Now that the weather is getting a bit cooler and darkness is settling over the land earlier, it’s time to start enjoying the great indoors. If you have little ones in your house, the library can help you to keep them entertained with an entire floor full of books, movies, music, and audiobooks for kids. If you need ideas for a good movie or two to check out, I looked at the circulation numbers for the most popular DVDs in our Youth collection. The following is the top 15 highest circulating movies during the last two years, listed from lowest to highest checkouts. As I’ve discovered, both our adult and children patrons have fantastic taste.
15. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This, the fifth installment of the incredibly popular Harry Potter films, is the only one to make this list. But don’t worry, the others weren’t far behind.
14. Finding Nemo
A fantastic undersea adventure and meditation on friendship and parenthood from Pixar.
13. Despicable Me 2
This 2010 movie continues the adventures of Gru (now a reformed super-villain), his adopted daughters, and, of course, his minions.
12. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
This is the 2006 Disney version of the C.S. Lewis classic book.
11. Big Hero 6
A thoroughly entertaining animated near-future superhero tale…with an adorable robot.
10. Mary Poppins
The second oldest film on this list (released in 1964), this musical has stood the test of time.
9. Toy Story 2
All three of the Pixar Toy Story movies are excellent. This one just happened to be more popular than the other two during the last couple of years.
8. Ponyo
This is the only Hayao Miyazaki film to crack the top 15 but it’s a good one. A beautifully animated Japanese fable about a boy who rescues a magical goldfish who wants to be a human girl.
Another gem from Pixar, this is the action-packed story of how a washed-up middle-aged superhero saves the world with the help of his super family.
6. Peter Pan
Released in 1953 by Disney, this is the oldest movie on the list but it’s also the version that pops into most people’s minds when they think of Peter Pan.
5. E.T.
This early-80s Spielberg story of a lost extraterrestrial just trying to get home continues to charm our younger viewers.
4. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
I’m not sure why the final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy made the list but neither of the others did. Maybe kids just like Ewoks?
3. Frozen
This one is no surprise. The blockbuster movie (based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen) is the highest grossing animated film of all time.
This animated musical was not a theatrical release but its high position on the list demonstrates the popularity of princess stories.
Arguably Disney Studios greatest animated movie the story of Simba the lion will always be popular.
Just fyi: you don’t have to be a kid to check out and enjoy any of these movies. Keep watching (and reading) and see you at the library!