War drama for older kids (those under ten) tells the tale of young Liesel (Nelisse), who was adopted and placed with foster parents in Germany in 1939. Liesel moves into a new home where she is raised by stern Rosa (Watson) and her compassionate husband Hans (Rush). Liesel develops a love for reading under their tutelage and eventually breaks into the home of a wealthy local family that has an extensive collection of books. But when Hans consents to give a young Jewish guy refuge in the family basement, the battle eventually comes to their front door.

The Diary Of Anne Frank

This drama, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage production of the same name, was naturally inspired by the diaries of a young Jewish girl who spent two years hiding from the Nazis during the Second World War in the Netherlands. When 13-year-old Anne (Perkins, making her on-screen debut) began journaling about the prohibitions imposed on Jews, she, her parents, and her sister were forced to take refuge at a location other than their father's business. The Van Daans and their son Peter join them, and the two families live in secrecy for over two years out of fear of being caught by the Gestapo. Although nothing can fully capture the daily grind of hiding and the horror of war as Anne did in her original diary, this film does a fantastic job of translating her words to the big screen. While this famous tale may seem slow to younger readers, it will touch older readers in the end.

A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett's book was adapted into a girly movie that delighted audiences with its portrayal of The Little Princess, a 1939 film starring Shirley Temple. Alfonso Cuarón, a Mexican director, was also responsible for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sara Matthews, a little girl, is taken to a private boarding school under the cruel Miss Minchin (Bron) after her father leaves for the war. The little child takes comfort in an imaginative world and uses her dreams as an escape from reality when word of her father's disappearance reaches the school, forcing her to serve as a servant.

It's a beautiful, frequently thrilling story that Cuarón handles masterfully. Rather than treating the movie as if it were only for children, he directs and creates a work that appeals to adults and children alike. A genuine delight.

The Railway Children

A charming vintage English film, adapted from the E. Nesbit story, Five Children and It. The Waterbury family, who have no money to speak of, must take the kids to live in a dilapidated Yorkshire cottage after their father Charles (Iain Cuthbertson) is abducted one night by some mystery guys. When the kids get there, they get captivated by the local train and make friends with the stationmaster (Bernard Cribbins), not knowing what happened to their beloved father. This wonderful version of a well-loved tale, with lovely performances by Agutter as the eldest kid Bobbie and Sally Thomsett as sister Phyllis, is a very beautiful tale about love, loyalty, generosity, and growing up. Everyone should watch this film—as long as they have tissues on ready for when Bobbie yells, "Daddy!"—because it's one of those that makes us ache for a childhood we never had and a lush, green-field England that rarely exists anymore. 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 

Asa Butterfield plays little Bruno, who moves with his family to what he believes is a farm after his father gets promoted and is told not to play in the backyard. Upon venturing forward, he finds a camp encircled by a barbed wire fence and strikes up a conversation with a youngster called Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), who requests food and sports a striped clothing that Bruno mistakenly believes to be pajamas. This is a powerful look at the Holocaust that will offend younger audiences.

Final Word

In conclusion, I hope you can pick up one drama or two more among out of those above to spread the Memorial Day spirit for your kid. Besides watching movies, you can create various activities like dealing with worksheets, playing printable games, and more. All are available in our Memorial Day Worksheets. 

Otherwise, it is beneficial to collect some interesting Memorial Day books for kids to read instead of watching movies. It's totally up to you.