The month of May sure has a way of keeping families busy.
From sports every weekend to the approaching end of the school year with all of its events and projects, it can feel like nonstop go-go-go! During these busy times, don’t forget to take a break and enjoy a little family time on the couch with some popcorn and a fun new show. Here are a few you won’t want to miss this month.
Netflix:
May 1: “Rainbow High” (Season 3) – Join seven high school fashionistas as they start their journey at Rainbow High, the No. 1 visual arts high school. They will learn to navigate school, drama and friendship as they strut their stuff in the hallways, rocking some pretty amazing shoes.
May 1: “Rugrats” (Seasons 1–2) – Ready to introduce your kids to a blast from the past? This classic kids cartoon (which aired 1991–2006) will keep kids laughing at the adventures of a rowdy group of toddlers (and a few older cousins) as they learn to navigate the world.
May 1: “Chicken Run” (2000) – This stop-motion movie (from the Academy Award winners who created Wallace & Gromit) about the secret lives of chickens is a total classic. The chickens work together to plan their great escape from the chicken pen to avoid the fate of ending up in a chicken pot pie. When a rooster named Rocky lands in their pen, they hatch (ha-ha, sorry ... had to ...) the idea of learning to fly up and over the wall. Silliness ensues in this fun family movie. Rated G
May 1: “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” (2004) – Jim Carrey and Jude Law lead the cast of this adaptation of the popular book series. Follow the misadventures of the three Baudelaire children as they dodge the evil Count Olaf, who is trying to steal their recently deceased parent’s fortune. Rated PG. Netflix also has an excellent series by the same name that ran for three seasons and stars Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf (one of our family’s all-time favorite shows).
May 1: “Igor” (2008) – Every evil scientist has their own Igor, kept in the shadows to do their bidding. Well, no more! One Igor has ideas of his own and wants to enter the evil science fair himself. This movie is silly fun for the family, and the voice actors include John Cusack, Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi and more!
May 1: “Mermaze Mermaidz” (Season 1) – Do you like mermaids? Do you like Barbies? How about Barbies who are mermaids? Well, if so, look no further! Follow these five cool best friends as they use their magical color-changing powers to save their underwater city.
May 1: “Peter Pan” (2003) – This take on the classic story provides plenty of adventure, swords fights and flying children. Rated PG, this movie will be a fun one to try if you have adventure or fantasy movie fans in your house.
May 1: “The Croods” (2013) – This prehistoric family must work together after their cave is destroyed. They venture out into a world they never dared to explore and find adventure, love, laughter and some great new friends.
May 1: “The Smurfs” (Season 1) – La la, la la la la, la, la la la la. Everyone’s favorite little blue creatures of the forest are back with some Smurf-tastic adventures.
May 1: “The Tale of Despereaux” (2008) – With his giant ears and eyes, Despereaux just might be the cutest animated rodent ever. Follow the adventures of the independent little mouse who would rather be brave then scared all of the time. This beautifully animated movie is rated G and based on Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal–winning book.
May 4: “Grizzy and the Lemmings” (Season 3) – Grizzy and the Lemmings are in an epic ongoing battle over who gets possession of “Yummy,” a chocolate-like spread that resembles Nutella. If possession of Nutella isn’t worth an ongoing battle, I don’t know what is.
May 4: “Larva Family” (Season 1) – The nonverbal Red and Yellow larva have a new adventure in this series: parenthood! They take on a newborn caterpillar and continue their silly, sometimes gross, always squeaky, adventures together.
May 4: “Arctic Dogs” (2019) – This movie is… not great. Our family has a joke: When we can’t think of something to watch, we say, “Well, there’s always ‘Artic Dogs,’” and everyone screams no. If you are really bored, feel free to check this one out.
May 8: “Spirit Rangers” (Season 2) – Here come the Spirit Rangers! Native American siblings Kodiak, Summer and Eddy Skycedar are back with more adventures. When trouble arises, the siblings transform into owl, bear and turtle heroes to protect the Earth.
May 8: “Justice League” (Seasons 1–2) – The Justice League heroes (Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman, just to name a few) are fighting crime and keeping their cities safe in this classic DC cartoon series that began in 2001.
May 8: “Justice League Unlimited” (Seasons 1–2) – This animated series picked up where the last one left off and includes dozens of additional heroes from the DC comic universe.
