The temperature’s rising and the kids are home all summer from school – what’s a parent to do? Why, take ’em to the (air-conditioned) movies, of course! This summer there are a slew of family movies coming out for everyone to enjoy – including a lot of sequels.

Monsters University  (June 21) – If you or your child loved the original Monsters, Inc. you’ll be glad to see your old favorites Mike and Sully again. This time we get to see how they met and how an epic friendship blossomed as we follow them throughout college.

Despicable Me 2  (July 3) – Now that Gru is no longer a villain, he teams up with the Anti-Villain League to help capture some real bad guys. If you liked the first one, the sequel is definitely a must-see.

Turbo (July 17) – In this film from DreamWorks Animation, a garden snail dreams of being the fastest racer in the world. Doesn’t sound exciting to you? Just wait. Twists and turns take little Turbo on a truly awesome adventure your kids will be cheering over.

The Smurfs 2 (July 31) – Our favorite little blue friends are back, this time with a new set of frenemies called the Naughties. Kids will delight in seeing their old favorites Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Vanity, and Brainy, while parents will be happy to be sitting down in a dark room.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (August 7) – This PG-rated film is the sequel to the wildly popular Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (which is based around the book series of the same name). This would be a good pick for parents with slightly older kids, who don’t feel like watching yet another animated movie.

Planes (August 9) – If your kids loved Cars (and, c’mon, what kid doesn’t love Cars?), then this is the summer flick for you. Think Cars with planes.  Seriously. Nothing more, nothing less, and exactly what you’d expect – good, clean fun.

– Esther Carlstone