Photo:
"Heartstopper: Season 2", photo courtesy of Netflix
We are in the dog day of summer! Sometimes when the swimming, hiking, paddle boarding and skateboarding is done (not to mention working!) all you want to do is hide from the heat and relax. This month Netflix and Disney+ offer plenty of entertainment to help you cool down and unwind after a day of fun in the sun.
Netflix
Aug. 1: “Bee Movie” (2007) – Follow the adventure of Barry B. Benson, a recent college grad and bee who is disillusioned at his one and only career choice – making honey. When a florist saves his life, Barry gets discovers that humans actually eat honey, and he decides to get to the bottom of it. The star-studded voice cast includes Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Mathew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock and more. Rated PG.
Aug. 1: “Despicable Me” (2010) and “Despicable Me 2” (2013) – Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is desperate to be known as a super villain, but it never quite works out. When three young girls come into his life he discovers that there just might be more to life than being bad. And if that isnt’t reason enough to watch, you just gotta love the Minions. Rated PG.
Aug. 1: “Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted” (2012) – A group of animals trying to get home to New York City accidently take a wrong turn and end up in Europe. They connect with a struggling European circus and must work together to avoid being caught by animal-control. Will they make it home? Rated PG.
Aug. 1: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” – In this animated kid’s movie, Flint Lockwood is now working in his dream job, but must leave his post when he learns that his infamous machine is still working and creating food-animal hybrids. Get ready for a lot of food based puns.
Aug. 1: “Ugly Betty” (Seasons 1-4) – Smart and quirky Betty takes on the world of fashion in this coming-of-age story set in New York City. While some aspects of this show have not aged well (the language used to describe a transgender character would never be used in 2023) it is a fun, positive story about being yourself and the importance of family. Best for tweens and older.
Aug. 1: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) – Enjoy a blast from the past with this cult classic from John Hughes, which is still loved by audiences today. Join Ferris on his adventures while he skips school and has the time of his life. This movie is rated PG-13 and has quite a bit more swearing than I remembered, so keep that in mind when deciding to let kids watch.
Aug. 3: “Heartstopper” (Season 2) – This sweet LGBTQ+ romantic comedy series following the lives of British teens is finally back for season two! This show is based off the graphic novel series of the same name, which is also a hit with the tweens in my house. Mark your calendars for this one!
Aug. 4: “The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge” – Sometimes a reality series is just the thing for a fun family night of entertainment. Kids and adults alike will laugh out loud as 10 terrible bakers pick up tips from professional coaches while competing for a cash prize.
Aug. 7: “Gabby’s Dollhouse” (Season 8) – Gabby and her best pal, Pandy Paws, are back for more fun in this kids animated series. The preschool crowd will love watching Gabby meet fairies, find treasure and go on wild adventures inside her superspecial dollhouse.
Aug. 10: “Mech Cadets” – A kid's dream of being a mech pilot unexpectedly comes true when he stumbles upon, and bonds with, a new mech. Together with the other members of his team they must work to defend the world of an alien invasion. This animated series is based on the "Mech Cadet Yu" graphic novels.
Aug. 14: “Paddington” (2014) – This sweet, Oscar-winning family movie follows the adventures of Paddington Bear who was looking for a family. Paddington must learn how to navigate life in London while finding his place in his new family. Rated PG (If you love the movie, you can read many more Paddington adventures in the classic children’s book collection.)
Aug. 14: “The Wiggles: Ready, Steady, Wiggle” (Season 4) – This Australian children’s music group has been preforming and getting songs stuck in parents' heads since 1991. While the band has gone through changes over the years, kids' love for them has remained strong. The littlest Netflix viewers will love watching them sing, dance and well, wiggle!
Aug. 17: “My Dad the Bounty Hunter” (Season 2) – Two children discover their dad is the toughest bounty hunter in the galaxy and sneak onto his ship to join him on adventures. This fun show is back for a second season, and more adventure awaits!
Aug. 18: “The Monkey King” (2023) – Inspired by an epic, ancient Chinese folk tale, a monkey and his magical fighting stick team up on an epic quest, battling demons, dragons and gods. But can Monkey King keep his ego in check? Rated PG.
Aug. 28: “Princess Power” (Season 2) – Four princess from the fruit kingdoms (Kira Kiwi, Beatrice Blueberry, Rita Raspberry and Penelope Pineapple) work together and embrace their differences to keep all creatures in their fruit kingdom safe. Get ready to make a pinky-promise to help and don’t forget, these princesses wear pants!
Aug. 25: “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” – Lifelong best friends Stacy and Lydia have long dreamt of epic bat mitzvahs, but boys and drama come between them and their perfect plans go awry. This movie offers big laughs, while also capturing the modern teen angst that comes with family, friendship and first crushes. Adam Sandler and Idina Mensel head-up the cast, which includes Adam Sandler’s two daughters, Sadie and Sunny Sandler.
Aug. 31: “One Piece” (Season 1) – In this live-action adaptation of the manga/anime series, a young pirate captain sets out with his crew to get the title of Pirate King and find the treasure known as the ‘One Piece.’ Filled with adventure and magic, this show will likely be a hit with any fantasy fans in your house. The show us rated TV-14, and probably best for the tween and older crowd.
Disney+
Aug. 2: “Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 3” – Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy are back in their third and final movie. This time we find our heroes adjusting to life on Knowhere, but their peace doesn’t last long. Their lives are soon upended by Rocket’s past, and the team finds themselves on a mission to save his life. Go along on their adventures in this MCU movie, sure to be filled with laughter, adventure and even a talking tree. This movie has the usual violence and swearing found in Marvel movies and is best for tweens and older. Rated PG-13
Aug. 2: “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” (6 new episodes) – Follow the adventures of a group of Jedi Younglings studying in the way of the force in this animated Star Wars show. The series was recently nominated for a 2023 Television Critics Association Award and was awarded a Common Sense Seal from Common Sense Media, so this a show the whole family can enjoy.
