The Billboard Family Hits of the Week compiles what’s new and worth your family’s time in music, movies, TV, books, games and more. Forget the mind-numbing scrolling and searching “what to watch for family movie night” … again. The best in family entertainment each week is all in one place, in this handy guide. Isn’t it satisfying to cross something off your list?
This weekend brings the highly-rated, PG anime movie The Colors Within to theaters, actor Timothée Chalamet to Saturday Night Live and YouTube Kids sensation Ms. Rachel to Netflix.
The Colors Within introduces viewers to a world of synesthesia through its protagonist, teenager Totsuko, who sees colors in those around her. The Japanese movie explores color, music (Totsuko joins a band) and growing up, and its Jan. 24 U.S. theatrical release has it showing with subtitles and dubbed into English.
Follow Friday night at the movies with Saturday night at home, tuning in to SNL with older kids when the young ones are in bed (or on Sunday, if SNL‘s airtime is just too late!). Chalamet, a face movie lovers have most recently seen in the Dune franchise and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, plus in 2023’s Wonka, is host and musical guest on the Jan. 25 episode on NBC. It’s the actor’s third time hosting but first time booked for the music segment — but he did his own vocals in the Dylan pic, so he’s learned a thing or two about commanding a stage. It could be a fine weekend to take in some sketch comedy and pique your children’s interest in Dylan.
By Monday, when the older kids are busy with schoolwork, Netflix is premiering a program meant for the nursery school-aged group. If you allow any YouTube time in your home — keep in mind the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screen time be very limited for children under 2, but their guidelines note that viewing educational content together with a parent or caregiver is OK — you’ve likely seen the playful Ms. Rachel and her toddler learning videos. Starting Jan. 27, Netflix will have four episodes featuring curated content from Ms. Rachel, who has a background in early childhood and music education. The network notes Ms. Rachel’s focus on early language development, phonics and learning to read.
Find out more about this week’s top picks in the Billboard Family Hits of the Week:
Catch ‘The Colors Within’ in Theaters
When I first saw the trailer for The Colors Within, I could see all three of my art- and music-loving kids being drawn to the film. The main character, Totsuko, has the beautiful ability to see colors in others. “What I feel when I see colors is just a little bit different from others,” she says in the clip, which shows a colorful illustration of her synesthesia, and the way things are seen from her eyes. The trailer previews a connection built through friendship and music as the teen starts a band with former classmate Kimi and new pal Rui.
The rated PG, coming-of-age anime movie, directed by Naoko Yamada and produced by Science Saru and currently with a rare 100% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes, premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June. It was first released in theaters in Japan in August and opens in U.S. theaters Friday (Jan. 24.), subtitled and dubbed in English; the film’s website has a tool to help you find local showtimes here.
Watch Timothée Chalamet on ‘SNL’
If you’re the family movie night type, you’ve probably watched Chalamet play a youthful Willy Wonka with your kids in 2023’s Wonka. Chalamet sang several songs in the flick, including the dreamy classic “Pure Imagination.” Now he’s playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, the box office hit presently showing in theaters. It’s been climbing the list of the all-time highest-grossing music biopics, where as of today it sits at No. 12 with a worldwide gross of $62.3 million.
Cue the invitation for Chalamet to host and be the musical guest of SNL this weekend.
“I’ve never done this before. I’m having to be SNL host and musical guest in the same week, so, it’s a lot of work. And I want to focus on the songs, so I brought in some help to cover with all the hosting duties,” the actor says in the promo for Saturday Night Live‘s Jan. 25 episode. That’s where his lookalikes come in. (See the silly preview above.)
Not all of SNL‘s sketches are friendly for all ages, but it’s a fun watch for tweens and teens who’ll appreciate most, if not all, of the humor. I have no problem screening the episode Saturday night to figure out if there’s anything too over-the-top that I don’t want my 12-year-old to see on Sunday, or just skipping a sketch that starts to get a little too adult. At her age, SNL-style comedy is really something we both look forward to watching together. She’ll recognize Timothée from Wonka and as Laurie from Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version of Little Women, which she just watched.
Stream ‘Ms. Rachel’ on Netflix
Ms. Rachel, the bubbly teacher for toddlers who gets more than 400 million views per month on the short, educational videos on her YouTube channel, is headed to Netflix. Her Netflix series premieres Monday (Jan. 27) with four 30-60-minute episodes, and more episodes are to come this year. In a press release about Ms. Rachel, Netflix says viewers can “come learn, play, sing and grow with Ms. Rachel in a fun series of interactive lessons teaching letters, numbers, colors, shapes — and so much more!”
“Let’s figure out what our letter of the day is,” Ms. Rachel (who has master’s degrees in early childhood development and music education) says in Netflix’s promo for the educator’s debut on the subscription streaming service. Surprise: She finds the letter ‘N,” for Netflix!
For those who don’t have Netflix, but have a little one who loves to learn from Ms. Rachel, don’t worry: She’s not leaving YouTube. When a follower asked on Instagram if she’ll still be putting content out on there amid her Netflix deal, she confirmed, “yes – just another way to watch.”
