This article was first published in theSun Buzz HERE
Celebrate Father’s Day this year with a cosy movie night at home accompanied by tasty snacks and a flick that celebrates fatherhood. Here are some movie ideas for Dad’s special day that will make the whole family laugh, cry and appreciate the man in your life.
-> Onward
Two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, lost their father shortly before Ian was born. So the only father figure Ian has is none other than big brother Barley, who is an enthusiastic yet impulsive RPG gamer and a historical fanatic.
On his sixteenth birthday, Ian received a magical staff, a rare gem – and a letter describing a spell to resurrect his father.
Ian immediately cast the spell but was unable to complete it due to Barley’s intervention. Due to the incomplete spell, only the lower half of their dad’s body is reformed.
The brothers then commit themselves to go on a quest to complete the spell before it’s too late.
-> Hotel Transylvania franchise
The Hotel Transylvania film franchise may be covering fatherhood and single parenting in a fictional setting but the themes are still very much relatable in real life.
The films follow the stories of Drac’s ever-expanding family which includes monsters and humans alike.
In the first film, Drac learns how to come to terms with his teenage daughter wanting to venture out into the world and falling in love with a human boy.
Just when Drac got over the first hurdle, he has to come to terms with the possibility that his grandson is a human too. The comedic and light-hearted Hotel Transylvania films will certainly be an enjoyable hit for everyone.
-> Captain Fantastic
Eccentric dad Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has lived with his wife off the grid with their six children. The family follows a strict regime of exercise, education and food gathering.
However, the family is forced to enter the “real world” after Ben’s wife dies. In the real world, they encounter several challenges and struggle to fit in.
The film highlights how fathers come in all shapes, sizes and ideologies but the love they have for their family never wavers.
-> The Lego Batman Movie
The tale of Batman and Robin’s relationship has been covered in various media over the years but it takes a special turn in the Lego movie. In The Lego Batman Movie, the audience gets to revisit their relationship under a comedic lens.
Batman adopts Robin and reluctantly becomes a father figure. In the midst of fighting off Joker and his new team of villains, Batman is forced to accept that he cannot carry on the fight on his own, and that he needs his family to help. He also learns to be a better father to his adopted son Robin.
-> The Boy and the Beast
The Boy and the Beast (Bakemono no Ko) is a Japanese animated film that won Animation of the Year at the 37th Japan Academy Prizes. The story is about a boy named Ren who runs away from home and ends up in a world inhabited by monsters.
He is forced to become a disciple of the beast, who looks like a cross between a bear and man named Kumatetsu, who ends up becoming like a stepdad to Ren. As time passes, Ren eventually has to decide whether he wants to stay in the human world or the monster world.
-> Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea is an animated fantasy film, and is a sequel to The Secret of Kells. The story follows a 10-year-old Irish boy named Ben and his mute sister Saoirse.
Ben, Saoirse and their father have to come to terms with their mother’s sudden and presumed death. Ben blames her death on Saoirse and discovers that his sister is actually a selkie tasked to free faerie creatures from the Celtic goddess Macha.
During their adventures, they uncover more family secrets which finally help the family put pieces of the past together.
