Kids

Kids movies and tv shows – where would we be without them? Climbing the walls probably! They are the calming influence over our little ones and a way to cozy up on a rainy day. And largely we have Walt Disney to thank for them. Sure, there were others who put out short cartoons and animated sequences at the turn of the 20th century but it was the first feature-length animated movie that caught the attention of kids everywhere. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was a revelation. And it is on the shoulders of this film that all others stand.

But aside from being the first of its kind creatively, it also created a whole new audience that had been relatively ignored up to that point – kids. With their imaginations in overdrive and their insatiable need to be entertained, theatres saw a captive and a lucrative market that has only exploded over the decades.

In fact kids movies are now some of the biggest grossing films of all time. Frozen and Frozen II have grossed over $2.7 billion between them and that doesn't even include the merchandise! However, it is The Lion King (2019) (also considered a music movie) that tops them all raking in $1,654,381,934 at the box office worldwide. Then again it did cost $260,000,000 to make it so audiences were definitely expecting a lot of bang for that buck!

So what about tv shows aimed at kids? Aside from the regular terrestrial tv shows that started airing in the 70s, the 80s was when kids shows really started to excel. Pingu, He-Man, Danger Mouse, and The Smurfs led the way but when Nickelodeon, the first children's television channel, launched in 1979 and the Disney Channel soon followed (1983) the number of productions ramped up considerably.

Targetting children aged 2–17, Nickelodeon started its own raft of original programming including shows like Reggie Jackson's World of Sports (1981), Mr. Wizard's World (1983), and kids game shows like Double Dare (1987). It wasn't until the 90s that child-friendly sitcoms started in earnest with the likes of Clarissa Explains It All (1991), The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994), and Kenan & Kel (1996) leading the charge.

Today of course, with so many tv stations, studios, and streaming platforms, sitcoms and dramas aimed at the children's market are still in demand. More recently on Netflix we have seen Family Reunion, Alexa & Katie, Ashley Garcia, The Babysitters Club, and Malibu Rescue all top the viewing figures so is there is still plenty to watch if your kids need a little downtime.