Family movie night can be a blessing or a curse. Some homes may very well be on their 74th viewing of Encanto—no one is supposed to talk about Bruno, which is fine with you because you're at the point where you'd rather not hear the name again for the rest of your life. (Sorry, Lin-Manuel.) But we're here to tell you a secret: It doesn't have to be this way. There are too many other perfect family movies out there to live oppressed by la familia Madrigal.
That brings us to this list—a collection of new and old (and sometimes very old) titles that makes family movie night palatable. Breaking the habit can be difficult, but sometimes you have to tie your children down, give them some chicken nuggets, and announce at the top of your lungs: Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it's bobsled time! It is your job as a parent to introduce them to the classics, even if that requires taking the TV back by force. I mean my god, this isn't kids movie night. It's family movie night. You get a say in this. You should enjoy what's happening on that screen, too.
So with a hope and a prayer, here are our best recommendations. The film du jour is good, but there's no reason we can't get a little Karate Kid in there for good measure.
Sky High
This superhero comedy still holds up with its great effects (for the time), plus a fun, fast-paced script—and a stellar cast that perfectly embodies a hilarious variety of high school movie cliches.
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Kung-Fu Panda
You have to give it up to Kung-Fu Panda for committing to some incredible animated martial arts fights—perfectly using Po’s clumsy character to wreak havoc, even as he becomes more and more capable. Jack Black steals the show, but the movie is also bolstered by great voice work from Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Ian McShane.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki’s is a beautiful coming-of-age fantasy film about a young witch who moves to a new town to live on her own—and begins a delivery service on her broom. Some Hayao Miyazaki movies have moments that can be scary for younger kids, but this fillm is perfect for the whole family.
James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach is an animated Roald Dahl adaptation by Henry Selick, the director of Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Need we say more?
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
This film is riotous, funny, and bursting from the seams with charm and creativity. Most importantly, there’s a cute pug.
Oliver & Company
This animated adaptation of Oliver Twist totally didn’t earn a hot reception during its initial release. Some compare it unfavorably to other Disney Classics—but those other Disney Classics don’t have Billy Joel on their voice cast, do they?
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Man, Rick Moranis is missed—but he he may be coming out of retirement for a new film in this kooky sci-fi series. The original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids has plenty of funny '80s cheese, plus some very well-realized giant sets, like the lawn that becomes a forest when the kids are tossed into it.
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a phenomenal adventure flick—in the vein of Indiana Jones—which is perfect for most ages. You’ll certainly be swept away by this film, with some incredible directing that feels unmistakably Spielbergian, even as an animated film.
Monsters, Inc.
Giving us a look behind kids’ closet doors to reveal a whole scare-based megacorp in Monsters, Inc. is classic Pixar imagination at work. The film has heart, the original world and monster designs are incredible, and it’s hilarious.
Hugo
If you want to get your kid into Martin Scorsese at a young age, this is pretty much your only option. (But it’s a fantastic option!)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Tim Burton remake is wonderful, but it’s hard to beat the offbeat charm of the original 1971 musical. Years later, the Chocolate Factory sets are just as beautiful as they ever were, and there are enough weird and sinister moments to add an edge of mystery to the film.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
It’s pretty wild that we happened to get multiple Pinocchio films in 2022, with Guillermo Del Toro’s stop-motion animated version and a live-action movie directed by Robert Zemeckis. It’s hard to play favorites, but Del Toro’s animated world is incredible.
Chicken Run
This animated film probably turned tons of kids into vegetarians, with a delightful cast of British anthropomorphized chickens and the Yankee rooster who, one day, suddenly crashes in their farm.
Spy Kids
The Spy Kids sequels threw way too much stuff at the wall, but the original film delivers the perfect amount of silly, fun, and exciting action for kids who love watching other kids kick butt.
Doctor Dolittle
Yeah, we’re not gonna talk about the recent Robert Downey Jr. film here, but the first film in the Eddie Murphy Dolittle series is still excellent. It has a surprisingly amazing voice cast, too. Aside from the (obviously) great Chris Rock as the family guinea pig, this film also has Norm MacDonald voicing a dog, Albert Brooks as a tiger, and John Leguizamo as a rat.
