Summer Camp At Home- Check Out This Summer’s Movie Schedule!

There are some fantastic movies for kids coming out this summer….. and planning in some visits to our local cinema to escape the afternoon heat and lose ourselves in a flick is definitely on our summertime calendar! So here is a list of movies that we are looking forward to seeing!

Kung Fu Panda 2

Okay- you’re right- it’s out already…. but we can’t find the time to fit in into our busy schedule right now… so we will see this movie later on this month when things lighten up around here a bit!  The bonus to waiting to see a hit movie like this, is getting to enjoy it in a less-crowded theatre! Movie release date: May 27th. Rating: PG

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

My oldest three kids love this book series by Megan McDonald- and we are looking forward to seeing Judy Moody and her younger brother Stink on the big screen. The movie is based on the characters in the bestselling series, and the author co-wrote the screenplay, as well as a new novel just released that ties into the movie. Movie release date: June 10th. Rating: PG

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Based on the classic 1938 children’s book by Richard and Florence Atwater, this Jim Carrey comedy about a businessman inheriting six penguins from an eccentric relative looks to be hilarious! I have not read this book yet with my kids, so I am adding that to our summer calendar now! Movie release date: June 17th. Rating: PG

Cars 2

The first Cars movie has been a big hit in our house since it was released in 2006. We have the movie, the soundtrack, and dozens of the matchbox-sized cars representing the characters from the movie. Over the past 5 years, my older sons have grown out of the phase where they are fascinated with toy cars…. but I still have one little guy who will be beyond thrilled to see Lightening McQueen and ‘Mater on the big screen (and a bunch of sibs who will be fighting for the chance to sit next to him while he sees it!) Movie release date: June 24th. Rating: G

Winnie The Pooh

In this “throwback” to the earlier times of hand-drawn (rather than computer-generated) animation, this movie should delight young audiences who are fans of the A.A. Milne books. My kids really loved the Pooh’s Heffalump Movie when it was released in 2005 (although it performed poorly at the box office), so this is definitely on our must-see list. Of course, it might be Dad taking the younger four to see this, while Mom takes the older two to see the final Harry Potter movie (see below), which opens on the same day! Movie release date: July 15th. Rating: G

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

This is probably the most anticipated movie of the summer across the country (or even the world for that matter) and for two kids in my house- they are practically counting the days until it is released! It is a rule in our family that kids cannot see the Harry Potter movies until they have read the books…. although I will admit that our 9 year old hasn’t finished the 5th book yet, but we have allowed him to see the 6th and 7th movies…. mainly because I wanted him to have a chance to see the final movies on the big screen. To “gear up” for the movie release, my husband and kids are planning a trip into the city to see the Harry Potter exhibition at the Discovery Museum. And in the two weeks leading up to the movie release, we will re-watch all 7 prior movies (this is mostly for my benefit, as I require a refresher course in HP before diving into the final adventure!) Movie release date: July 15th. Rating: ? (likely PG-13)

Spy Kids 4

Honestly, we haven’t seen any of the first three Spy Kids movies…. so I am not sure yet if this will really be on our go-to-see list…. but it looks like it is the only true kids movie coming our in August (other than Smurfs, but I can’t bring myself to even talk about that one!) Movie release date: August 19th. Rating: ?

What movies are you excited to see with your kids?