One day in the future, denizens of a highly evolved nation will happen upon leftover airwaves from kids’ TV of today and wonder why … why did we allow ourselves to be tormented? For what grave crimes did we punish our young mothers with the incessant squealing and sound effects of Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob? WHY, WHY?

Should you actually want to site down with, watch, and, yes, enjoy some boob-tube time with your little ones, I present to you the following list … all of which can be had on Netflix or, perhaps, your local video store, and all of which can be enjoyed without a mild sedative. 

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender, Books 1 - 3 (TV Series, 2005 - 2007)

Listen to me! You don’t have to be into anime or marital arts or boy stuff to totally love this series (though if you are, you’ll love it too). It is seriously one of the best series ever on television – and not just for kids. My husband snuck it into our Netflix queue and when it arrived I was like WHAT’S THIS? And then he forced me to watch the first episode with him and our daughter and by the second or third episode I was totally addicted. The characters are brilliantly constructed, the plot is gripping, and there is enough humor and creativity in the whole thing to ALMOST make you forgive the entertainment establishment for Dora the Explorer. Almost. I don’t know what else to say other than TRUST ME and WATCH NOW! Plus M. Night Shyamalan is making it into a live action movie to be released next summer, which will be fun … though I hope he doesn’t get too creepy about it. 

American Dragon: Jake Long (TV series, 2005 - 2007)

Speaking of Avatar, once we watched the last episode and were rolling around on the floor, bereft and jonesing and wondering how long would be reasonable to wait until we could watch the entire thing over again (a couple of months, as it turns out) … we discovered the gang at American Dragon. It’s nowhere near as good as Avatar but it’s pretty fun and hip and uses the same post-modern blend of eastern thought and western snark. Yin and yang, y’all. You’ll dig it. It will not make you want to poke your eyes out, I promise.

To go along with the eastern trend – let us now head to Japan, where the truly brilliant kids’ movies are made. If you haven’t already met, please, permit me to introduce you to your savior, a man who does not seem to view children as tiny little versions of their idiot parents, Mr. Hayao Miyazaki. I’ve loved everything we’ve watched by him (though parents of younger children read the summaries carefully – some of them are kind of heavy), but I’ll pick my two favorites to give you a taste: 

3. My Neighbor Totoro (1998)

The Netflix description says this film is a “stunningly realistic portrayal of life in the country,” which is totally bizarre because it’s stunningly realistic if life in the country normally includes a GIANT CAT BUS, magical dust mites and an enormous friendly creature called a Totoro with a flying umbrella. But I’m with them on the “stunning” – it truly is. 

4. Spirited Away (2001)

This one won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and no surprise there. A little girl and her family get sidetracked on their way to their new home … and step into a magical world. Soon the parents get turned into pigs, and then there’s a boy who is also a dragon-raven, and a giant baby that turns into a rat, and more magical dust mites, and a turnip spirit, and … you really just have to see for yourself! 

5. Matilda (1996)

Truly funny and different – this one would be worth watching purely for the scenes of Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman playing the world’s worst parents ever – complete with high Jersey accents. 

6. Barbie: A Christmas Carol (2008)

I know as soon as you saw the word “Barbie” I lost all credibility with you. Listen, I hate Fairytopia as much as the next mommy, but this one really surprised me. It was quite compelling – even my husband, who views Barbie as basically a gateway drug to Bratz dolls and a life of stripper poles and eating disorders (whereas I consider Bratz dolls to be the gateway) sat and watched the whole thing with us. And seriously – the new Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey coming out this year? Looks FREAKY. 

7. Lilo and Stitch (TV series, 2004 - 2006)

A spin-off from the original 2002 movie, the series is little on the loud side, as kids’ TV tends to be, since apparently American children all suffer hearing impairments, but, still, pretty fun. I like the main character Lilo – she’s relatable and enterprising. There’s a real sense of humor to the whole thing – you get the sense that the creators are having fun and not taking themselves too seriously. Plus there are cute little aliens and Hawaiian songs … what more could you want? 

Memories ... all alone in the mooooonlight …

In my quest to find suitable viewing material for nights when it’s just us girls, I’ve been perusing through some of the classics. Warning: “PG” today is way stricter than “PG” of yesteryear. I foolishly popped in Three Men and a Baby remembering it to be a goofy, fun farce about … well … three men and a baby … but had to immediately pop it out as the first five minutes of the movie is basically a cheerful montage of Tom Selleck and Ted Danson getting laid. Oops! Alas, it’ll be a few more years before I’m ready to introduce my daughter to the glory that is John Hughes, so, between the Long Duck Dongs and the chest hair, the ‘80s is pretty much out … however if you go back a little further there are some good ones. 

8. That Darn Cat (1956)

Hayley Mills! A handsome detective! A surfer boy! Groovy ‘60s theme music! It’s SOOOO corny and soooo good.