Food in the wood

In both the United States and Europe, the idea of children's films began to gain relative prominence in the 1930s. According to Bazalgette and Staples (1995), the term "family film" is essentially an American expression while "childrens film" is essentially a European expression.
However, the difference between the two expressions is also manifest in the approach towards casting that the two adopted. In American family films, the search for a child protagonist involved the search for children that met high standards or criteria for appearance or other specific features. In contrast, in European children's films, the approach was to cast children who looked ordinary.

Also in family films, the adult stars cast would be famous actors or stars. This is done in order to attract a wider audience. Thus in American family movies, the focus is on the aspect involved in coping with children. This is shown through the casting, script, content of the plot, editing, and even Mise en scène. In other words, children's films are entirely in the point of view of the child. Children's films deal with the emotional experiences of children like fears, aspiration, hopes, and joy of the child solely in the perspective and terms of the child. Thus due to its underlying differences, family films are marketable to wider audiences in the home country as well as in the international markets. Children's films are largely not commercial ventures and often could be consumed only in the home country.