Turning Red
Turning Red is certainly not the last Pixar movie you'll encounter here. But we had to let Domee Shee's instant classic lead off this list. Turning Red is a blisteringly funny, awkward, inventive coming-of-age story—which also happens to end with the most epic battle we've ever seen in a Pixar jam. If you know, you know.
The Wizard of Oz
Listen, at some point you have to traumatize your children with the flying monkeys. It's been a rite of passage into elder childhood since 1939.
Amazon Apple
The Princess and the Frog
Did you think we were going to get far without a Disney Princess Movie™ in here?
The Mighty Ducks
Listen, The Mighty Ducks might be a crap movie. Hell, its reboot, Game Changers, might even be better. But The Mighty Ducks has peak Scrappy Kid Energy, which is the ultimate antidote to these jaded Zoomers, am I right?
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Now that the Matthew Broderick classic will officially get a spinoff in Sam and Victor's Day Off, it's about time you introduce the kiddos to the king of cool. Bonus points if Ferris Bueller's Day Off makes your children actually want to visit an art museum.
Luca
For the inappropriate crowd, this is the Kidz Bop version of Call Me By Your Name. For the rest, it's a sweet film about friendship between two kids who are different. Very different. When Luca the boy sea monster ventures out into the non-sea-life world, he finds that his body morphs into that of a human boy. With the support of his new friend Alberto, who lives bravely above the water, Luca is able to see there's a whole world waiting for him under the Tuscan sun.
How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy
How to Train Your Dragon and its two sequels are deeply underrated. The film series is the perfect coming of age story, following Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he transforms from misfit to eventual Viking chief of Berk. Of course, none of his journey would be possible without the assist of his best friend and dragon, Toothless the Night Fury.
Finding Nemo
It’s the Disney movie which defined a generation...and a new way to travel to Sydney. Following an anxiety-ridden clownfish in search of his missing son, the film brings you along for a ride filled with lots of love, unique characters (hello, Dory!), and an overwhelming feeling of, well, I think I need to call my dad more.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Are you ready to phone home while eating some Reese’s Pieces? That’s what the ever-loving alien does in this 1982 Steven Spielberg classic. The movie about a friendship between human and stranded extra-terrestrial not only touched the hearts of moviegoers for generations, but it also was the recipient of four Oscars. Oh, and it also introduced the world to one special little actress, and you may have heard of her: Drew Barrymore.
The Parent Trap
It’s Lindsay Lohan’s movie debut, portraying long-lost twins who meet at summer camp and decide to bring the family back together. Yes, it may have been a remake of the 1961 classic, but after watching this, you might just want to take up fencing...or maybe you’ll just perfect the ultimate camp prank introduced here.
Spirited Away
There’s no age limit on experiencing the masterpiece of a Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli film. Spirited Away is the gorgeous animated story of a young girl who, upon finding herself in the spirit world of Japanese folklore, embarks on her quest to return to the human realm. (We do recommend this one for age 10+, or whenever the kids are able process a protagonist’s parents being turned into pigs. Your call.)
Jumanji
Those thumping drums? That’s the game coming to life after just reading this sentence. This classic hit about a gang of kids who find themselves inside the all-encompassing board game Jumanji has become a ‘90s classic. It’s a highlight, to say the least, that their newfound mentor in this story world is none other than the cross-generational Great Communicator: Robin Williams.
Mary Poppins
This one might be setting the bar high for the babysitter. The whimsical tale of a magical nanny who arrives via floating umbrella, Mary Poppins is a musical adventure that will satisfy everyone as easily as a spoonful of sugar.
Inside Out
Another Pixar hit perfect for pleasing the masses (and having the kids ask you why you’re crying). Inside Out is the introspective journey of a young girl’s inner emotions, personified into characters Joy, Sadness, Anger, and so on, as she navigates her family’s recent move.
Matilda
If, in a parallel universe, Carrie got a happy-ending, it would be Matilda. Matilda Wormwood is an intellectually curious young girl, who is ostracized and pushed aside by her preoccupied parents and school authorities. That is, until Matilda discovers she possesses telekinetic powers. It’s as much fun as a British children’s book adaptation directed by Danny Devito sounds like it would be.
