Introducing our children to the issues of climate change is something that may be challenging. After all, how exactly do you explain the consequences of melting ice caps to a nine-year-old?

However, there are many ways that children themselves impact the environment. Whether that’s through the toys they play with, the clothes they wear or the food they eat, their relationship with nature does matter – and that's where we can lend a helping hand.

One way to get children really thinking is through film. Whether through bold animation, captivating characters or delicate storytelling, movies can be an inspirational medium for kids to really understand some of the trickier topics that you may not know exactly how to bridge with them otherwise.

Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the best films to help introduce your kids to the ideas of climate change, sustainability and the environment.

Showing 1 to 9 of 9 results

  • WALL-E

    Animated sci-fi comedy featuring the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Ben Burtt and Elissa Knight. On a refuse-covered Earth of the future, a lonely robot called WALL-E is carrying out its function to compress and form litter into towers, a task it was programmed to do by the humans who abandoned the barren planet centuries ago. Then a visit from a probe called EVE brings hope that Earth could be populated once more.
  • Happy Feet

    Musical animated adventure featuring the voices of Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood and Robin Williams. In the freezing Antarctic, Emperor penguins find their soul mate through their own unique "heart song". Unfortunately for young bird Mumble, he can't sing a note, but he can tap dance brilliantly. Social rejection soon follows, leading his "happy feet" to be blamed for a colony-threatening fish famine. Determined to prove his worth, Mumble heads off on a perilous journey to discover the truth about what has happened to the fish stocks.
  • Ice Age

    Animated comedy adventure, featuring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary. Twenty thousand years ago, Earth's animals are fleeing the onslaught of a new Ice Age. However, three natural enemies - a mammoth, a sloth and a sabre-toothed tiger - are diverted from their escape and their enmity when they become the unlikely guardians of a lost human infant.
  • Moana

    Animated musical adventure featuring the voices of Dwayne Johnson and Auli'i Cravalho. Ancient Polynesia: Moana, the future leader of her island community, sets sail on a perilous mission to rescue her home from encroaching darkness. Forming an uneasy alliance with the mischievous demigod Maui, she strives to return a mystical relic to its rightful place, while also discovering her true purpose.
  • Finding Dory

    Pixar's animated sequel to Finding Nemo, featuring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. Dory, a friendly blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, embarks on an epic quest to find her long-absent parents. Friends Nemo and Marlin join Dory on a perilous mission that ultimately teaches everyone the true meaning of family.
  • Arctic Tale

    Wildlife documentary narrated by Queen Latifah, which follows the lives of a polar bear cub and a walrus pup as they struggle with the environmental changes that are affecting their habitat.
  • Dr Seuss' The Lorax

    Animated comedy adventure with the voices of Zac Efron, Ed Helms and Danny DeVito. In a city where everything is artificial, young Ted Wiggins seeks to win the heart of his dream girl Audrey by finding her a real tree. But first he must reverse the destructive work of a greedy businessman with the aid of a grumpy woodland guardian.
  • Over the Hedge

    Animated comedy adventure featuring the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling and Steve Carell. When Vincent the bear wakes from his winter hibernation to find that scheming raccoon RJ has stolen his stash of food, he gives RJ a deadline to return it, or else. After duping a bunch of animals into helping him, the desperate RJ discovers that part of the forest has been turned into a suburb, and there's a massive hedge separating him from a potentially rich source of salvation.
  • Dolphin Tale

    Family drama starring Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr, based on the true story of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin, who is rescued by an aquarium after being injured by a fishing trap off the Florida coast. After complications set in she loses her tail and is fitted with a prosthetic replacement.
See more Best films to help teach kids about climate change

Authors

Chezelle Bingham is a Sub-Editor for Radio Times. She previously worked on Disney magazines as a Writer, for 6 pre-school and primary titles. Alongside her prior work in writing, she possesses a BA in English Literature and Language.

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