What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to His Dark Materials first
The Wheel of Time 2021
Series
The lives of five young villagers change forever when a strange and powerful woman arrives, claiming one of them is the child of an ancient prophecy with the power to tip the balance between Light and Dark forever. They must choose whether to trust this stranger – and each other – with the fate of the world before the Dark One breaks out of His prison, and the Last Battle begins.
The sides of The Wheel of Time
- Five young villagers from the Two Rivers
- A powerful woman of a magic order called the Aes Sedai
- A prophecy about the Dragon Reborn
Good for you if
- you like a huge fantasy world with its own magic, orders and history.
- you like a quest that starts in a small village and grows to the fate of the world.
- you want big battles and magic you can feel on screen.
Bad for you if
- you lose track of many characters, kingdoms and factions.
- you can't take bloody battles and monsters tearing people apart.
About: destiny · good and evil · power
Four kids travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion.
The sides of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Four children through a wardrobe
- A witch and endless winter
- A lion who gives everything
Good for you if
- you like the magic of stepping into another world.
- you like talking animals and snowy forests.
- you want a classic family fantasy.
Bad for you if
- over two hours is long for a family evening.
- you roll your eyes at noble sacrifice and speeches about destiny.
About: sacrifice · siblings · courage
Howl's Moving Castle 2004
Anime
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
The sides of Howl's Moving Castle
- A young woman cursed into an old body
- A walking castle
- A vain wizard against a war
Good for you if
- you like a world of magic doors and fire demons.
- you like Miyazaki's hand-drawn images, a castle walking on bird legs and a field of flowers by a lake.
- you like a gentle love story with a curse to break.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated films.
- you want a plot where everything is explained.
About: self-worth · war · love
Spirited Away 2001
Anime
On the way to their new house, a ten-year-old girl and her parents wander into the world of spirits. Her parents are turned into pigs, and she has to work in a bathhouse to save them.
The sides of Spirited Away
- A strange world with its own rules
- A child finding her courage
- Quiet moments and nature
- Every frame drawn by hand
Good for you if
- you love getting lost in a world with its own strange rules.
- you like not knowing what will walk through the door next.
- you like films that stop to breathe, like that quiet train ride.
Bad for you if
- you don't watch animated films.
- you want everything explained. A lot of the bathhouse never is.
About: growing up · greed · keeping your name · work
The Sandman 2022
Series
After years of imprisonment, Morpheus — the King of Dreams — embarks on a journey across worlds to find what was stolen from him and restore his power.
The sides of The Sandman
- The King of Dreams held captive for a century
- A journey to take back his stolen tools
- Nightmares that walk among humans
Good for you if
- you like a mythology of dreams, Hell and endless beings.
- you like stories that drift from a diner to a dream to Hell.
- you want the Dreaming to look like a world of its own.
Bad for you if
- you want fights. Morpheus mostly talks, bargains and remembers.
- a cruel night in a diner and bloody nightmares ruin it for you.
About: dreams · change · responsibility
Alice in Wonderland 2010
Film
Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.
The sides of Alice in Wonderland
- A young woman falling back down the hole
- A mad hatter and a red queen
- A world she half remembers
Good for you if
- you like a colourful, twisted fairy tale world.
- you like odd characters at a strange tea party.
- you like Wonderland grown up and darker.
Bad for you if
- very strange worlds put you off.
- you want a story carried by its characters' inner lives. Here Wonderland itself is the star.
About: growing up · independence · imagination
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
The sides of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
- A house stuck in one day of 1943
- Children with strange gifts
- Monsters with no eyes
Good for you if
- you like odd kids with odd powers.
- you like a hidden world caught in a time loop.
- you like Tim Burton's gothic style.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not be scared. Invisible monsters with tentacle mouths hunt the children for their eyes.
- you want a story that lingers on each child. Here there are a dozen gifts to meet and monsters to flee.
About: belonging · time · difference
Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Discovering a school of magic
- Three friends against the rules
- An orphan finding where he belongs
Good for you if
- you love a world full of details: moving staircases, talking portraits, a hidden platform.
- you want to feel like a child discovering magic for the first time.
- you want a warm film to watch under a blanket.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is long for a family evening.
- you want something darker. This first one is a children's story.
About: belonging · friendship · courage
Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- A mystery inside the school
- A flying car
- Spiders in the forest
Good for you if
- you want to go back to Hogwarts and see more of it.
- you like a whodunit with children as detectives.
- you want a cosy film for a rainy day.
Bad for you if
- over two and a half hours is long for young viewers.
- giant spiders and a snake in the dark are too much for you or the kids.
About: prejudice · friendship · courage
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
The sides of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- A small hero with a huge task
- A world with its own history and languages
- A fellowship that may not hold
Good for you if
- you love a world so detailed it feels like it existed before the film.
- you want landscapes that make you want to walk for days.
- you like battles with armies and monsters.
Bad for you if
- three hours is too much, and it's only the first part.
- you need it to move. There is a lot of walking.
About: temptation · friendship · courage · power
Coraline 2009
Film
Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
The sides of Coraline
- A girl who finds a door to a better home
- An Other Mother with button eyes
- Stop-motion that creeps up on you
Good for you if
- you like dark, strange fairy tales.
