Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movies for Kids (2026) | Plugged In

What do kids look for in movies?

Is it bright colors and fun animation? Maybe it’s cute characters and catchy one-liners. Perhaps it’s all about the story—something filled with adventure and fun. Or it might be all of that and more: Our kids can often be more perceptive than we give them credit for.

Older children may see a bit of themselves in Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s Greg Heffley. They might understand Judy Hopps’ desire to prove herself in Zootopia 2. And while younger kiddos may wind up mimicking some of the potty humor found in some movies, they might also imitate the polite behaviors demonstrated by Paddington Bear and the Brown family in Paddington in Peru.

So what should parents look for in movies?

At Plugged In, we’ve watched a lot of movies for kids and considered all their pros and cons, and we’ve nominated five films for the Best Movies for Kids category in our annual Plugged In Movie Awards.

These films, which are all rated PG, carry strong messages about familial love, friendship and kindness. They teach lessons in patience and self-control. They encourage us to conquer prejudices and celebrate our differences. And they cover themes dealing with grief, self-doubt and simply doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.

Of course, you’ll still want to read our full reviews of each of these titles to make sure they’re right for your family. But once you do, we’d love to hear your thoughts, too!

Vote for your favorite kids’ movies released in 2025 at this link. Voting closes March 1, and we’ll announce winners by March 11.

(Summaries written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose and Emily Tsiao.)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (PG)

Greg Heffley is not a role model. His decisions are mostly terrible. His attitude is mostly abysmal. And yet, in Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (and the corresponding movies), he often stumbles into a good life lesson or two—and so do we.

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Greg is forced to spend time with (ugh) his dad as they try to earn badges for a scouting troop. Greg just knows he’s going to hate every single minute of it—until he realizes, much to his surprise, that his boring ol’ dad isn’t so boring after all.

If The Last Straw was itself part of a fictional scouting troop, it’d earn a few demerits for bathroom humor and crude behavior. But it earns a badge for offering surprisingly sweet moments that don’t feel treacly. It encourages parents and kids to spend time together—and reminds them that they both may have more in common than you think.

Dog Man (PG)

The movie Dog Man focuses on a stalwart pair of police partners: the athletic and brave Officer Knight and his bright and faithful dog, Greg.

One day, the duo gets caught up in a horrible accident. They’re rushed to the hospital, where the attending doc declares that Officer Knight’s head is just no good anymore. And Greg’s body is no good either. All is lost … until a nurse steps up to suggest that they simply sew Greg’s head onto Officer Knight’s body. Which, of course, is a brilliant idea! Greg’s smarts paired with Knight’s athleticism results in nothing less than Dog Man, a truly terrific super cop!

Dog Man is a fast-paced and goofy romp that’s all over the place with its zaniness. Parents will definitely roll their eyes at some of the punchlines (along with some of the potty humor). But the movie focuses on the life-transforming nature of familial love. And it takes the time to suggest that an earnest offer of friendship can go a long way toward melting bitter feelings of the past.

Paddington in Peru (PG)

When Paddington’s Aunt Lucy goes missing from her bear retirement home in Peru, Paddington travels from his home in England to find her. His adoptive family, the Browns, tag along for the trip, hoping to get in some quality family time on the trip.

There’s a little mysticism at play here, including some ghostly apparitions and vision-like dreams. It’s revealed that Aunt Lucy didn’t just go missing, she was essentially kidnapped (bear-napped?). And bad guys who tell lies cause much of the movie’s chaos and peril.

However, Paddington doesn’t let any of that get him down. He’s a persistent optimist. And even when other people do bad things, he doesn’t let himself sink to their level. Rather, he continues to look for the good in everyone.

But what really makes Paddington in Peru shine is that even when the going gets tough, Paddington and the Browns never stop being kind—to each other and to those around them. After all, just because others have forgotten their manners is no excuse to forget your own.

Sketch (PG)

In Angel’s Sketch, two siblings named Amber and Jack find themselves fighting against monsters when Amber’s drawings start magically coming to life.

Some early viewers of Sketch were shocked by just how scary this film is. And certainly, it qualifies as a horror film (albeit one made for kids). But Amber’s dark creatures match up with how the 10-year-old is feeling. She’s angry and sad over her mom’s recent death. Worse still, big brother Jack and dad Taylor have essentially told her she just needs to move on, to be normal.

But that’s what this film is really about. It’s about how Jack and Taylor realize they’ve been suppressing their own pain—that they’ve been trying to pretend mom’s death didn’t happen. But once they rally behind Amber, the family learns how to grieve and process all those complex, dark and painful feelings together, as a team.

