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?
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
- 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
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.
Not a prince, but with a male protagonist, and overall very awesome story: Avatar the last Airbender
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.
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.
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)
The princess bride is actually a pretty good kids movie for boys that might be up their alley
Purple Rain? That’s the only Prince movie I can think of. Not exactly kid fare though.
