Struggling to keep the kids entertained this summer holiday? Take part in our new 'Boredom Buster' challenge.
What better way to spend your summer holidays than a good old fashioned family movie night, followed by an activity inspired by the film you’ve just watched? Take part in our summer holiday ‘Boredom Buster’ challenge this August.
Devised by our Youth Panel, take a look at our curated list of films and suggested activities to get your family out and about this summer holiday.
Don't forget to tag us in your pictures on social media. Every week throughout August we’ll be spotlighting a different film and activity on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We’ll be picking our favourites each week to win a BBFC goody bag!
And check out Find Any Film to discover where you can stream all these films.
Finding Dory
infrequent mild threat
Finding Dory is an animated adventure sequel about a fish with short term memory loss who sets out to find her parents.
Suggested activity: Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.. head to the pool this summer for a splash around. Now, where are those goggles…
Threat
There are infrequent scenes of mild threat, including a sequence in which the main characters are chased by a giant squid. In one scene, a baby fish strays into a strong water current and is swept away, causing some brief distress.
There are brief scenes of emotional distress in which a character believes she has lost her parents and may never see them again, although the narrative ultimately has a positive outcome.
There is infrequent use of some very mild terms, including 'heck' and 'darn'.
Happy Feet
Contains scary moments
Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!
Suggested activity: Grab your fellow penguins, ahem, we mean family members, and make up a new dance routine together. The happier the feet, the better! How’s your cha cha slide?
Ponyo
Contains very mild threat
Ponyo is a Japanese animated film in which a goldfish falls in love with a boy who lives in the local village.
Suggested activity: Ponyo lives in a seaside town, so why don’t you day trip down to the closest beach. What’s better than fish and chips, paddling, and making sandcastles in the sun?
Threat
In one scene, the heroine is caught in a trawler's net, and in another scene a tsunami threatens a village; however, there are reassuring outcomes.
There is an isolated use of very mild bad language ('jerk'), and a scene in which a woman tells her son that a character is a 'freak show', before swiftly telling him that people should not judge others strictly by appearance.
In one scene, a child lights a match from a box of safety matches; however, the context is fantastical as the matches are used on a candle that has been greatly increased in size via the use of magic.
Angry Birds
very mild bad language, comic slapstick, innuendo, toilet humour
Angry Birds is an animated adventure about a bird with anger management issues who must come to the aid of his island when pigs arrive to steal eggs.
Suggested activity: While you might not spot any bright yellow or red birds, or green pigs, spend an afternoon in your garden seeing which birds you and your kids can spot. Keep a note of what you see in a journal, and encourage your kids to draw a picture to go alongside it.
Language
There is occasional use of very mild bad language, including 'God', 'screw up', 'hell', 'butt', 'Holy Moly', and 'heck'.
Violence
Frequent scenes of comic slapstick include characters tripping, falling, exploding, getting thrown through buildings and catapulted through the air, although none are hurt in the process.
Infrequent very mild innuendo includes references to a fertility clinic and a bird referring to his 'giblets' when he lands with a branch between his legs.
Occasional toilet humour includes a character urinating into a pool for an extended period of time, a character who has magic farts, and scenes of characters dancing and wiggling their backsides.
Peter Rabbit
mild threat, comic violence
Peter Rabbit is an animated adaptation of the Beatrix Potter story in which a rabbit tries to outwit a farmer and save his supply of food.
Suggested activity: Get out into the garden and do some gardening together. You could even use the summer holidays to try and get your kids to grow their own vegetables or flowers, just like Mr McGreggor!
Threat
There is threat to the animals involving variety of makeshift weapons including garden implements and sticks of dynamite.
Violence
There is comic violence when Peter and the farmer fight each other, with lots of slapping and kicking and comical pratfalls. There are some scenes where electricity is used to comic effect but nobody is ever hurt.
In one scene, a character who is allergic to blackberries is pelted with the fruit and must use an epipen to counteract the effects.
Kung Fu Panda
Contains mild martial arts action
Kung Fu Panda is an animated comedy about a cheerful, overweight Panda, who is chosen to train in martial arts in order to battle a feared Snow Leopard fighter.
Suggested activity: Channel your inner Po, and find a local martial arts class to take part in.
Violence
There are scenes of mild martial arts action violence in which characters perform over-exaggerated kung fu moves, which include occasional kicks, punches and blows to the head, as well sight of one character putting his hand around another's neck. None of the action sequences are particularly intense, and all the violence is heavily stylised with no sight of injury.
Early Man
infrequent mild bad language, threat
Language
There is infrequent use of mild bad language ('crap'), as well as milder terms such as 'screw up'.
Threat
The cavemen are attacked by armoured mammoths and a giant, fanged duck. A meteor strikes the Earth causing destruction. These moments of threat are brief and punctuated by comedy.
There is very mild comic violence. Attackers fire arrows and throw spears, but without causing injury.
There is very mild innuendo, and comic rear nudity.
There is very mild rude humour: a character is hit by a huge bird dropping.
Early Man is an animated comedy in which a caveman tribe must learn to play football in order to regain their homeland from a conquering civilisation.
Suggested activity: This one is obvious – grab your family and get out into the garden or a local park for a kick about!
Miss Potter
Contains one use of mild language
The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness, and success.
Suggested activity: Beatrix Potter was not only famous for her beautiful water colours, but also her creative and imaginative stories about animals. Spend the afternoon coming up with your own tale about woodland creatures with your kids, and if you’ve got time, ask them draw a picture to go along with it.
Coco
mild threat, violence
Coco is a US children's animation in which a boy searches for his musical hero in the Land of the Dead.
Suggested activity: Miguel is obsessed with one thing, and one thing only… playing his guitar! Take inspiration from Miguel and his grandfather, and have a go at practicing a musical instrument – you could even start a family band!
A character is poisoned by a villain. Another is crushed by a heavy object, without detail. There are sequences of fantasy fights, but these are comic in nature. The death of loved ones is a theme of the film.Bad language is very mild ('jerk').
Characters are chased, panic and occasionally despair. A character is frightened when he meets skeletons in a graveyard. These sequences are brief and reassurance is swift.
Wreck It Ralph
Contains mild violence
Wreck It Ralph is an animated film about a character in an old arcade video game who decides he wants to be the hero rather than the baddie.
Suggested activity: This is certainly one for a rainy day when you’re trapped indoors wondering what to do….. A great way to kill a few hours is to grab a console and play video games.
Violence
There are several scenes of comic violence. One scene shows a zombie having his heart pulled out of his chest by another character, with the intention of showing that even 'baddies' have a heart. In other scenes, the central character takes part in a science fiction 'shoot 'em up' video game in which soldiers fire lasers at large bug. In a comical flashback these bugs are also seen to invade a wedding and swallow the groom whole.
During a scene in which two characters are trapped in a swamp, their only hope of escape is by getting some animated ribbons to drop nearer to them by making the ribbons laugh. To do this one character is hit around the head several times, leaving him with a black eye, swollen cheek and missing tooth. However, this character can magically 'fix' everything with his hammer and when he touches it to his face he is entirely healed.
There are also some scenes of mild threat. The video game bugs swarm into a world made of candy and threaten to overrun it completely, with a young girl character appearing particularly vulnerable as they destroy everything around her. The same girl is threatened during a car race as the chief villain tries to make her crash.
The film also contains some mild rude humour, including jokes about 'soiling yourself' and 'peeing' in your pants.