Content-wise, there are the horror elements I mentioned. Sketch has some raw language, too, including a single use of the s-word. But the powerful messages about family—not to mention the fun adventure aspects and comedic bits—bring balance to this movie about moving on from tragedy and grief.

Zootopia 2 (PG)

Who would’ve thought that a wily fox and wholesome rabbit would make the perfect crime-fighting partners? Certainly not the leaders of Zootopia. As far as they were concerned, predators and prey simply couldn’t work together: They were just too different.

But Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde proved them wrong. The unlikely duo saved the city from disaster and stopped a maniacal sheep from taking over. Of course, now that it’s over, the friends have realized they still have some work to do—on themselves.

Zootopia 2 is filled with winking nods to the moms and dads in the crowd. But those content issues will likely go over the heads of younger viewers. Nick and Judy face some light peril and go up against a few dangerous animals. There’s a bit of betrayal and double-crossing. And parents will also want to note some potty humor and silly gags that they wouldn’t necessarily want their kids mimicking.

All in all, those problems are pretty navigable, though. Especially since Zootopia 2 continues to deliver nice messages about conquering prejudices and celebrating our differences.

Cast your vote for the Plugged In Movie Awards here!

Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments. And check out our nominees for Best Movies for Teens, Best Movies for Adults and Best Christian Movies.

 

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Nearly half of Netflix’s shows expose children to LGBT indoctrination | WINTERY KNIGHT

Nearly half of Netflix’s shows expose children to LGBT indoctrination

I found an interesting article by Beth Brelje in The Federalist. She writes about how Netflix shows indoctrinate children in pro-LGBT propaganda. Children often believe false ideas for all sorts of bad reasons. Just think of how many take out student loans for degrees that don’t result in jobs with good salaries. After that, I have two studies about how TV influences our attitudes on LGBT.

First, the article from The Federalist:

Some 41 percent of children’s shows on Netflix are pushing the LGBT agenda, according to a recently released report by Concerned Women for America (CWA).

CWA analyzed Netflix programming ratings for children and found 41 percent of both G-rated and TV-Y7-rated series on Netflix contain LGBT content.

Why is this happening?

It is not an accident that more LGBT characters are being written into storylines across media. It is encouraged by the nonprofit Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Each year, GLAAD produces the “Where We Are on TV Report,” tracking representation.

“Between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025, GLAAD counted 489 LGBT regular or recurring characters in total. This is a 4% increase and 21 additional characters from 468 characters counted in the previous edition,” the 2025 report said.

What’s shocking is how much representation is aimed at children. LGBT activists are well aware that parents feel it is not a topic for their children to explore without parental guidance. Sneaking it into children’s programming is a blatant attempt to change the culture.

I ran into this problem when I was in my mid-20s. My co-workers were watching a television show called “Will & Grace” (which had nothing to do with soteriology). It was a portrayal of a gay character in positive ways, and this was having a huge effect on the attitudes of young people to LGBT.

It didn’t make any sense to me, because around that time I was reading books about LGBT by scientists, therapists and medical doctors like Jeffrey Satinover and Charles Socarides.But while I was getting more accurate views of LGBT, everyone else was watching propaganda. And they were coming to opposite conclusions than I did. This was especially troubling because at that time I wanted to get married. And what I found was that young Christian women in particular seemed to be getting liberal on moral issues. And today, it’s become a huge split between young men and young women. Even back then, parents and pastors didn’t seem to think that it was a big deal that young women were becoming more liberal because of TV shows and movies.

Let’s look at two studies about this topic and see if there is any data to support my thesis.

The first study is “Can One TV Show Make a Difference? Will & Grace and the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis“. It was published in the Journal of Homosexuality (Volume 53, Issue 4, 2007). This study tested whether repeated exposure to positive gay characters in Will & Grace (which aired from 1998–2006 and reached 25 million weekly viewers at its peak) could foster similar attitude shifts among straight audiences who rarely knew gay people personally. And what they found was that showing episodes of the show to undergraduate students reduced their opposition to LGBT. The more episodes shown, the more positive their views of LGBT.

The second study is “Exposure to the Lives of Lesbians and Gays and the Origin of Young People’s Greater Support for Gay Rights“. It was published in the International Journal of Public Opinion Research in November 2014. The study tested the impact of exposure to LGBT characters in popular media, focusing on the sitcom Grace Under Fire (1993–1998), which featured a recurring gay character. And what they found was that frequent viewing of the show produced more positive views of LGBT behaviors, as well as LGBT-friendly policies.

