Ever feel like the kids’ films at your local multiplex run the gamut between sickly sweet and sickly sweeter? Would you rather chew glass than sit through another sappy story about pretty princesses, chirpy chipmunks and my little unicorn?

You’ll have actually have a choice at the New York International Children’s Film Festival, which celebrates its 15th year at theaters around Manhattan on weekends through March 25.

The event boasts more than 100 animated and live-action features and shorts from across the globe, sure to appeal to the whole family. General admission costs $13; see gkids.com for a full list of times and venues. Here are our top picks.

For the kid who likes to be (just a teeny bit) scared

* “The Gruffalo’s Child,” part of the “Shorts for Tots” series (for ages 3 to adult, 30 minutes)

This sequel to “The Gruffalo,” based on the beloved British books about an orange-eyed monster with a wart on his nose, is even better than the original. Voiced by British actors including Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson, it follows the beast’s daughter and her hunt for the Big Bad Mouse.

Today, 2 p.m., Cantor Film Center; tomorrow, 10:30 a.m. at the Scholastic Theater; March 10, Symphony Space; March 11, 18 and 24, Scholastic Theater

For the globally minded teen who feels for the underdog

* “Salaam Dunk” (for ages 9 to adult, 83 minutes)

This documentary gem shows a different Iraq from the war-torn nation we’re used to from the news. It focuses on the American University of Iraq’s women’s basketball team, which sets aside religious and sexual stereotypes to compete. They are appalling players — motivational scenes with their coach verge on parody — but their enthusiasm is endearing. March 11, Scholastic Theater

For dads with arrested development

* “Ninja Kids!!!” (for ages 8 to adult, 100 minutes)

Picture Hogwarts as a mystical kung fu academy and Harry Potter as an inept student ninja, and you’ve got a rough idea of this surreal, live-action comedy from subversive Japanese director Takashi Miike. The pint-size hero even wears giant, round-framed spectacles. One part farce, one part Samurai epic and one part coming-of-age story, it’s a warped ride from the first day in class, where one kid gets the snot beaten out of him. Literally. Adapted with subtitles from a hit manga cartoon series, it’s a great bonding opportunity for hipster dads and their sons — especially if they share the mental age of 12.

Today, 6 p.m., Cantor Film Center; March 24, Asia Society

For the junior naturalist who wants to become the next Jane Goodall

* “Chimpanzee” (for all ages, 90 minutes)

This lavishly shot documentary from Disneynature ups the festival’s “awww” factor. Cameras follow Oscar, a baby chimp, as he struggles to survive without his family in the African rain forest. Oscar’s gigantic eyes and trusting disposition pull at the heartstrings. Life-affirming and playful, the film follows in the spectacular, scenery-rich tradition of Disneynature titles such as “Earth,” “Oceans” and “African Cats.”

March 10, Symphony Space

For the gentle-souled idealist who sees life through G-rated glasses

* “Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” (for ages 3 to 8, 72 minutes)

The Nick Jr. network earnestly points out that its TV shows encourage preschoolers to “care and share” while “embracing the diversity of the world around them.” Ditto this beautifully animated film from Estonia and Latvia, which explores the joys of curiosity and travel in a world with no violence or pain. The heroine, a little dog named Lotte, embarks on an epic mission to find three magical stones with her wise Uncle Klaus.It’s quirky, inclusive and, ahem, very Eastern European.

Today, 10:30 a.m., Cantor Film Center; March 11 and 17, Scholastic Theater

For feminists-in-the-making and their moms

* “Cinderella Moon” (for ages 7 to adult, 96 minutes)

Think “Cinderella” is about a pretty little drudge waiting to be rescued by a prince with a foot fetish? Think again. This sumptuously shot, live-action movie recalls the original Cinderella story in ancient China, centuries before the Brothers Grimm. The heroine, Mei Mei, is a great disappointment to her family, simply for being born a girl. But with the help of some magical dance slippers bequeathed by her mother, she realizes how important it is to believe in who you are. Mystical with moments of sweetness, comedy and farce, it has a jaw-dropping setting on the Tibetan plateau and is dubbed from Chinese into English.

Today, 3:30 p.m., Cantor Film Center; March 17, Asia Society; March 25 IFC Center

For future virtuosos with a yen for air travel

* “Magic Piano” (for ages 7 to adult, 80 minutes)

Soar away with winsome Anna and Chip Chip, her nerdy, Dracula-obsessed cousin, aboard a battered old piano mysteriously transformed into a flying machine. The sweeping stop-motion adventure, by Oscar-winning animator Martin Clapp, has no dialogue and is set to the stirring music of Chopin. She might be a puppet, but Anna’s soulfulness and crystal-blue eyes make her character remarkably human. If the film’s not exhilarating enough, its US premiere features live accompaniment by concert pianists. March 17, Walter Reade Theater (in 3-D, with live piano); March 18, Scholastic Theater

For anyone who has watched too many super-slick Pixar films

* “Tales of the Night” (for ages 7 to adult, 84 minutes)

Genius French animator Michael Ocelot tells six folk tales from across the globe in this eye-popping film, which combines intricate black shadow puppets with intense, kaleidoscopic backgrounds. Imagine a Day-Glo diorama populated by exotic princesses, witch doctors, sorcerers and dragons. In French with subtitles, each story has an enchanting twist. Today, 11 a.m., Cantor Film Center; March 18 (in 3-D), Walter Reade Theater