Wholesome TV + Movies

Julia requested a post on our favorite TV shows and movies! My list is probably not that great but I guess at least it's something, right? A few favorites: 

America's Funniest Videos (TV, secular)... The whole family enjoys watching this once in a while... Silly goof-ups, animals doing funny things, etc. 

Anne of Green Gables (Movie, secular)... One of my old favorites! I like this version, too. I still adore the book. I also really want to try Anne (TV) but our library doesn't have it on DVD. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's (movie, secular)... Holly Golightley is such a mess! I love this movie. 

Cedar Cove (TV, secular)... This Hallmark Channel show has that classic cheesy Hallmark feel to it so we didn't adore it but we did love having a mostly appropriate show to curl up and watch.

Daniel Tiger (TV, secular)... This is a preschool show all four of my kids adored around ages 2-4, based on Mr Rogers' puppet characters. 

Family Home Overhaul (TV, secular)... This Canadian TV show is so heartwarming- I cried during every episode! A team renovates a house for someone their community nominates as a worthy candidate... A handicapped father who can't access most of his home, families who open up their dilapidated home to children in need, parents of a special needs child, etc. 

Fireproof (Movie, Christian)... This is a story of a failing marriage and an attempt to save it. I guess it has kind of a cheesy feel but I still really liked it. 

Fixer Upper (TV, secular)... We love this home renovation show set in Waco, Texas. The Gaineses are a generally nice family and we appreciate seeing their values. 

God's Not Dead 2 (Movie, Christian)... I haven't actually seen the others of this series but I liked this one! 

The Heart of Christmas (Movie, secular)... I'm not normally super into Hallmark movies (not dramatic enough for me) but this one was a really sweet story, even if it was heartbreaking, about a little boy dying of cancer and the way his story moves others. 

Heaven is for Real (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. This movie is based on a true story about a young boy who undergoes emergency surgery and comes out insisting he has been to heaven and met with Jesus

I Can Only Imagine (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. This is a true story about the faith shift and life change of the alcoholic father of mercy me frontman Millard

Left Behind (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. This is a fictionalized look at what the rapture might look like period very action packed period There are multiple versions of this movie and our favorite are the Nicholas Cage version and the teen version, Vanished. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. These children's novels are Christian classics. CS Lewis wrote a rich allegory that starts with this first one, about children who enter a magical world by walking through the back of an ordinary wardrobe and encounter all kinds of adventures as a result. 

Little House on the Prairie (TV, secular)... I read the books first. This TV series does not directly follow the books but the general premise is there. These ones are about American pioneers and I loved them as a kid. It has been so much fun to share them with my own kids now and they love them too. 

Miracles from Heaven (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. I have shared this particular story on the blog and podcast in the past. A young girl climbs a tree that turns out to be hollowed out from the inside. She falls down through the center of it and not only survives but is healed from a well-documented medical problem that baffles doctors. True Story. 

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (TV, secular)... I loved this show as a kid! My kids have only seen a few episodes but they loved what they saw! 

Moms' Night Out (Movie, Christian)... this one was a lot more playful than what I usually go for but this was a fun and faith-filled look at the importance of our role as mothers. 

My Fair Lady (movie, secular)... This is the Audrey Hepburn musical version of Pygmalion, one of my junior high favorites! 

North America (TV Mini series, secular)... we all love this super cool nature documentary mini-series narrated by Tom Selleck. 

Peanut Butter Falcon (Movie, secular)... I probably shouldn't include this one here as it does contain cursing, but this beautiful story about a troubled young man and a young man with Down Syndrome seeking autonomy is so wonderful. This is one of my absolute favorite movies. 

Planet Earth (TV, secular)... this BBC series is a really cool TV nature documentary. We have watched each DVD multiple times and are all fascinated by creation so it doesn't get old. 

Pollyanna (Movie, secular)... I love this classic book and we love the BBC movie version about this sunshiny, sweet, positive girl changing the lives of an entire town. The Disney version is fun too but it's set in America so not the same.  

Prince of Egypt (Movie, Christian)... this cartoon version of Moses's story came out when I was a kid! My kids enjoy it very much too. 

Roman Holiday (movie, secular)... One of my very favorites in high school.  

Sid the Science Kid (TV, secular)... My son has fully outgrown Sid but my girls still like this sweet science cartoon show! 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (TV / Movie, secular)... this started out as a TV series on the hallmark channel and is so squeaky clean and cheesy. Way cheesier than what I usually like but I don't care... I truly adored this show! It was unfortunately removed as a TV show and changed into movies after just one season. You can still find all kinds of Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies but the TV show version is my favorite. 

Soul Surfer (Movie, Christian)... I read the book first. This is the true story of a young girl who was attacked by a shark while surfing in Hawaii. She lost her arm but held tight to her faith and her story is so powerful and inspiring. 

VeggieTales (Movies, Christian)... I actually don't like their new stuff much at all but we like quite a few of these Christian children's movies. Favorites: Lord of the Beans // It's a Meaningful Life // Celery Night Fever 

Wait Until Dark (movie, secular)... My mom and I saw the play together and then I fell in love with the Audrey Hepburn movie about a blind woman caught up in a drug run when she's unknowingly gifted an item stuffed with drugs. Suspenseful! 

War Room (Movie, Christian)... I really liked this one. This story is about a marriage on the brink and the way our heroine will go attempt to rescue her marriage and her family. 

Wild Kratts (TV, secular)... this one is a bit boring for my husband and me but my kids love this nature themed cartoon from PBS Kids. 

Woodlawn (Movie, Christian)... I love football and thought this one was pretty good! 

We're also about to try a PureFlix free trial so afterwards I'll let you know what we watched and what we thought! 

Ryan and I have also been enjoying two Tv shows that are not completely wholesome but are far better than most: 7th Heaven, about a minister and his large family trying to navigate morality in the late 90s and early 00s, and Blue Bloods, about a Catholic law enforcement family grappling with justice + ethics. 

I also love Parenthood and This is Us, about big families, but both contain a lot of not-wholesome material.