Many great movies for kids with a G rating are still not right for sensitive young viewers from around six to eight. While various issues affect kids differently, generally media that portrays death, abandonment, and pain or suffering can trigger feelings of fear and discomfort in younger children. Therefore, you may want to wait on showing the films below—listed in the order of the year of release—until your child is more of a seasoned film watcher.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Disney’s first animated film paved the way for generations of children to be terrorized by this studio’s archetypal portrayals of good versus evil (and to view women as damsels in distress that need men to save them). If you’ve forgotten, Snow White’s horrible stepmother orders her murder, and when that fails, she turns into a hideous witch and poisons Snow White.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

This film—often heralded as one of the greatest of all time—is actually not rated. But I included it in this list since many parents think of it as a kids’ movie. This was one of my favorite films as a child, and I remember begging my mom to let me stay up late to watch it for the first time when I was six or seven. I still remember the nightmares I had after that first viewing of the Wicked Witch of the West, her scary flying-monkey henchmen, and the hourglass counting down to Dorothy’s demise. D saw this movie when she was nine and enjoyed it; I think it really has stood the test of time. But unless you want to potentially deal with some sleepless nights, hold off on this classic for the youngest viewers.

Bambi (1942)

Bambi is another traumatizing yet classic Disney film that socks kids in the face with the reality of the “circle of life.” Bambi’s mother is shot and killed by hunters who later shoot and wound Bambi and start a devastating forest fire.

Note that two years before Bambi, Disney released Pinocchio, a dark lesson in the perils of behaving badly, which may include being turned into a donkey and forced to work in the salt mines. In 1941, the studio released Dumbo, which features a young elephant separated from his mother and stereotypical portrayals of minorities. These are two more films you may want to wait on until children are more mature.

101 Dalmatians (1961)

The original animated version is a fantastic, fun film and was one of D’s favorites when she was around nine. Cruella De Vil is one of Disney’s scariest villains, however. And if a cold, ruthless puppy killer may turn off your sensitive kid, don’t make this film one of your first.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

This was another one of my favorites from childhood. It features a colorful, fantastic adventure with singing and dancing and a lot of slapstick comedy. In addition, though, there are suspenseful scenes in which the main characters are in jeopardy. The evil child catcher who hunts down children and locks them up in a dungeon still haunts me.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Here’s another classic film that I love, featuring an incredible performance by Gene Wilder. But almost every child who tours the chocolate factory meets with a horrible (although temporary) fate and the very creepy scene of a boat cruising through a dark tunnel with projections of violent and disturbing images make this movie inappropriate for the youngest viewers.

The Lion King (1994)

Disney’s at it again with the violent death of a parent (which Simba the lion cub blames on himself); a villainous uncle; and evil, threatening members of the jungle community. In terms of the big picture, this film presents valuable lessons about moving forward and solving problems head on, all with a great soundtrack and some poignant and hilarious moments. It’s a worthwhile story but contains themes that older kids will be better able to deal with and value.

A Bug’s Life (1998)

D rewatched A Bug’s Life when she was around nine and liked it. But when she first saw the movie at six, the violent and suspenseful scenes in this film traumatized her to the point that it put the kibosh on movie night for several months.

Finding Nemo (2003)

One of Pixar’s best, this film is gorgeously detailed with adorable characters and valuable messages about courage and love. But young viewers may find the death of Nemo’s mother, the separation of Nemo from his father, and treacherous escapades that include stinging jellyfish and toothy sharks too disturbing.

The films in this list are all classics that are worth viewing, but the idea is (a) not to traumatize your young child and (b) not to spook your kid to the point that he or she feels resistant to watching movies early on in the game. If you can start slowly with films (like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Mary Poppins) that don’t slap kids in the face with abandonment, suffering, and death, you’ll have a better outcome in the long run.

Do you know of other G-rated movies that seem inappropriate for young, sensitive film viewers? What G-rated films has your kid had success with? My list doesn’t contain any films from the last fifteen years. Do you have any opinions about more-recent kids’ movies that are either good first films or inappropriate for the youngest viewers? Share a comment below and let me know.