Films by season & age - Fairytales (Ages 5-8)

Seasons are a great way to explore different ideas through watching a group of films. Why not try watching all the films in a season and make some time for discussion. Topics and discussion points are included.

As one of the oldest and best-loved forms of storytelling in the world, it was only natural that so many great movie-makers have chosen to adapt fairytales.

Of course, the company most closely associated with the form are Disney - and in this season they are represented with three of their best-loved animations - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. But the season also offers a portrait of the author of many classic fairytales with Hans Christian Andersen - and two brilliantly irreverent modern takes on the genre in Hoodwinked and Shrek.

In all cases, a group of young film-lovers will relish the age-old struggle of good and evil that a fairytale offers - all wrapped up in the imagination and vibrancy of the movies.

Suggested pair:

Why not follow a screening of a Disney classic such as Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty with a screening of Shrek - which delightfully turns upside down the "old world" of noble princes and helpless princesses!

Talking points:

  • Did you notice how the way the film looked changed from the older movies like Snow White and Cinderella to more modern ones like Shrek and Hoodwinked? Do you prefer the newer look, or the older?
  • Even when a film features ogres and magic spells, could you still relate it to your own real life?