Aug. 2: “How Not to Draw Shorts” (S1, 5 episodes) – In this drawing-tutorial parody series, animators bring beloved Disney characters to life, and the characters are given chaos that the animator(s) bring upon them.
Aug. 2: “Kiff” (S1, 4 episodes) – Follow along in the adventures of Kiff and Barry, an optimistic squirrel and a mellow bunny, in this fun animated kids show.
Aug. 4: “Rio 2” – This animated kid’s movie follows the story of a family of parrots, Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they have been hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. Blu tries to fit in and ends up going beak-to-beak with a very unhappy Nigel, and meets some more family members. This movie is fun for the whole family and is rated G.
Aug. 9: “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (Final Season) – Students at the school where the "High School Musical" movies were filmed are putting on their own High School Musical musical based on the movie. But their plans are thrown into disarray when the cast of the movie comes to their school and tells them they want the students to be extras in the next "High School Musical" movie. Confused? Me too. All I can say for sure if that there will be plenty of singing, dancing and drama, all the key ingredients for a good high school show. Or musical. Or movie.
Aug. 9: “Chibi Tiny Tales Shorts” (S3, 11 episodes) – The adventures of various Disney characters are presented in Chibi style, which is a common anime animation style where characters are small with oversized heads, big eye and minimal detail. Basically, a way to make cute things even cuter!
Aug. 9: “Dino Ranch” (S2, 9 episodes) – The Cassidy family ranchers are back for more adventures with their dino pals. As the young ranchers learn the tricks of their trade, they also must learn to navigate the great outdoors and its unpredictable challenges.
Aug. 11: “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” – Andrew Garfield is Spider-Man in this 2014 version of the well-known superhero story. This time Spider-Man (aka, Peter Parker) must find out what’s really going on at the large, cutting-edge company known as Oscorp. You might not be too surprised to hear that it’s up to no good, and super villains are involved. Like any respectable Marvel movie, there is plenty of adventure, fighting and explosions. This movie is rated PG-13 and is probably best for a movie night with tweens and older.
Aug. 11: Classic cartoons – 2023 is Disney’s 100th anniversary, and they are releasing several classic Disney cartoons to mark the occasion. In August, you will be able to watch the following classics from the 1930s and 1940s:
- “Barnyard Olympics” (1932)
- “Donald’s Cousin Gus”(1939)
- “Donald’s Nephews” (1938)
- “The Flying Jalopy” (1943)
- “Goofy and Wilbur” (1939)
- “Mickey’s Steam Roller” (1934)
Aug. 16: “Disney Junior Wonderful World of Songs” (S1, 10 episodes) – If there’s one thing Disney has, it’s songs. Lots and lots of songs! These shorts feature popular musicians singing reimaged versions of classic Disney songs, including “Circle of Life”, “You Can Fly!”, “How Far I’ll Go” and “It’s A Small World.”
Aug. 16: “Hamster & Gretel” (S1, 4 episodes) – Gretel and her pet hamster (creatively named, Hamster) use their superpowers to fight evil and save the day. The two heroes, and Gretel’s big brother Kevin, work together to protect their city. This show, packed with plenty of action and silly humor, is from the creators of the popular cartoon “Phineas and Ferb.”
Aug. 16: “The Villains of Valley View” (S2, 6 episodes) – Amy Madden and her family are super villain living undercover lives in the unsuspecting town of Valley View. The family must work together to protect their secret and overcome new challenges, while an enemy they thought they defeated plots her revenge.
Aug. 17: “The Wonder Years” (S2, 10 episodes) – This remake of a show from the 1980s is a coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old Black boy in Montgomery, Alabama in the late 1960s, as told by his adult self.
Aug. 18: “LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest” – Look out Barbie, the LEGO Disney Princes are back in an all-new special. Tiana, Moana, Snow White, Rapunzel and Ariel are off on an adventure when they are unexpectedly transported to a mysterious castle and discover that Gaston has hatched an evil plan to take over all their kingdoms. They must work together to save the day. This special will entertain the whole family, and is rated TV-G.
Aug. 24: “Cinderella 4K Restored Version” – Almost 75 years after its release, "Cinderella" is getting another make-over. The look and sound will be improved in this new restored version, while animators pressure the movie’s classic feel.
Aug. 30: “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life” (Season 2) – Those silly little chipmunks are at it again with wild adventures in a big city park as they try to increase their acorn stash. Many other classic Disney characters join the fun including Pluto, Donald and many more.
Aug. 30: “Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes” (S1, 6 episodes) – Kiya and her two best friends (Jay and Motsie) live in the South-African-inspired Kimoja City. Through the use of their crystal-charged power they work together until harmony is restored to their city. Preschoolers will love the high energy dance and martial arts skills featured in this fun animated series.
Aug. 30: “Rewind The 90s” (for the parents) – Parents, this one’s for you! Remember and relive the memorable moments from the 1990s, hosted with celebrity guests. Each episode will focus on a 90s theme, from the craze of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” to Beanie Babies to teen heartthrobs (I’m looking at you, James Van Der Beek and JTT).
Ongoing series:
“Star Wars: Ahsoka” – Set after the fall of the Empire, “Star Wars: Ahsoka” follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to galaxy.;
- Aug 23: Episodes 1 and 2
- Aug 30: Episode 3
