Merging two great things together often creates one magnificent thing (peanut butter and chocolate lovers know exactly what I am talking about). Many kids love zany monster movies and many kids love films with racing or cool vehicles. When you squoosh those two genres together you get: Monster Trucks (the movie).

When my 7 year old son originally saw the trailer for this new family film about a monster who dwells inside a monster truck, he pumped his fist in the air and cheered. This may be a movie catering to a specific audience, but films about vehicles make up a well-loved niche. Here are 10 of our favorites:

Herbie films

The first movie car I fell in love with was Herbie. First starring in Walt Disney’s The Love Bug, this VW Beetle had a mind of his own. There have been six Herbie films. The most recent one, Herbie Fully Loaded, also features Herbie taking on a monster truck in a demolition derby.

 

 

 

Cars films

The first vehicle movie my son fell in love with was Cars. Oh, that Lightning McQueen was someone to root for! Disney released “Monster Mater” in one of the animated spin-offs between the sequels. Cars 3, the newest film in the franchise, comes out in June.

 

 

 

Cannonball Run films

Filed under, “before there was a PG-13”, Cannonball Run is a goofy and bawdy film your older kids may get a kick out of. Burt Reynolds and all of his favorite sidekicks (Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., etc) star as teams racing across the country. And yes, there is a monster truck scene in Cannonball Run II!

 

 

Blues Brothers films

Car chases and Aretha Franklin are good reasons to show The Blues Brothers to your tweens and teens. (Heads up: the original film is rated R for profanity, but Blues Brothers 2000 gets a PG-13. There is mild profanity in this clip.) Blues Brothers 2000 shows Elwood, Mac, and Buster performing at a monster truck show.

 

 

Transformers films

The fifth film in the Transformers franchise, The Last Night, will be released in June. These sci-fi/car/adventure hybrid films are so wildly successful that there are several more films currently in development. We can’t wait to see what new vehicles are unveiled within the films!

 

 

Speed Racer

Created by Larry and Andy Wachowski of Matrix fame, Speed Racer is a film with a lot of heart. This is a great film for kids who may have outgrown the animation of Cars, but still want the thrill and excitement of a race film.

 

The Great Race

A film everyone in the family can watch, The Great Race is pure fun and slapstick about a seven-car race from America to Paris. Jack Lemmon + Tony Curtis + Peter Falk = hurry up and watch this one, already!

 

 

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Tweens and up will crack up at Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. A film about NASCAR and its fans, this movie features a lot of car racing and over the top comedy.

 

 

Back to the Future films

Is there a car more famous than the DeLorean DMC-12? The iconic woosh of the doors can mentally transport us Back to the Future in Doc’s time machine. The three films in this franchise all prominently feature the DeLorean.

 

 

 

Turbo

While not exactly a vehicle, kids of all ages will love the speedy snail in Turbo who races in the Indianapolis 500. This sweet movie is predictable, but it’s nice to root for the good guys.

 

 

Families, start your engines!