Top 10 Movies for Families from 2004

THE INCREDIBLES is another incredible animated movie from Pixar and Disney, about two retired superhero parents who must battle a villain targeting their family. Beautifully animated, THE INCREDIBLES is full of exciting energy, fantastic fun, and humorous hilarity, with a very strong redemptive, Christian worldview full of many positive moral messages.

In THE MIRACLE, set in an Irish seaside town, teenager Jimmy's mom, supposedly long dead, returns to the town to appear in a play, and Jimmy, unwittingly, falls for her. Aside from some charming cinematography, THE MIRACLE contains mediocre acting, a hazy plot and the repugnant theme of incest.

SHREK 2, the first sequel to the 2001 animated Oscar-winning hit, has Shrek trying to keep his marriage to Fiona intact, despite an evil plot by Fiona’s underhanded Fairy Godmother. SHREK 2 contains a few inappropriate jokes and a politically correct tone, but it also has a light Christian worldview and many biblical, moral messages showing that magical spells and fairy tale enchantments cannot bring real happiness and extolling forgiveness, repentance, self-sacrifice, thinking of others before yourself, selfless love, honor, valor, and the courage to do the right thing.

A CINDERELLA STORY STARS Hilary Duff in a modern re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale. Wonderfully written and entertaining, A CINDERELLA STORY gets better and better as it goes along and extols all the cardinal Christian virtues in a positive, winsome, attractive way.

TWO BROTHERS is a visually stunning, highly entertaining family adventure about two tiger cubs in French Cambodia in the early 1900s that get separated when the society of men enters their idyllic world. It’s one of the best family movies of the year.

WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON is the story of a love triangle between a small-town grocery clerk, her boss, and a Hollywood leading man named Tad Hamilton. WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON is a breezy, positive, morality-tale, romantic comedy that contains, however, some light sexual innuendoes and light foul language.

AMERICA’S HEART AND SOUL is a beautifully photographed ode to the best in America, a celebration of the good and of faith. It is hard to sustain a documentary full of vignettes, but there are very few moments that lag in this movie; most of it tugs at the heartstrings, and should make everyone who sees it stand up and cheer for America.

THE POLAR EXPRESS is a fun-tastic holiday adventure for the whole family about a boy who travels on a magical train to the North Pole. THE POLAR EXPRESS lacks any references to Jesus Christ, the real reason for the Christmas season, but it is superbly done and contains positive moral lessons for children of all ages.

I AM DAVID follows the riveting journey of a 12-year-old boy who escapes from a Communist death camp in 1952 Bulgaria. I AM DAVID is a heartwarming story that challenges us to see goodness in people and even in a few unexpected places.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT is the story of Mia as she returns to Genovia to accept the crown, where she learns that women must be married before they can be crowned queen. Without any foul language or mean spiritedness, this virtuous movie is more than delightful.