6 Summer Flicks for Little Kids who Can't Stand the Heat

School’s out and the summer temps are blazing. The kids are probably making the most of their days playing outside, riding bikes, swimming, and looking forward to fireworks and birthday parties. But when they come in for the evening, they can relive the sunny days with the following six slick summer flicks – perfect for a marathon, complete with popcorn and popsicles:

The Goonies

1985, PG

What’s not to love about a family adventure flick written by Steven Spielberg, directed by Richard Donner and featuring Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, and Corey Feldman when they were just tykes? The story follows Mikey and Brandon, brothers who stumble upon a treasure map of the famed pirate One-Eyed Willy’s hidden fortune and set out with their rag-tag friends on a quest to find the treasure in hopes of saving their neighborhood from greedy developers. The magnificent map leads them to all kinds of summer-set shenanigans, and lots of fun along the way.

The Lizzy McGuire Movie

2003, PG

Goodbye home! Hello Rome! On a class trip to Italy, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) finds the perfect reason to dodge the school chaperone when she meets a dashing young fella named Paolo. When he notes her startling resemblance to Isabella, a missing superstar, Lizzie is transformed from klutzy middle-schooler into sleek international pop star. The teen now has the choice of a lifetime… will she go home, or choose Rome?

Slappy and the Stinkers

1998, PG

Stuck in a stuffy summer camp called Dartmoor Academy, the Stinkers, five 7-year-olds who wreak havoc on their uptight headmaster, decide it would be fun to abduct a sea lion from the local aquarium. The idea is to return Slappy the sea lion home to the sea, but a villain named “Broccoli” stands in their way. He’s to steal the sea lion, teach it a few tricks, and sell it for big bucks to a Bulgarian circus. The modern-day Little Rascals have to pull out all the stops to save Slappy and keep out of trouble at summer school.

A Rugrats Vacation

1997, NR

Here’s another one about animals being rescued from a life of servitude in the circus. The Pickles pile into an RV and head for Slots Vegas for some summer fun, but when the impish toddlers arrive, their plans are derailed by “the big kitties” locked in cages. The cats turn out to be Siberian white tigers, the star attraction from the Heimlich and Bob show (parodying Siegfried and Roy, of course) but that doesn’t stop the kids from trying to complete their mission.

Surf’s Up

2007, PG

Surfing means everything to teenage Rockhopper Penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf). He journeys from his home in Shiverpool, Antarctica, to take part in the Big Z Memorial Surf-Off on beautiful Pen Gu Island, and during his adventure he meets new friends, including surf nut Chicken Joe and spirited lifeguard Lani. Cody thinks that winning is everything until he meets Geek (Jeff Bridges), an ancient, washed-up former pro athlete, who shows the young board-boogying bird that a true winner isn’t always the one who comes in first.

Judy Moody and the (Not) Bummer Summer

2011, PG

Judy (Jordana Beatty) has planned the most awesome summer ever and can’t wait to have adventures with her best friends, Rocky and Amy. But NOT her brother Stink. Then she finds out that Rocky is off to tame lions in the circus (hmm, there’s a theme in summer movies for kids, isn’t there?) and that Amy is flying to Borneo with her mother to selflessly save a lost tribe. Judy is bummed to be left home with her rotten brother, and her second-best friend, Frank. Worse, her parents jet off to California and leave the kids with a kooky aunt (Heather Graham) they’ve never even met. How can Judy’s summer be saved?

Which summer flicks do you have lined up for the tots? Share your ultimate summer movie marathon with us!