- you like handmade stop-motion worlds.
- you like a family film that's actually creepy.
Bad for you if
- button eyes may scare young children.
- you don't watch animated films.
About: home · parents · courage
Snow White and the Huntsman 2012
Film
After the Evil Queen marries the King, she performs a violent coup in which the King is murdered and his daughter, Snow White, is taken captive. Almost a decade later, a grown Snow White is still in the clutches of the Queen. In order to obtain immortality, The Evil Queen needs the heart of Snow White. After Snow escapes the castle, the Queen sends the Huntsman to find her in the Dark Forest.
The sides of Snow White and the Huntsman
- A wicked queen who stays young
- A princess who escapes
- A huntsman sent to bring her back
Good for you if
- you like a dark, beautiful fairy-tale world.
- you like Snow White in armour.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at a rousing speech before the charge on the castle.
- you're watching with young kids. The Queen eats birds' hearts.
About: beauty · power · courage
Harry Potter's life is in danger once more as dangerous wizard Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison and is heading to Hogwarts.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- An escaped prisoner coming for Harry
- A time-turner and secrets
- A darker, colder Hogwarts
Good for you if
- you like the wizarding world getting stranger and bigger.
- you like a wintry Hogwarts, dark and misty.
- you like a story where the truth isn't what everyone believes.
Bad for you if
- hooded creatures that drain happiness will scare you or the kids.
- you want a plot you can follow without effort. Small clues, like Hermione's impossible timetable, all matter later.
About: fear · family · the truth
Princess Mononoke 1997
Anime
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
The sides of Princess Mononoke
- A cursed prince heading west
- A girl raised by wolves
- Gods of the forest against an iron town
Good for you if
- you like an epic with gods, spirits and wolves.
- you like a story where nature fights back.
- you like Lady Eboshi, who cuts down the forest and shelters lepers.
Bad for you if
- blood and severed limbs may shock you or kids.
- you don't watch animated films.
- you won't read subtitles. It's in Japanese (a dub exists).
About: nature · hatred · coexistence
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 2022
Series
Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
The sides of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Galadriel hunting Sauron
- The island kingdom of Númenor
- A stranger fallen from the sky
Good for you if
- you want more Middle-earth, thousands of years before the Fellowship.
- you like vast landscapes and battles on a big-screen scale.
- you like Númenor, Lindon and Khazad-dûm built down to the last detail.
Bad for you if
- you need a story that moves fast from one scene to the next.
- you lose track of elves, dwarves, men and Harfoots spread across separate stories.
About: good and evil · power · legacy
Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.
The sides of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- A school becomes a battlefield
- The last duel
- Seven films of answers
Good for you if
- you want a final battle with everything thrown in.
- you like goodbyes to characters you grew up with.
- you like sincere words about love and loyalty said in the middle of a war.
Bad for you if
- you can't take grief tonight. This is a war film, and it has its losses.
- you want the cosy Hogwarts of the early films. This one turns it into a battlefield.
About: sacrifice · death · love
The Rising of the Shield Hero 2019
Anime
Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero. Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world. But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?
The sides of The Rising of the Shield Hero
- A student summoned to another world as a hero
- A shield he can't attack with
- A girl he buys as a slave
Good for you if
- you like a loner slowly building a party he can trust, starting with Raphtalia.
- you like a fantasy kingdom with levels, monster waves and a corrupt church.
- you like fights where defending is the only weapon.
Bad for you if
- a hero falsely accused and a girl bought as a slave are too much for you.
- you don't watch anime.
About: betrayal · trust · revenge
Life of Pi 2012
Film
The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The sides of Life of Pi
- A boy on a lifeboat with a tiger
- An ocean that glows at night
- Which story do you believe
Good for you if
- you like a survival story that feels like a fable.
- you like a sea that turns into a sky.
- you like an ending that lets you choose what to believe.
Bad for you if
- you need momentum. Most of it is a boy and a tiger adrift on one lifeboat for months.
- you need a survival story to stay realistic. Pi finds an island of meerkats that turns carnivorous at night.
About: faith · survival · storytelling
Pan's Labyrinth 2006
Film
In post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks that blur the line between reality and fantasy.
The sides of Pan's Labyrinth
- A girl escaping into a fairy tale
- A cruel captain in 1944 Spain
- A faun with three tasks
Good for you if
- you like a dark fairy tale with creatures you won't forget.
- you like a story where the real monsters are human.
- you like a world that's beautiful and frightening.
Bad for you if
- brutal, close-up violence is too much for you.
- you won't read subtitles. It's in Spanish (a dub exists).
About: innocence · cruelty · imagination
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 2018
Series
Magic and mischief collide as half-human, half-witch Sabrina navigates between two worlds: mortal teen life and her family's legacy, the Church of Night.
The sides of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- A half-witch teenager in Greendale
- Two aunts who run a mortuary
- A coven that answers to the Dark Lord
Good for you if
- you like a town where witches, warlocks and demons live next door to a high school.
- you like a girl choosing between her mortal friends and her witch side.
- you like Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda bickering over how to raise their niece.
Bad for you if
- you can't take satanic rituals and horror imagery.
- you can't stand blood, curses and bodies on screen.
About: witchcraft · identity · family · freedom