Anyone who knows about kids’ movies knows how popular princess movies are, especially Disney princesses. My child is six and absolutely loves them too. My child also loves princes and kings, but I’m having a hard time finding anything that features a character as easily beloved as Elsa or Moana for example. Even worse, a lot of the times male characters are just antagonists or at least stand in the way of the princess. I’d love to see a movie with a young prince who isn’t evil or dumb (as a joke) that kids can relate to. I think it also be cool if there was singing or magic or anything mystical. My kid kind of likes Shrek but I was hoping to find one about a human prince. The protagonist in the movie The Lorax is a young boy on a good mission, and we like that movie too, but we’re just looking for something bigger. I’m not looking for a movie that’s primarily fighting, a little is okay, but I’d really prefer if the main focus was some honorable endeavor. Am I just missing the prince movies, or are they all about princesses instead?

  • *Tagger*
    link
    fedilink
    1331 year ago

    How to train your dragon. The main protagonist is the son of the chief and is also generally a good person and is very likable. The supporting cast are also great. Also the subsequent movies and TV shows actually have the characters grow and age through them

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    106
    edit-2
    1 year ago
    • Hercules
    • Aladdin
    • Jungle book
    • How to train your dragon
    • Sword in the stone
    • Robin hood
    • Emperor’s new groove
    • Lion king
    • Treasure planet (not a prince but hes pretty cool!)
    • Peter Pan (Also Hook - not animated but awesome)
    • Tarzan
    • Shrek

    Princess films do dominate but the male characters can be highlighted too,

    • Prince phillip in sleeping beauty is pretty cool and defeats a dragon
    • Kristoph from Frozen is funny and smart, resourceful etc.
    • Flynn from Tangled is decent, eventually
    • @Pm_me_tits
      link
      English
      101 year ago

      Titan A.E. When the kiddo gets a bit older too!!

      • Mom Nom Mom
        link
        fedilink
        English
        21 year ago

        I almost suggested this one too - I’d put it on when my kids were babies, since they seemed to like it well enough, and I loved the movie and soundtrack

    • Ook the Librarian
      link
      fedilink
      41 year ago

      Flynn has no redeeming qualities. He just confessed to a teenager.

      I do like that movie though. The mother in Tangled is actually a good way to teach kids some important lessons about abusive relationships without being super dark. She demonstrates over-defensiveness, love-bombing, gaslighting, etc.

      It was a way to teach my kids about how you can lie even though every word you say is true. If you listen to the mother, pretty much everything she says is technically true, but in almost every line she has, she is being deceptive.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        31 year ago

        Flynn has no redeeming qualities. He just confessed to a teenager

        Haha, yeah fair enough. Maybe I was just won over by his hair… which is really saying something, given the movie.

        Agreed, the mother is an excellent villain all round.

      • XbSuper
        link
        fedilink
        English
        31 year ago

        Isn’t he supposed to be like 18 himself?

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        71 year ago

        Definitely don’t leave it out, use it as a teaching moment instead. Blinding kids to racism doesn’t help them become good people. Talking through those moment with them is what does.

      • rurutheguru
        link
        fedilink
        01 year ago

        Because of the red indian scenes right? Are there more occurences or just that part (“why does the red man say how”)?

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    521 year ago

    Not a prince, but with a male protagonist, and overall very awesome story: Avatar the last Airbender

    • ADHDefy
      link
      fedilink
      191 year ago

      Zuko’s a prince! He’s not an awesome role model, but he’s an outstanding character and there are some great lessons to be learned from watching him over the course of the whole series.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        131 year ago

        Well, I mean, the obsessively and angrily chasing Aang party definitely shouldn’t be emulated, but he’s got a very good character growth arc.

        • He learns his worth as a person (and as a prince) doesn’t come from his abusive father, but intrinsically from his own self.
        • He gains the insight and humility to admit he was wrong and seek forgiveness from the people he wronged
        • He learns to empathize with other people, and that he is his strongest when he releases (and is no longer clouded by) his anger and fights for good.
        • He learns to appreciate the people who love him (Iroh) instead of chasing after someone who doesn’t (his father).

        The world would be a better place of everyone could learn the lessons that Zuko learned.

    • rurutheguru
      link
      fedilink
      1
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Seconded! There are so many valuable lessons in this show. There are also many role models to connect with, for both boys and girls alike.

      For those who have watched and rewatched the only 3 seasons, please check out the comics, which are a continuation of the story and ties up many loose ends from the show.

