Finding yourself now with much more time with your children than you had anticipated? Daily Info has got you covered, with ten gems on streaming platforms for the whole family to enjoy.
The Road to El Dorado (Netflix, Now TV)
A box office disappointment on its release, The Road to El Dorado is a delightful romp of a movie. When two charming reprobates find themselves stranded on a tropical island, they end up stumbling across the lost city of El Dorado and are mistaken for gods. Moving at a terrific pace and packed with original songs by Elton John, it has always felt like a mystery that this film hasn’t been more widely embraced by audiences. Change that and fall in love with it today.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Now TV)
Moving beyond the original’s ‘Toy Story but with pets’ set-up, The Secret Life of Pets 2 expands its focus, complete with at least three major strands to its narrative. Watching them weave and mesh together is half of the fun, with the pets voiced by a who’s who of American comedians (Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Hannibal Buress, Ellie Kemper) with Harrison Ford now, bizarrely, in the mix as a surly farm dog. It all makes for a surprisingly endearing watch.
The Book of Life (Netflix)
Before Coco, there was The Book of Life. The Guillermo Del Toro-produced celebration of Mexican culture tells the folk tale of friends competing for the hand of the same girl, and the gods that get involved in their affairs. It’s big, bold and beautifully crafted, with exemplary voice acting from the likes of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum and Ron Perlman.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Now TV)
From one masterpiece to another, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a remarkable achievement. With gorgeous animation, a witty script, emotional depth and complicated sci-fi concepts, the film marries so much together, all whilst being the best iteration of Spider-man we’ve seen. In Into the Spider-Verse, anyone can rise to the mantle of hero, from twenty-something-year-olds with dazzling smiles to animated pigs. This is one film that becomes better with each and every watch: it makes Daily Info’s film guru cry without fail whenever he watches it.
My Neighbour Totoro (Netflix)
One of the best entry points into the huge back catalogue of Studio Ghibli that currently resides on Netflix (from April, and the last batch release, there will be 21 films to choose from) is My Neighbour Totoro. A simple story - two children go to live in the countryside, whilst their mother is sick in hospital, and befriend a forest spirit - it gives way to one of the company’s most effective and delicately-judged explorations of the relationship we have with the natural world around us. Plus the character at the film’s core, Totoro, is a truly wonderful creation.
The Emperor’s New Groove (Now TV, Disney +)
Few Disney films are as fun and unashamedly silly as The Emperor’s New Groove. The flick follows Emperor Kuzco, who is turned into a llama and must work with a local villager to be restored. A short, breezy affair, this is the closest we’ve ever got to a Disney Looney Tunes, with oodles of slapstick and some wonderfully ridiculous set pieces. It’s also worth watching for Patrick Warbuton’s scene-stealing turn as Kronk.
The Dark Crystal (Netflix)
Jim Henson was a creative genius who crafted some truly unique visions. And few match the all-puppet fantasy of The Dark Crystal, with its cacophony of strange creatures and, at times, complicated lore in place. It is nevertheless a beautiful achievement, somewhat overlooked on its first release but now worthy of a huge cult following. It’s so popular that Netflix have produced a new television series set in the universe, which you can dive straight in to afterwards. You certainly have the time to do so, and you will be richly rewarded.
Fantastic Mr Fox (Amazon Prime), The Witches (Now TV), Matilda (Now TV & Netflix), The BFG (Netflix)
As one of the most beloved writers of his generation, it's no surprise that there have been many attempts to adapt Roald Dahl’s work to the big screen. Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox is a fascinating stop-motion experiment that just about meshes the director’s distinctive style with what makes Dahl’s story so charming. The Witches is perhaps one of the scariest children films ever conceived, with a properly upsetting opening (be warned), but it is a strange, delicious concoction with much to appeal to you. There's also the latest adaptation of The BFG to enjoy, mixing heaps of CGI, Spielberg-schmaltz and farting corgis. But perhaps the best of the bunch is Matilda, which is sweet and endearing, with some marvellously mean touches straight from the book. Plus Danny DeVito and Pam Ferris are just iconic here.
Paddington 1 & 2 (Amazon Prime)
Shining out as a beacon of warmth and joy in an increasingly complex world, Paul King’s adaptations of Michael Bond’s beloved stories have almost immediately gained a much-loved status of their own. From Ben Wishaw’s delicately-judged voice acting as the eponymous hero to Hugh Grant’s marvellous scenery-chewing villain in the sequel, they are a masterclass in acting, with even one-scene characters creating a terrific presence. There is so much to love here in a duo of rich, emotionally rewarding films.
Wallace & Gromit (Netflix)
Netflix has not one but four Wallace & Gromit short films on its platform. The quartet are packed with delightful tributes to British cinema, play wonderfully with genre (comedy, thriller, sci-fi, romance) and are masterful examples of the stop-motion craft. The highlight for me is The Wrong Trousers, with enough twists and turns to match any feature-length drama, whilst also containing perhaps the greatest train-set action sequences in cinematic history.