The month of January usually doesn't spark warm memories. For much of the nation, this month is about shoveling snow, hiding under a comfortable blanket, and looking forward to Spring flowers. Occasionally, January also includes schools closing due to snowy roads -- and moms and dads frantically searching for something to do.
Thankfully, the major streaming services have plenty to offer this month for families who are stuck inside. Netflix and Disney Plus have a few new titles. So do Great American Pure Flix and Bentkey. There's even a new Christmas movie on home video.
Here are seven new family-friendly options streaming this month:
1. A Real Bug's Life (Disney Plus)
It's a nature show about insects and inspired by Pixar's A Bug's Life. This fascinating documentary uses up-close cinematography to spotlight nine different bug worlds where life and death are only a second away. "The stakes are high…even if the critters are extraordinarily small," we're told. Examples include a jumping spider looking for a home in the big city and an orchid bee making perfume in Costa Rica. Awkwafina narrates it. It premieres Jan. 24.
2. Chip Chilla (Bentkey)
Chinchilla siblings Chip, Charla, and Chubbly go on adventures and learn about life under the watchful care of their loving parents. It's a charming animated series with a unique spotlight on learning. (In Episode 1, for example, the parents teach their kids about the Apollo 11 mission by building a makeshift lunar lander. In Episode 10, the children learn how George Washington willingly stepped aside from the presidency.) Chip Chilla is part of Bentkey, a new streaming platform for children.
3. Antz (Netflix)
A worker ant trying to break free from his conformist society falls in love with another ant -- and then must save his colony from destruction. This 1998 film was the first theatrical movie from DreamWorks and featured the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, and Gene Hackman. It was one of the first CGI-animated films. Rated PG for mild language and menacing action.
4. The Croods (Netflix)
A prehistoric family who has always been afraid of new things ventures out of the cave for the first time and discovers a lively, colorful world. The film follows the story of Eep Crood, a teenage daughter who meets a modern boy who teaches her about fire and warns her about a coming apocalypse. This 2013 animated film featured the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds. Rated PG for some scary action. Clearplay offers a filter.
5. Bluey, Season 3 (Disney Plus)
A six-year-old dog and her four-year-old sister, Bingo, go on adventures and play games with their loving parents. It's an Australian animated television series about the anthropomorphic life of a Blue Heeler dog family. It is the best children's series on television, not only because it's hilarious but also because of what it promotes: kindness and love. Episode 26 ("Smoochy Kiss"), one of my favorites, showcases the bond between a mom and dad, explaining how parents love one another despite differences.
6. Going Home, Season 2 (Great American Pure Flix)
A team of hospice nurses deliver hope to patients during their final days on Earth. Creator Dan Merchant told Crosswalk he hopes the series not only entertains but also leads viewers to ask: "Am I letting God use me to do what it is that He has for me?" The stories are "warm and sweet" but "might leave you with questions that you need to answer," he said. It stars Cynthia Geary, Cozi Zuehlesdorff, Aviona Rodriguez Brown, Steve Lloyd, Christopher Wiehl, Elly Sims, Trent Sims and Matt Davidson.
7. Journey to Bethlehem (Home Video)
It's the story of Mary and Joseph, set to pop music. Joel Smallbone of the CCM group For King and Country portrays King Herod's son, while Christian singer Moriah portrays Mary's sister. Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae portrays the angel Gabriel. Affirm Films, the same studio behind such movies as War Room and Miracles from Heaven, released it. Smallbone told Crosswalk the film can help reach a younger generation, a goal he called "pivotal" to the film's purpose. Rated PG for thematic elements.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.