What To Watch This Weekend With Kids And Family May 3-5, 2024: Star Wars, Steel Magnolias and more

This weekend brings on May 4, aka May The Fourth Be With You, aka Star Wars Day. With it comes a new Star Wars series on Disney+, the return of The Phantom Menace to theaters, and your yearly excuse to binge the whole saga with the kids. You know, for them. Not for you.

That said there are some other new releases out this week, mostly smaller movies – and somehow, beyond all reason, Kung Fu Panda 4 is still in theaters, too.

So let’s get into the rundown of what’s new to watch with kids and family this weekend.

NEW TO STREAMING ON DISNEY+, NETFLIX, PRIME VIDEO, HULU, MAX:

Turtles All The Way Down

Definitely for the teens, but this John Green adaptation starring Isabela Merced is a poignant, funny, and often heartbreaking story of a girl with OCD who reconnects with her childhood crush after his father goes missing. Stand-outs are Merced, of course, as well as a great mother-daughter relationship, and Merced’s best friend, played by Cree, who is hilarious in every scene.

Where to stream: Max

Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire

May 4 is Star Wars Day, and Disney+ is celebrating with this new animated anthology series that tells tales of the Dark Side of The Force.

Where to stream: Disney+

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story

This documentary about two otters in love will premiere on Nat Geo Sunday night at 10/9c, before dropping on Disney+ and Hulu the next day.

Where to stream: Hulu

IN THEATERS:

Steel Magnolias 35th Anniversary

I’m only including this because the iconic classic returns to theaters on May 5 and 8 only, and it’s rated PG. But this is 1980s PG, so there’s a bunch of cursing and some nudity. But this is Steel Magnolias! It’s a classic!

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Re-Release

Enough time has passed that we now love the first Star Wars prequel. And full disclosure, I saw it in theaters four times when it came out. Yes, the bad parts are very bad. But pod-racing and the final fight with Darth Maul are honestly worth spending the cash to see on the big screen.

Dragonkeeper

This Spanish-Chinese animated film stars the voice of Bill Nighy, and focuses on a girl who teams up with a dragon to return a lost dragon egg.

Thabo And The Rhino Case

An 11-year-old African boy dreams of being a detective, and might get his chance after a rhino is killed, and he and his friend have to solve the mystery of who did it while they take care of the rhino’s baby.

Kung Fu Panda 4

Still in theaters! Please, I am begging you to release something new for children!