Amazon’s currently running an Award Season Sale in the Instant Video store, and it includes some great family films! Note that all descriptions below are from IMDB.
The Sound of Music (G, 4.5/5 stars, closed captions available, currently priced to own at $7.99 in SD and $9.99 in HD)
Baron Von Trapp, a widower, runs his home near Salzburg like the ship he once commanded. That changes when Maria arrives from the convent to be the new governess of his seven children.
Their romps through the hills inspire all to sing and to find joy in the smallest things — like raindrops on window panes. With a renewed zest for life, the baron hosts a party to introduce his new fiancee.
Maria knows then she does not want to be a nun. She marries the baron. The happy ever after part is threatened when Austria’s new German rulers want the baron back in military service.
– Written by Dale O’Connor
Big (PG, 4.5/5 stars, closed captions available, currently priced to own at $7.99 in SD and $12.99 in HD)
A young boy makes a wish at a fairground machine to be big.
He wakes up the following morning to find that his wish has been granted and his body has grown older over night. But he is still the same 12 year old kid on the inside.
Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown ups including getting a job, and having his first romantic encounter with a woman. What will he find out about this strange world?
– Written by Sami Al-Taher
March of the Penguins (G, 4.5/5 stars, closed captions available, currently priced to own at $7.99 in SD and $9.99 in HD)
The cycle of life the Emperor’s penguins is disclosed in this wonderful documentary. Every autumn, these animal leave the safety of the ocean and march along twenty days to a place called “Oamack”.
Once there, they select their mates, they procreate, protect and feed their offspring and after months they return to the sea.
Later, their progeny go to the ocean, where they stay for four years, and when they reach their adult life, they follow the same pattern of their parents.
– Written by Claudio Carvalho
Life of Pi (PG, 4/5 stars, closed captions available, currently priced to own at $7.99 in SD and $9.99 in HD)
An aspiring Canadian author interviews the Indian storyteller Pi Patel to hear the firsthand account of his adventures. Pi recounts his upbringing in French-occupied India, where his father owned a zoo. When Pi’s family business fails, they embark on a sea voyage to Canada to begin a new life. One night aboard their Japanese cargo ship in the middle of the ocean, a deadly storm hits and sinks nearly all that Pi holds dear. He survives in a lifeboat with several of their zoo animals, including a fearsome Bengal tiger. In a struggle to survive, Pi and the tiger forge an unexpected connection that gives him daily motivation to live.
– Written by Andrew Klay
Note that while this film only carries a PG rating, very young or sensitive children, especially those who love animals, may find portions of this film upsetting. While there are no graphically violent scenes, not all of the animals survive and some of the animals are killed by other animals.
Click here to browse the Award Season Sale in Amazon’s Instant Video store.