Role Models – Five Characters Kids Can Look Up To

There’s a constant barrage of “questionable” entertainment and less-than-perfect role models among today’s celebrities. It seems impossible to find characters that can speak to our children and inspire them to something greater. However, they do exist! Here are five movie characters that can actually serve as role models for the children in your life.

Role Model #1: Hermione Granger

• Role Inspires

  • Studying to improve and meet your potential
    
  • Friendship skills
  • Work ethic
  • Overcoming life’s trials

• Character’s Background

Hermione is a supporting character among the trio of Harry Potter stars.  However, she still provides an exciting and inspiring performance for both kids and adults. This feisty young witch is a loyal friend, and a hard-working student verging on genius.

She is naturally smart and quick-witted. Yet Hermione still works and studies hard to continually improve and meet her potential. This helps her find success in school. It also helps her in life, as she always seems to discover the solutions for all of Harry’s (and the entire Wizarding World’s) problems.

Boys and girls alike can learn from Hermione’s friendship skills and work ethic. She overcomes trials in her life—from being bullied for her smarts and lineage, to being separated from her family—with grace, poise, and strength.

Role Model #2: Inspector Gadget

• Role Inspires

  • Ingenuity/Resourcefulness
  • Love & Compassion
  • Commitment
  • Desire to help others

• Character’s Background

This 1999 Disney film actually teaches some very valuable lessons for kids. The main character, Inspector Gadget (formerly John Brown), always dreamed of being a police officer so he could help other people.

After he was caught in an explosion, his dreams were fulfilled and he became Inspector Gadget. Gadget a human/robot officer and private investigator that could call on a buffet of gadgets to his aid with the command “Go-Go-Gadget!”

The Inspector relies on more than just technology. He is actually very resourceful, solving crimes with his niece’s help. His greatest quality, though, is his love and compassion. Even when his technology fails and he “shuts down,” his desire to help others and pure heart brings him back to life to finish his mission.

Inspector Gadget proves to kids everywhere they can fulfill their dreams by working hard, being resourceful, and staying true to their purpose. Gadget truly wanted to help people, and that love overcame his trials, even what seemed to be his ultimate demise. Whether your kid wants to be a private investigator like Gadget, an inventor or businessman, he or she can do it with a little ingenuity and compassion.

Role Model #3: Tiana

• Role Inspires

  • Hard-work
  • Pursuit of passion and dreams to make them a reality

  

• Character’s Background

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog gives kids a sassy, hard-working princess to look up to. Taught by her father to not just wish, but to help her wish along, Tiana is a dedicated worker with a dream of opening up a restaurant.

She isn’t born into wealth or even comfortable circumstance, but she rises above it with gumption and common sense. When she is accidentally turned into a frog alongside Prince Naveen, it is Tiana, not the prince, who takes care of them in the swamps of Louisiana and devises the plan to turn back into humans.

Tiana is the perfect Disney princess – because she isn’t actually a princess. She works two jobs and has a passion for cooking. Kids need examples (even fictional ones) of people who have discovered their passion and will work as hard as they can to make their dreams a reality.

It’s not enough to just wish upon a star – you have to help that wish along. In a day and age where consumerism and entitlement are rampant among youth, a little hard work could go a long way.

Role Model #4: Charlie Bucket

• Role Inspires

  • Love and care for family
  • Strong character
  • Integrity

• Character’s Background

It’s not just a golden ticket that makes Charlie Bucket great! A naturally humble boy, in both personality and circumstance, Charlie cares deeply for his family and works hard to try to contribute to their meager income.

When he gets the chance to tour Willy Wonka’s factory, Charlie chooses his grandfather to accompany him on the chance of a lifetime. Charlie also displays an incredible amount of ethics and honor. While the other prize winners are spoiled, competitive, demanding, stubborn, and gluttonous, Charlie is the epitome of innocence and strong character.

Even when faced with the opportunity to financially provide for his poor family forever if he will just betray Mr. Wonka, Charlie resists and chooses to be loyal and shows integrity in the face of temptation.

Charlie Bucket is one of the few characters in films that shows integrity and love, while still realistically portraying a little boy. He might get into minor trouble occasionally, but very boy does.

The important part, though, is he always sincerely makes up for it and makes the right choices in the end. Children need to be reminded they can still be kids, but they can be great kids.

Role Model #5: Lewis/Cornelius Robinson

• Role Inspires

  • Family values
  • Determination
  • The value of someone’s potential
    

• Character’s Background

A discouraged orphan, Lewis is repeatedly turned away by adoptive families – he just wants to be loved, be a part of a family, and know his birth mother.

Lewis is also a genius inventor, but often gets wrapped up in his projects and doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings or other people around him. Luckily, he gets the opportunity to go into the future and unknowingly sees his future family and the potential he has to live up to.

He learns a family can be a crazy mix of people, but as long as you love each other, you can overcome anything. He also learns his actions can affect other people and the future more than he realized.

While Lewis doesn’t have the perfect home life and doesn’t even have a family, he actually sees that he can rise above this and create a new life for himself. People shouldn’t be held down by their circumstances—they can improve them. Kids will also be more aware of how their choices can change the course of lives, for good or bad.

These aren’t the only movie characters that can inspire your child to something better. These aren’t the only lessons these characters teach! Have a movie night with your kids and discuss which characters they like and why. You might be surprised by their insight.

Author Byline

Drew Kobb loves long distance running and he considers himself a health and fitness enthusiast. He stays involved with law through civil law studies and by researching possible careers with his children, like being a private investigator for JP Investigations or being a high-profile prosecutor. Drew’s interests range all over the medical field. He highlights that range on his blog, Dr. Ouch.

Can you name some other positive celebrity role models?  Please list them in the Comments.  Thank you.