So, you can clearly see how watching TV shows and movies – which are fiction – can change your attitudes to be out of alignment with actual evidence. And I think that if those changes are related to areas where the Bible has spoken – like the definition of marriage, objective vs subjective truth, etc. – then it can cause people to turn away from the Bible and / or Christianity. The new feelings and attitudes that came from TV and movies clash with the Bible and Christian worldview, and the entertainment wins. For example, a young Christian might watch TV shows that paint divorce in a positive light, and then leave Christianity because it is too “restrictive” or “repressive” or “intolerant” or “bigoted”.

Consider the following movies:

• Eat Pray Love
• Sex and the City
• The Bridges of Madison County
• Fifty Shades of Grey
• The Notebook
• Pretty Woman

These movies are VERY popular with young people, but they portray very, very negative views of sex, marriage, male headship, child-bearing, etc. The important thing is NOT that these movies disagree with the Bible, with church, or with Christianity. The problem is that the views presented in these movies are FALSE views that can result in tragic life outcomes. These popular movies are teaching people to proceed on life plans that do not lead to successful outcomes. It’s as if people were learning from TV and movies to rely on the lottery for their retirement savings. This does not work in real life. And yet, because it is in the TV shows and the movies that have fancy clothes and big explosions and beautiful people, people chart the course of their lives based on their views.

This is very serious.

Lately, I have been spending a bit more time on cooking, weights and cardio. I was able to do this because I found good TV shows to watch while doing these things.

I watch shows like “The Rifleman”:

Season 1 playlist:

Season 2 playlist:

Season 3 playlist:

Season 4 playlist:

Season 5 playlist:

I also listen to military history audio books. For moral and truth issues, stick to non-fiction. I don’t recommend reading fiction at all.

I think video games are better than TV and movies, because you actually get to make plans and decisions and execute and adapt. If you use Steam, there are curators who detect woke content in games. I play military simulation games like The Troop or Armored Brigade II. Next year, I want to play Sea Power and Task Force Admiral. (You can watch me play The Troop on my YouTube channel). And I love solo military board games, like Skies Above Britain, Atlantic Chase, and Carrier Battle: Philippine Sea. I don’t want to have my views change because of the entertainment I choose.

The Spiritual Side Of ‘Stranger Things’: 3 Ways Faith Shapes The Netflix Series | Religion Unplugged

The hit series “Stranger Things” has become one of the biggest shows ever streamed on Netflix. The series, featuring a nostalgic mix of 1980s pop culture, government conspiracies and creatures from another dimension, have captivated millions across the world.  

While the series is about the supernatural with a sci-fi twist, “Stranger Things” delves into a surprisingly deep exploration of faith, highlighted primarily by a spiritual struggle between good and evil.

Twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the series, may not have ever set out to tell a religious story, but “Stranger Things” — whose fifth and final season in three parts premieres on Wednesday — does tap into the same timeless themes found in spiritual texts. Shawn Levy has worked as the series’ director and executive producer.

READ: Faith Deserves Better News Coverage — And Here’s How You Can Help

Season 5 is set in the fall of 1987. The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, is turned into a wasteland as the show’s protagonists must find and kill Vecna. At the same time, the town is under military quarantine as the hunt for Eleven grows.  

“Having watched the final version of the final episode of the final season of ‘Stranger Things,’ it is a masterpiece,” Levy said recently. “The Duffers have stuck that landing. So 10 out of 10 perfect. And I know it sounds like I’m kind of promoting my own show, but this is really said with just deference and tremendous respect to Matt and Ross, who wrote and directed that finale episode. And it is so deeply satisfying and moving. I have to say, it wrecked me.”

Levy said he and the Duffers have talked about getting the finale right.  

“Sticking the landing is imperative,” Levy added. “A lot of sins are forgotten and forgiven if you can stick the landing. I won’t name the movies where this applies, where the middle is saggy and flawed, but boy, if they stick the landing, that’s what you take with you. It was always a non-negotiable mandate — a self-given mandate — to stick the landing.”

Here are three storylines tied to religion that have shaped “Stranger Things”:

Good vs. evil

At the heart of “Stranger Things” is a cosmic struggle that’s more than just physical. The Upside Down, a dark world that mirrors Earth — is not just a sci-fi concept, but represents spiritual darkness. Like hell, it is a place where fear, guilt and pain manifests into living nightmares.

The monsters that emerge from it, from the Demogorgon to Vecna, resemble demonic entities that feed on human weakness. Vecna, in particular, acts like a fallen angel — a devil-like figure consumed by pride and hatred, drawing strength from tormenting others. The series also tackled the “satanic panic” of the ‘80s.

