Fun, not scary, wilderness/survival movies for kids?

My kids will be part of a forest school co-op this summer, and we were thinking it'd be good to have some wilderness/survival movies for kids aged 4-10. Nothing too scary! My daughter easily gets nightmares.

The only ones that come to my mind are:

A Cry in the Wild (based off of the book "Hatchet"). I remember reading the book and watching the movie in Elementary School, but I don't know how intense it was. I just know I always wanted to have some sort of sharp implement on me (like a hatchet!), just in case

Swiss Family Robinson I've honestly only seen bits and pieces of this when I flipped through the channels as a kid!

Someone in my Co-op mentioned:

True Spirit, based off of the true story of an Australian teenager who was the youngest person to sail around the world.

I'd love for more ideas!!!

If you have similarly themed chapter books, those would be great, too!

Grizzly Adams, though I wasn't sure so I ask Google:

https://kids.kiddle.co/The_Life_and_Times_of_Grizzly_Adams

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_the_Wilderness_Family

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072610/

This one I may not have seen though it sounds good, Alaska (1996):

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115493/

I loved the movie Homeward Bound as a kid. Fly Away Home was alright, from what I remember.

I've been trying out artificial intelligence recently and just had a chat to see if it had answers. It wasn't helpful unless you want animated movies, but as your kids get older, Eight Below sounds interesting (rated PG).

There was one about 2 kids (brother and sister) in AK, but I can't remember the name of it. Plane might have crashed and they had to hike out to get help for their dad. Or, they went searching for their dad whose plane crashed, can't truly remember, worry.

Hi Nicole,
Just don't put on the Mountain Family Robinson :)... a good movie, but really scary as a kid.

What about something like the "Little House on the Prairie" tv show? Or "The Waltons"? Not really "wilderness" survival as some people describe wilderness... but they do have some history of how people survived back then amongst the drama added to make it more interesting.

I always loved the "My Side of the Mountain" book. I believe they made a movie, but I don't know if it was any good.

Have you considered audio books? That might broaden the list of options some if it didn't have to be a movie.

Since Louis L'Amour is my favorite storyteller, this was a great book that has been made into a movie, Down the Long Hills.

Since I have not seen the movie and read the book some time ago you might review the movie before showing it to the kids:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091436/

Edit to say: It is listed here as recommended reading for children:

https://www.louislamour.com/novels/kids.htm

When my kids were little we liked watching The Wilderness Family. I think it was from the early 80s. It was a little cheesy with the writing and the mom character was kind of annoying in the damsel in distress way… I’m not selling this well lol. But it was still fun to watch and appropriate for young kids.

The Disney version of The Incredible Journey is pretty kid-friendly -- adorable animal antics, aside from a scary bear. The book was the first of Sheila Burnford's work that I read as a kid.

The Incredible Journey

Lord Of The Flies is all about a bunch of kids surviving in the wilderness, but I doubt that it's what you're looking for.

I seem to remember The Black Stallion had a fairly long segment about the boy and horse being shipwrecked together, but I haven't seen it since I was a child and maybe that's the short bit of the movie

Gilligan's Island!  Not at all accurate about surviving, but wikipedia says

In 1997, show creator Sherwood Schwartz explained that the underlying concept, people with different characters and backgrounds being in a situation where they need to learn how to get along and cooperate with each other to survive, is still "the most important idea in the world today".

Dc Stewart wrote:Lord Of The Flies is all about a bunch of kids surviving in the wilderness, but I doubt that it's what you're looking for.

I think I read that in high school, and it was rather depressing. I'd rather not expose these little ones to the prospect of human nature being that nasty!

I loved both the book and the movie "My Side of the Mountain" when I was a kid. No scary stuff at all!

I should track that one down for my kids to watch. They have nightmares easily too- Incredible Journey was too intense for them. I think the most intense scene in My Side of the Mountain is when he gets snowed in but it is not very intense at all.

This one is probably too scary since the are murderous poachers but I loved the movie "A Far Off Place" when I was a teenager. Three teens cross the Kalahari Desert to escape poachers.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines
This one is super silly and fun. Not necessarily wilderness survival but it's about a family who must work together to survive a robot apocalypse. If you haven't already seen it, that might sound scary but it really isn't. The dad is a wilderness survival guy and is constantly dragging his family on weird survival adventures and the oldest kid is tired of it and wants to be on her computer all the time but to survive the (very silly and not too scary) robots, the dad and the teen both learn to value and use each other's skills.

City wilderness for these critters - G-Force.

Wilderness Family Movies and My Side of the Mountain. Such pretty imagery!! "Also Follow Me, Boys", literally the sweetest movie ever about Boy Scouts and their scout leader <3 <3 <3

Holes is intense for younger kids but so very good.

Not a movie, but Ray Mears has some good bushcraft expedition films. One I particularly liked was a canoe trip across Canada.

I don't know if Les Stroud's Survivorman would be too complex, but it shouldn't be too scary and he's certainly the real deal when it comes to survival skills and the survival mindset.

