11 Kids' TV Shows & Movies Coming To Netflix In April That Every Parent Will Love

I know I'm not the only one who remembers all too well how important it was to see the 2002 live action Scooby-Doo in the theater. Not only were Sarah Michelle Gellar and husband Freddie Prinze Jr. back together on-screen, but Shaggy was played by fellow Scream alum Matthew Lillard. Obviously Scooby-Doo is nothing like any of the horror movies from the early 2000s, but it has just the right about of mystery and scares to be fun for both parents and kids to watch together.

The BFG, which stands for big friendly giant, was actually directed by Steven Spielberg and although the box office results weren't great, it's still one of the whimsical fantasy animated movies that can be fun to watch even as an adult. In other words, you would have no problem following along and neither would your kid.

Based on the 2013 animated movie The Croods, Dawn of the Croods is a similar Netflix Original animated series that follows the prehistoric family before the events of the actual movie are supposed to have taken place.

At a time on Netflix when superheroes and ninjas are in full swing (I'm looking at you, Iron Fist), Kubo and the Two Strings is totally relevant. The 2016 3D stop-animation movie follows the adventures of Kubo who, along with sidekicks Monkey and Beetle, fights to take down the powerful Moon King. From the same studio that produced Coraline and ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings features the voices of Charlize Theron, George Takei, and Matthew McConaughey.

Right up there with All Dogs Go to Heaven, Disney's own Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is an easy classic from the childhoods of a lot of parents today. It's not animated, but the live action main characters come in the form of two dogs and a cat who can all talk. Because of course they can, right? After being left on a ranch while their owners are on an extended leave, the animals venture into the mountains where they soon find themselves lost and must find their way back together.

The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show is like an animated version of a variety (half) hour. If the characters look sort of familiar, it's because they're actually based on the sketch 'Peabody's Improbable History' that was part of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show back in the day. I honestly never really got into it because it was a bit before my time, but the sort of spin-off series is like a sometimes fun and sometimes accurate history lesson.

The Secret Life of Pets only came out in 2016 but already Netflix is about to release it for streaming on April 22. I may have been conditioned to watch this no less than three times a day when we first got our hands on it. And although my 3-year-old is currently watching Ghostbusters on a more permanent basis, something tells me that when he sees this one on his Netflix queue, it's going to be back on the top of his list.

Another one of those insanely colorful and eye-popping Disney shows directed at teenagers but enjoyed by kids a bit younger than pre-teens, Liv and Maddie has been on the air for four years and its fourth season will hit Netflix on April 23. The premise is pretty simple: two identical twin sisters who have totally opposite personalities reunite after Liv, the decidedly "girly" twin moves back home after spending several years in show business. Obviously lots of misadventures and lessons occur, but it's fairly long-running for a Disney show, so it's got to be doing something right.

With a movie like Queen of Katwe, you might have to have a more patient kid on your hands, but the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl who becomes a Woman Candidate Master at chess, is inspiring for pretty much everyone. Not only does it send an important message to kids in general, but it's humbling to see where Mutesi comes from and how far she goes from there specifically in the Disney film.

I was legitimately never much for Disney princesses, but since I became a parent, I have been all about anything that will help me teach my son to be kind while giving him fashion tips via Tim Gunn, who serves as the voice behind Sofia's butler in the animated series. It may not teach you about counting or shapes, but Sofia the First is pretty adorable in its own unique way, making it definitely worth a watch.