“Vecna is the ultimate accuser, tormenting his victims with their darkest thoughts, their sense of self-disgust, and feelings of guilt and shame before he kills them,” Sophie Caldecott wrote in Humanum. “He attempts to convince them that they are unlovable, beyond redemption, without hope.”

Meanwhile, the kids of in the fictitious Indiana town of Hawkins — Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will and their friends — form a kind of spiritual resistance. Their weapons aren’t crosses or holy water but love and courage. The power of friendship, often dismissed as sentimental, becomes a force of light that literally repels darkness.

Messianic figure vs. the occult

Few characters embody the idea of a “chosen one” more than Eleven. From the moment she appears, head shaved and frightened, she carries the weight of being different — marked by powers that both bless and curse her. Eleven’s story arc is full of biblical echoes. She is misunderstood and destined to face evil alone. She sacrifices herself at the end of Season 1 to defeat the Demogorgon — an act that parallels Jesus’ crucifixion — and then experiences a resurrection of sorts the following season.

“The show’s protagonist is a girl named Eleven. She is pretty clearly a Christ figure (her nickname, El, even means “God” in Hebrew),” Wesley Walker noted in Relevant. “She has a mysterious birth story and her true father is never mentioned, even though her mother does make an appearance. She possesses seemingly miraculous telekinetic powers.”

Even Eleven’s relationships — her friends serve almost like followers or disciples — reflect the redemptive power of love. She saves others with compassion and connection. Though religion is never explicitly mentioned in “Stranger Things,” its visual and narrative language borrows heavily from religious and occult symbolism. Crosses often appear subtly in scenes of mourning, grounding the series in small-town Christian culture.

At the same time, there’s also a fascinating tension between science and the supernatural. The lab that created Eleven represents humanity’s quest for God-like power in an effort to open forbidden doors and control what should remain unseen.

Redemption vs. forgiveness

Despite its many monsters, “Stranger Things” is ultimately a story about the spiritual theme of redemption.

Steve Harrington’s transformation from arrogant high-school jock to selfless hero and mentor reveals that grace is even for the least likely person. Also, Hopper’s journey is one of atonement — seeking forgiveness for his failures as a father — by finding new purpose in protecting Eleven. A character like Billy Hargrove, whose cruelty is born from his own inner demons, receives moments of grace before his death.  

The most moving storyline may be Eleven’s painful process of forgiving Dr. Brenner, who manipulated her from an early age. Forgiveness doesn’t erase her suffering, but it frees her from it.

“Stranger Things” is not a religious series, but is deeply spiritual. It reminds viewers that faith can take many forms: Belief in friends, hope in the face of loss and light defying darkness.

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Clemente Lisi is executive editor at Religion Unplugged.

https://religionunplugged.com/news/stranger-things-ways-faith-shapes-the-netflix-series

Meghan Markle Announces New Netflix Show That Features Her Dealing With The Negative Fallout From Her Netflix Show | Babylon Bee

MONTECITO, CA — Meghan Markle announced another Netflix series in which she will discuss how she is dealing with the trauma of the bad reviews from her previous Netflix show.

Producers explained that the next show would follow the Duchess of Sussex as she seeks to discover the reasons for the failure of the last show.

“It’s an in-depth Netflix show about the failure of my Netflix show,” Markle said. “It’ll be eight episodes of me talking about how badly I felt reading all the fallout from people who watched the previous show. I need a lot of space to process the hate, and I invite a lot of my good celebrity friends over to help me work through the trauma.”

Markle’s first Netflix series “With Love, Meghan” garnered excoriating reviews, with social media reactions ranging from “This is pretty bad” to “I wish I’d been kidnapped by the CIA and waterboarded so I didn’t have to watch it.” The series featured episodes with her arranging pre-cut fruit on a tray, moving pretzels from one bag to another, and drinking margaritas on the lawn of her giant mansion.

In Markle’s new show, however, she will work through the pain of dealing with the negative reviews from her first show. “I want to be left alone,” she continued. “And I need privacy, and I can’t deal with this trauma and, José? Are you getting all this on camera? These are real tears!”

At publishing time, Markle and Netflix had already announced a third show to deal with the negative reviews from the second show in which she copes with the bad reviews from the first show.

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Under a new presidential order, posting in support of Ukraine will automatically draft you into the military.

https://babylonbee.com/news/meghan-markle-announces-new-netflix-show-that-features-her-dealing-with-the-negative-fallout-from-her-netflix-show/