Edit: For books, I have this vague recollection from childhood -- some sort of a Christopher Robin/ Winnie the Pooh book that involved a flood, a raft, a lantern ... ?

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is heartwarming and funny. It touches on some real issues but is not scary as I remember, beyond some moments of tension that make it compelling to watch. Its about a NZ Maori foster kid who finds himself on a wilderness adventure with a surly old survivalist (Sam Neal). I’d recommend it.

“Into the Wild” is a great movie, but quite sad. It is a good lesson on why people never really thrive, if they do survive, on their own in wild Alaska.

It’s not so much about survival as living with nature, but “A River Runs Through It” is one of my favorite movies.

I remember enjoying “Hatchet” as a kid, but I think it might be scary for kids under 10 or so, as someone dies early in the movie.

On the more faith based side Follow The River.

That movie about teens going to rescue their father was called Alaska.

Dennis Goyette wrote:There was one about 2 kids (brother and sister) in AK, but I can't remember the name of it. Plane might have crashed and they had to hike out to get help for their dad. Or, they went searching for their dad whose plane crashed, can't truly remember, worry.

There’s two movies that I’ve seen, similar to each other. The one I liked best, but cannot find it anywhere, had a Native American as the pilot. There were two preteens/younger teens who bickered with each other.
The plane crashed, the girl was bitten by a venomous snake, her brother set off to find help, the spirit of the pilot appeared to the girl & told her of a plant that could help her. My memory has faded, & I think there was a wolf involved with the girl. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'd always go for 'My Side of the Mountain', movie or book.  I first saw it when I was 11 and adored it.  Some challenges, but not scary at all.

Another to think about...not strictly a survival movie, and not in the wilderness, but good and in that vein, 'The Gods Must be Crazy', about the Kalahari bushmen, and a coke bottle.  It's gotten some flack, but it's got a decent structure to get youth thinking in that mindset.

Cheers,
Dave

I ran this experiment just to see how far our robot overlords progressed. I'd say we are ok for now.

However, this could be all kinds of a different experience for a child to try and tailor a short story they really want to remember since they can be a co-creator as the prompt writer.

My Prompt: BARD, Generate a not scary, wilderness survival story for a 10 year old girl with interest in mechanical tools. Make it short to fit on 3 printed pages. Do not hurt any animals. Use Nordic names and mythology. Emphasize perseverance and wit of the main two characters but do not use my terms exactly instead substitute with synonyms.

Google's BARD:

Sure, here is a not scary wilderness survival story for a 10 year old girl with an interest in mechanical tools, set in a Nordic forest:

On a bright summer day, 10-year-old Astrid was exploring the forest near her home in Norway. She was always fascinated by the mechanical workings of things, and she loved to take apart old machines and put them back together again.

As she was walking through the forest, Astrid came across a strange sight. There was a large metal bird sitting on a rock. The bird was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It had a long, slender neck and sharp talons. Its feathers were a brilliant blue, and its eyes were a piercing green.

Astrid was curious about the bird, so she approached it slowly. As she got closer, she could see that the bird was injured. One of its wings was broken, and it was struggling to stand up.

Astrid knew that she had to help the bird. She gathered some sticks and branches and built a small nest for it. Then, she used her pocket knife to splint the bird's wing.

The next day, Astrid returned to the forest to check on the bird. She was surprised to see that it was already much better. The bird's wing was still injured, but it was able to stand up and walk around.

Astrid named the bird Odin, after the Norse god of wisdom. She and Odin quickly became friends. Astrid would bring Odin food and water every day, and Odin would tell her stories about the forest.

One day, Astrid was playing with Odin in the forest when they came across a group of boys who were picking on a smaller boy. The boys were bigger and stronger than the smaller boy, and they were about to hurt him.

Astrid knew that she had to do something, so she stood up to the boys. She told them that they were being mean, and she demanded that they leave the smaller boy alone.

The boys were surprised by Astrid's courage. They started to make fun of her for being a girl, but she stood her ground. She told them that she didn't care if they were boys or girls, she wasn't going to let them hurt anyone.

The boys eventually backed down and left. The smaller boy thanked Astrid for helping him, and they became friends.

Astrid learned a valuable lesson that day. She learned that it's important to stand up for what's right, even if you're afraid. She also learned that it's important to have friends who will support you, no matter what.

Astrid and Odin continued to be friends for many years. They had many adventures together, and they always looked out for each other. They were a reminder that even in the wilderness, it's possible to find friendship, courage, and hope.

I hope you enjoyed this story!

I loved ´My Side of the Mountain’, ans stored the book (over 20+ moves and three continents) until I read it this past Fall to my 9 year old son. One evening, I am reading outdoors about him hunting and processing deer hide, and my son suddenly says ‘deer!’. Right below us in the wild garden, 40 feet away.

That said, the reviews of the film are terrible and the clip looked pretty cheesy.

For those who have mentioned Lord of the Flies, why not inspire yourself and your kids on the real human nature, and watch the short documentary about the boys from a small South Pacific Island who ran away, sank the boat they were on and survived together in harmony for months on an uninhabited island. They were the inspiration for LOTF but the reality was much more positive!