Movies & TV Facts for Kids
Behind-the-scenes facts from film and TV
The famous theme from Jaws (1975) is built on just two alternating notes, da-dum, da-dum. Composer John Williams' simple but terrifying score won him an Academy Award.
Andy Serkis played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy using motion-capture technology, wearing a suit covered in markers that tracked his movements. His performance helped establish motion capture as a serious acting technique.
Director Alfred Hitchcock appeared in brief cameos in almost all of his films. Spotting 'Hitch' on screen became a game for audiences and is one of cinema's most beloved traditions.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has released over 30 films since Iron Man in 2008, all set in the same fictional world. It is the highest-grossing film franchise in history.
The Lumière brothers held the world's first public cinema screening on 28 December 1895 in Paris. Their short films included a train arriving at a station — according to legend, audiences ran from the screen in fright.
The Lion King (1994) is loosely based on Shakespeare's play Hamlet, with a young prince whose father is murdered by his uncle. It became one of Disney's most successful films ever.
Standard cinema film plays at 24 frames per second, meaning 24 still images flash past your eyes every second to create the illusion of movement. Some modern films use 48 or even 60 frames per second.
Home Alone (1990) was the highest-grossing comedy film of all time for many years. It was made on a budget of 18 million dollars and earned over 476 million dollars worldwide.
India's Hindi-language film industry, nicknamed Bollywood, produces more films each year than Hollywood. India as a whole is the world's largest film-producing nation.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was the highest-grossing film of all time for 11 years. The alien character was designed using photos of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, and a pug dog.