Fed up of Frozen? A24’s must-have new book is full of films both you and your kid will enjoy

The small child in your life is begging to watch Frozen 2 for the third time in one week; you’d rather gouge your eyes out than watch Elsa venture into the enchanted forest one more time. But, what on earth can your tired brain muster up as a suitable alternative? Well, A24 has got you covered. Its colourful new book, Hey Kids, Watch This! compiles a range of classic films that are suitable for young people – but, here’s the twist – they’re also ones you’ll enjoy too. Divided into four sections of 20 films, each attending to different age groups, the book visually hinges on illustration, but also includes trivia, interactive elements (like a word search and family film rating system) and easter eggs to make the book not only informative, but enjoyable too.

What made the entertainment company known for its indie flicks and horror films turn to kid-friendly cinema? Jon Dieringer worked with A24 as an editorial consultant on the book (together with Caitlin Quinlan and editor James Cartwright) and also runs Screen Slate, a website that features a classic or independent film showing in New York City every day. At the end of 2023, Jon says that numerous people in the industry – filmmakers, editors and curators – asked if he could provide recommendations for films to take their kids to. “I think it’s because we were coming out of lockdown and everyone had been overexposed to the algorithm while doing so much streaming: we’re overwhelmed with choice, but a lot of it is just feeding our tastes back to ourselves,” says Jon. “At the same time, while cinemas struggled with the pandemic and superhero glut, a lot of people recognised the importance of having a well-rounded appreciation of classic and international films, and want to get their kids in on that at an early age.” It’s this sentiment that fuelled Hey Kids, Watch This! – the appetite for a concrete source of inspiration to get kids and their parents into film side by side.

The design of the book was devised by Elana Schlenker and Jordi Ng. A key objective for the pair was to create a publication that was “really full and graphic” to capture the attention of children, but also balanced, to ensure it was something older kids and adults could relate to as well. They decided to achieve this through illustration, and the illustrator Anna Haifisch instantly jumped out as a suitable collaboration. “We’re huge fans and thought her style and cleverness would be a really perfect fit for the project,” says Elana.

Elana, Jordi and Anna watched each film carefully and recorded key details, like characters and artefacts, and these “playful” easter eggs were then used throughout the pages of the book, as well as a large open spread for each section which sees easter eggs from each film compiled into one hectic scene. “A fun challenge for the reader would be to see if they can identify all of the film references,” says Jordi. “Like great cinema, we hope that each interaction with the book reveals something new.”

To really capture the essence of each individual film, the team opted for an illustration style that “ebbs and flows”, which allows for suitable diversity. “Some are quieter, smaller moments on the page, while others are more action-packed, taking over the whole spread.” What’s more, Jordi and Elana wanted the illustrations to pay homage to the specific visual style of each film, like using only black-and-white, or aligning with the specific line-work of an animation. Some of the spreads that Anna brought to life which particularly stand out to Jordi and Elana, are Alê Abreu’s Boy and the World, for how she captured the “spirit” of the animations, or the intense red used to depict Zhang Yimou’s epic Hero.

Alongside this free illustrative approach, the “architecture” of each spread is also flexible, with the film descriptions, trivia, genre information and keywords having no uniform place, instead being placed where it feels natural, allowing the various design elements to be “in conversation” with the illustrations. “The result was that no two spreads truly look the same, which we hope provides a sense of discovery and surprise as the reader moves through the book,” says Elana.

The broad list of films was curated by A24 and its editorial team, led by James Cartwright with Jon and Caitlin. Working with consulters from across the world, the team first devised a list of over 500 films, from different eras, locations and styles, before watching, debating and discussing what to include in the final 80. It’s a heady mix of unfamiliar family-friendly titles, nostalgic favourites, or, as Jon puts it, “films that we, as adults, wish we had seen as kids”.