Family Movie Nights

To help families spend time together and share common experiences, The Leadership Institute provides recommendations for Family Movie Night. Each week, a new movie recommendation and explanation is available for your consideration. Enjoy the show!

If you are looking to see where a particular movie is streaming or is available online, please visit https://www.justwatch.com

The Great Mouse Detective
Here’s an often-overlooked gem from the Disney animated canon. The young Olivia lives with her doting toymaker father in Victorian London’s rodent underworld. When her father is suddenly and mysteriously… Read More
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Why not start the summer with a classic family musical? In early 20th century England, eccentric but unlucky inventor Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) and his two children rescue an… Read More
The Lorax
This week’s film is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s classic story that warns us of the potential costs, both spiritual and environmental, of excessive materialism and greed. Ted is a… Read More
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
As the US just experienced another solar eclipse, this week’s movie features perhaps the most famous use of an eclipse as a plot device. When mechanic Hank Martin (Bing Crosby)… Read More
The Great Muppet Caper
Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the Muppet gang invade England in this week’s film. Kermit and Fozzie play identical twin brothers trying to succeed as investigative reporters when… Read More
Singin’ in the Rain
Here’s a classic from the 50s that’s essential viewing for any movie lover. It’s the 1920s, and movies with sound are the new innovation. But silent film star Don Lockwood… Read More
The Music Man
How about another classic musical for the patriotic week? Harold Hill is a traveling conman eager to swindle some money from the citizens of a small Iowa town. Pretending to… Read More
Anastasia
This week’s film is a popular animated adventure from the 90s. Orphaned as a child, the young adult Anya remembers very little of her early childhood, and wants to find… Read More
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
When the young Josh Primm and his family move into a new house in the city, Josh is miserable. He has no friends in this new place and is picked… Read More
An American Tail
This week’s film is an animated classic from the mid-80’s. After their home in Russia is destroyed, the seven-year-old mouse Fievel and his family board a ship bound for New… Read More
Matilda the Musical
This week’s film is a recent release. We recommended the 1996 adaptation some time ago, but that version had a serious lack of singing and dancing.  Based on the popular… Read More