As we are pursuing obedience with our kids, exploring movies that teach obedience contributes to good messages for our children. Media influences. Why don’t we embrace this (to a degree), watching movies or shows with our kids and having meaningful discussions with them about the character qualities we want to encourage? This movie list is a great resource as we teach obedience from a variety of angles – lessons, books, role playing, games and more – in my character development series.
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” – Luke 11:28
This is part of my character development series, and the word of the week is obedience. This character series is intended to be one stop shopping for lessons about teaching positive character traits to kids. Hopefully, it will become a great resource for you as you seek to raise kids who glorify God and contribute in a productive way to our society.
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Movies that Teach Obedience
Pistachio
Who doesn’t love Veggie Tales? It was the story of “Pistachio – The Little Boy that Wouldn’t – A Lesson in Listening to Your Parents.” This is a story that parallels “Pinocchio.” It has a father who has been trying to teach his wooden son to listen and obey because his dad is older and wiser and might know something…imagine that. He is lured away by others who are trying to trick him out of his gold coins. He decides to disobey his parents, and it leads to bad things. The story also talks about the parable of the lost sheep and Jonah and the Whale. Pistachio ends up learning that it is better to obey his dad who loves him and will always be seeking him out. His dad tries everything, out of love, to get his little son to return to the ways that are best for him. There are also lessons in honesty.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great movie that inspires conversation about obedience. I prefer the original but apparently they don’t sell that individually on Amazon. There are many disobedient children in this movie, but it is the one with the most integrity and obedience that finds reward. It’s good to point out that he wasn’t perfect. He did drink the Fizzy Lifting Drink, after all. We, too, won’t be perfect. However, there is personal reward with obedience. I’m not talking a prosperity gospel with wealth and things. Rather, there is spiritual reward as well as reward in relationships.
Mr. Henry’s Wild & Wacky Bible Stories, Vol. 1: All About Obedience
In Mr. Henry’s Wild & Wacky Bible Stories, Vol. 1: All About Obedience, Mr. Henry uses humor to present the idea of obedience. My kids have seen this, but it has been a while, so I don’t feel like I can give a proper review. I remember them enjoying this movie, but I think it is geared toward younger kids.
The Fishies – Faith-Based Adventures Under the Sea
I have not seen The Fishies – Faith-Based Adventures Under the Sea, so I cannot review. Here is what the description on Amazon says: “Mello and his friends decide to venture out into the open sea in search for pretty goldfish. They find themselves caught in the worst situation ever as they become the prey of a great white shark. They should have listened to Mommy when she warned them not to leave. This story highlights key biblical teachings about obedience and teaches its importance. Most of all, it contains a lesson about the ultimate obedience of Christ in a way that is fun and easy to understand.”
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a classic. The children were not obedient with other nannies. Through the influence of Mary Poppins, they learned the value of obedience. She is pretty no-nonsense in her sense of structure and her expectations for the kids. Once they were able to have more self-control and obey, the fun was discovered as they followed this fun nanny on adventures of all kinds.
Evan Almighty
Just as Noah had to obey God, even when it felt outrageous, so do we need to teach our kids to obey. Evan Almighty is a fun family movie that shows the importance of obeying, even when the choice doesn’t make sense to our finite brain.
Finding Nemo
In Finding Nemo, disobedience had consequences. Nemo gets caught and ends up in a tank, where his life could end up in the hands of a girl who might cause his demise. We all know that it turns out OK for Nemo. Don’t shy away from that conversation too. God can always take a bad decision and turn it around to good for those who love him. There is grace, and there are ways that allow us to come full circle to obedience in our lives.
Josh and the Big Wall – A Lesson in Obedience
Veggie Tales takes care of us again by creating Josh and the Big Wall – A Lesson in Obedience. I haven’t seen this movie, but I always love the silly and entertaining way they present some pretty serious life lessons.
I hope you take the time to watch with your kids and enter into important conversations, using media as a tool.