Children's & Family DVDs and Blu-ray Discs

Children's and Family DVDs and Blu-ray Discs

Whether your family is in the mood for animated classics, live-action comedy, or beloved TV shows just waiting to be marathoned, there are endless choices on DVD and Blu-ray. Nothing beats having your own personal video or Blu-ray library of kid-friendly family entertainment at your fingertips. Great video and audio quality along with fun extras make collecting your favorite shows and movies smart as well as fun.

Thankfully, a wide variety of clean kid- and family-friendly media is available on both DVD and Blu-ray discs. Hunting for great titles is part of the fun, but here are a few of the stand-out categories:

• Contemporary movies: If you've seen a movie in theaters you and your family loved within the past few years, then it will be available to add to your collection.
• Television shows: Whether organized by season, themed collections, or the entire series itself, television shows are a lot of fun to watch on a Blu-ray disc. With no commercials and the easy ability to skip around episodes, it's hard not to want to your family's favorites on discs.
• Classics: Big, recent releases aren't the only ones that get put on Blu-ray discs. From restored TV shows from the early days of television to crowd-pleasing movies from every decade, you'll be able to introduce kids to their parents' and even grandparents' favorite childhood films.
• Educational shows: Widely recognized shows like Sesame Street and many more create educational discs. These gather segments from their shows to make specific learning themes, like learning the alphabet or help with numbers.

Most Blu-ray discs and DVDs are clearly labeled and rated, and this is especially true with television shows and films that appeal to children. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) provides ratings for feature films, and those include the classic G and PG ratings. For television shows, the TV parental guideline ratings will be displayed. These include those media ratings you'll see on the upper corner of the beginning of an episode, such as TV-Y. Keeping an eye out for a seal of endorsement from places like Common Sense Media is also helpful in finding clean, appropriate, and educational content. DVDs that are often handled by kids may need regular cleaning with a cloth and cleaner to remove debris from the surface.

One of the biggest benefits of buying a film to own is access to bonus features. Each disc will list its specific extra features, but some common ones are present in a great many releases:

• Short films and bonus episodes: Studios like Pixar will include short films on the videos of their full-length movies, and Disney as a whole has started doing this as well.
• Behind-the-scenes: While this may appeal to parents and older children the most, don't underestimate how fascinating it can be for a child to see how much work goes into creating the on-screen world. If they were scared by a scene, for example, seeing footage of artists working on creating that scary monster can help a child sleep much easier.
• Games: Many discs geared towards children and families will contain mini-games directly on the disc that are played by using your remote control.