My all time favorite kids movie is "Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog" Things get a little scary for the boy and his dog so if your kids are extra sensitive it is a no go. It is great for the hardy 5 and up crowd!
Talk about a tear jerker, but a classic for a reason! For some reason (probably titles) this reminded me of another wonderful movie: Fly Away Home. If you (the group) have not seen it I would highly recommend renting it. It is based on a true story about some geese that were displaced do to construction and the girl that adopted them would not allowed their wings to be clipped so they taught the geese the flying path through interesting ways.
Another good movie based on a true story is October Sky. It starts with the Sputnik launch in the 'rocket boys' from a coal miner town who had no real avenue out of the town other than sports taking on the science fair with their creation of a rocket.
Just a few suggestions.