      (There is technically prince Zuko, and his story has one of the best redemption arcs in children shows)

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    471 year ago

    The princess bride is actually a pretty good kids movie for boys that might be up their alley

    • rurutheguru
      link
      fedilink
      71 year ago

      I came here to post this. It’s a brilliantly funny and fantastical film. Definitely focuses on the prince’s journey more than the princess’.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    311 year ago

    This is far from a stupid question. I have a girl and a boy and it’s surprisingly difficult to find movies/books/ shows with positive male role models. A lot of times they are presented as evil or incompetent as well. I try to find more balanced things for them to watch together.

    As far as Disney fare there are Lucca and Tangled. Lucca is meh but Tangled is really funny and the kids like it, and it arguably has two protagonists with one of them being male. Peter pan is fun but definitely not cool in different ways, especially to native Americans.

    There’s a lot more than Disney though. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen might be a bit scary depending on their age but they both love it. As others mentioned The Dragon Prince is pretty great. If you haven’t yet, you should try The Sound of Music, you’d be surprised how much they get into it.

    I’ll try to think of more examples but thanks for posting this, I think it’s an important conversation to have

  • MisterFeeny
    link
    fedilink
    301 year ago

    Not a movie, rather a show, and also not complete yet, but The Dragon Prince on Netflix is pretty good. The titular prince is a dragon, but there are human princes as well, with one becoming a king actually pretty early on. And King Ezran absolutely tries to bring people together peacefully and with honorable intentions, though there is some action/fighting as well. Caveat, while it is a kids show, it might be thematically better for kids a bit older than 6, as some of the themes can be a bit dark for a kids show, but I’d just recommend you watch a couple eps yourself before showing it to the kiddo and decide for yourself if it’s appropriate.

    Also, someone else mentioned Avatar: The Last Airbender in this thread, which is also excellent, and if you happen to be familiar with that show, it has a lot of similiarities and it’s some of the same writers and directors of that show.

  • kersploosh
    link
    fedilink
    271 year ago

    How about Aladdin or The Emperor’s New Groove? In the former a beggar becomes a price, and in the latter a king learns to value humility and friendship.

  • Mom Nom Mom
    link
    fedilink
    English
    241 year ago

    What about The Lion King? (I’d have to recommend the 1994 animated movie, but I haven’t seen the newer one)

    • UltraMagnus0001
      link
      fedilink
      71 year ago

      Best animated movie for me and overall one of my top 10. howls moving castle and spirited away areup there too.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    181 year ago

    The Road to El Dorado doesn’t have princes exactly and they’re not exactly on an honorable quest at first, but I think it still fits the bill in a weird way.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        2
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I want to rationalize this. Mulan is a Disney princess because Disney princesses is a franchise, not that all Disney princesses are princesses. Atlantis was an animated Disney movie. I’ll allow it.

        Big Hero 6?

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    161 year ago

    Coming to America, the adult jokes flew right over my head when I was a kid but I really enjoyed the story.

    • rurutheguru
      link
      fedilink
      2
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Within the first 5 minutes of the film: visibly naked concubines serving the prince. concubine emerges from under the water “The royal penis is now clean”, implying she washed his royal jewels or sucked him off underwater.

      Yeah, disagreeing on this one. Not suitable for kids AT ALL… I was 9 when I first saw it. None of the adult jokes or scenes flew over my head.

  • Match!!
    link
    fedilink
    English
    141 year ago

    The Cat Returns, and then Howl’s Moving Castle when he’s a little older

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      2
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Had to scroll too far to find Ghibli recs.

      I don’t know if either of those are good recs for OP’s question. Both have female protagonists. The Baron and Howl both are mysterious and have agendas; they’re not really role models. Spirited Away also falls in this category.

      Ponyo and Castle in the Sky have admirable male protagonists, though they are not royalty (the girls in those stories are royalty).

      Princess Mononoke has a protagonist who is a prince, but it’s not really a kid movie. The stuff with demons and head-severing might be too disturbing.

      Tales from Earthsea and Ocean Waves are just straight-up bad movies.

      Porco Rosso is cool but he also smokes, not the best influence. Same with the main character in The Wind Rises.

      The Secret World of Arrietty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and My Neighbor Totoro are all predominantly female casts. There are male father figures but they’re not really role models, for one reason or another. The dad in Totoro is decent when he’s involved, but spends too much time working.

      When Marnie Was There and Kiki’s Delivery Service are also predominantly female casts, no memorable male role models.

      Nausicaa has some good guys but they’re more like set pieces than characters.

      Whisper of the Heart and From Up On Poppy Hill are more slice-of-life, no real nobility or heroics.

      Grave of the Fireflies is definitely not a kid movie.

      • Match!!
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11 year ago

        watching The Cat Returns before seeing Whisper of the Heart is mind-blowing

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          21 year ago

          So we watched it, and I had no idea what to expect. It was really awesome. My head cannon is that The Cat Returns is a polished version of her book. Thanks for the recommendation!!