May 12: “Queer Eye” (Season 7) – The Fab Five are back again to spread their totally contagious happiness, joy and self-love. While this is not a show aimed specifically at children, you just can’t beat the positive vibes and acceptance this crew brings everywhere they go. It is rated TV-14, so probably best for the tween and older crowd.
May 13: “UglyDolls” (2019) – In a world where only pretty, perfect dolls find their human match, the UglyDolls confront what it means to be different and ultimately discover what matters most. Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas and Janelle Monae provide voices and music for his fun family movie.
May 22: “The Creature Cases” (Chapter 3) – A covert league of animal detective experts uses super spy gear to solve mysteries and save the day! Rated TV-Y, this show will entertain kids of all ages.
May 22: “The Batman” (Seasons 1–5) – Watch Batman and Robin take on all of the classic villains to save Gotham City from one disaster after another. I always wondered why the good citizens of Gotham never moved to a city less prone to evil villain attacks …
May 22: “The Boss Baby” (2017) – He’s a baby, he’s a boss ... he’s Boss Baby! Alec Baldwin provides the voice to the littlest capitalist, who is on a mission to make sure babies stay cuter than puppies. With the help of his older brother, Boss Baby embarks on adventures, and they ultimately decide they just might like each other after all.
Disney+
May 2: “Eureka!” (Season 1, 6 episodes) – Prehistoric inventor Eureka uses her designs and inventions to make the world a better place. Join her on adventures as she cruises around her hometown of Rocky Falls on her super cool prehistoric one-wheel skateboard, with adorable dino pets in tow.
May 4: “Star Wars Visions” (Volume 2) – Following the Emmy Award–nominated season one, this new season of “Star Wars Visions” consists of nine shorts from around the globe. These shorts offer a fascinating new perspective on the world of “Star Wars” and come from studios in France, Spain, South Korea and India, just to name a few.
May 4: “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” – This animated series follows Jedi younglings as they study and learn the ways of the Force. Together, they help others in need, travel the galaxy and learn important skills along the way.
May 10: “The Muppets Mayhem” – The classic Muppets band (featuring Janice and Animal, to name a few) is faced with the current day music scene as they try and record their first album.
May 12: “Crater” – The year is 2257, and Caleb has been born and raised on a lunar mining colony. Following the death of his father, Caleb is about to be relocated to a faraway planet. But before he goes, there is one last adventure he and his four friends must have — exploring a mysterious crater. This sci-fi adventure is from the producers of the hit show “Stranger Things,” and is rated PG.
May 12: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) – Peter Parker is coming to grips with his newfound super power (aka, being Spider-Man) and his place within the Avengers in this MCU movie. Peter returns home to New York to live with his Aunt May and learn from his new mentor, Tony Stark (aka, Iron Man). But as always, there is evil afoot to be defeated. And then there is high school to survive.
May 17: “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” – The tiny heroes are back in this latest installment of the “Ant-Man” movies. Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and Hope Van Dyne (The Wasp) find themselves exploring the quantum realm in this new adventure. Strange new creatures, worlds and timelines await the heroes. Sort of confusing? Sure, but like any good Marvel movie, there are plenty of explosions, adventures, laughs and victorious heroes. What’s not to love?
May 24: “American Born Chinese” – Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this new series looks pretty great. It follows the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager navigating average teenage problems. But when he meets a new student from China (or so we think), he finds himself engaged in a battle with Chinese mythological gods. Filled with action, adventure and an incredible cast (including the award-winning Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan), this new series is sure to have you on the edge of your seat.
May 24: “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life” – The fuzzy little troublemakers are back in this animated series. Rated G, this show is aimed at the littlest viewers, who will be sure to love all of Chip and Dale’s silly chipmunk adventures.
May24: “Spidey and His Amazing Friends” (Season 2, 5 episodes) – Your favorite crime-fighting friends are back, in Disney Junior form. Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy join forces with Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Black Panther to fight their common enemies and learn that working together as a team is the best.
May 31: “Firebuds” (Season 1, 6 episodes) – Iggy and Rod are back and ready for more rescue-vehicle adventures. Your little fans of trucks with flashing lights will enjoy the adventures in this fantasy world where emergency vehicles come to life and help their friends save the day.