School Of Rock
For all his affection for slackers and stoners, Richard Linklater has no shortage of family-friendly vibes. This 2003 comedy stars Jack Black (okay, still sort of a slacker-stoner) and a bunch of adorable kids. They play semi-decent songs and Black spouts off about 50 catchphrases. What's not to love?
Ghostbusters
Greatest theme song? Yes. Greatest ensemble cast? Yes. Greatest movie ever set in New York City? Quite possibly.
Toy Story 3
The third chapter of the Toy Story franchise is a tear-jerker, but it's a fantastic narrative about the nature of growing up (on both the child and adult side). Your kids are ready for it.
The Sandlot
Get ready for some serious nostalgia. This movie will make you ache for those carefree summer days when you were a kid.
Edward Scissorhands
[youtube]https://youtu.be/qubw-0uns9A[/youtube]While a Tim Burton-Johnny Depp film has become synonymous with crazy wigs and over the top performances, their first effort together is still a bittersweet masterpiece.
The Rocketeer
What other family film features mob guys and a mustachioed Nazi agent as a villain? Not to mention the beautiful Jennifer Connelly before many knew her name.
Before your kids knew him as Alfred from Batman, Michael Caine gave one of the best Ebeneezer Scrooge performances in decades. This film is more Caine performing Dickens than Caine acting alongside a cast of puppets.
Cool Runnings
Remember when Disney routinely made highly watchable live-action films? This was the apex. Will there ever be a better casting decision than John Candy as an out-of-shape, vaguely alcoholic, former bobsled racer?
Home Alone
[youtube]https://youtu.be/IsOlj-xpK9Q[/youtube]Sure he may be a vindictive sociopath in training, but it's still fun to watch Kevin McAllister get the best of these two incompetent home robbers. Plus, Daniel Stern's girlish shriek over the spider on his face never gets old.
Searching For Bobby Fischer
Maybe this will inspire your kids to ask for a chess set instead of a Playstation 4 for Christmas? Well, it's worth a try, at least.
The Goonies
[youtube]https://youtu.be/hJ2j4oWdQtU[/youtube]Josh Brolin before he was Jonah Hex, Sean Astin before he saved Middle Earth, and Corey Feldman before he was in rehab. With so much childhood innocence, it's no wonder this is one of the iconic movies of the '80s.
Big
This was Tom Hanks's most enjoyable role, where his energy exploded off the screen in nearly every single movie.
But be ready: you'll have to take your kids to FAO Schwarz after they see the piano scene for the first time.
Mrs. Doubtfire
[youtube]https://youtu.be/PqxpC_jYncE[/youtube]Absolute peak Robin Williams. It's got a crazy accent, rapid-fire comedy, and plenty sad puppy dog moments that made Williams such a brilliant performer.
The Princess Bride
[youtube]https://youtu.be/GNvy61LOqY0[/youtube]Adventure, comedy, iconic characters, true love—this movie has literally everything you could possibly wish for in a family film. There's even a friendly giant.
Brewster's Millions
Another dose of John Candy, but this time as the wingman to Richard Pryor, a minor league baseball player who inherits a huge sum of money and has to spend in in 30 days (in order to get more money at the end). What a premise!
Up
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qas5lWp7_R0[/youtube]If you can make it through the first ten minutes of this film without spiraling into depression, then you're golden. The rest is one of Pixar's funniest and most entertaining animated features. Just have tissues handy for that opener.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
This franchise puts Grumpy Cat to shame. You'll never look at your pets the same way again.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
[youtube]https://youtu.be/PbdM1db3JbY[/youtube]It's arguable whether this is the best film of the Harry Potter franchise, but it's easily the most family friendly. None of your favorite characters die in this one.
Back To The Future
Perfect for any time of year, really. Just try not to think too deeply about 1955 Marty getting weirdly intimate with his own mother.
Hook
Hook is a great opportunity to relive the magic or Robin Williams (and watch an underrated Dustin Hoffman as an eyeliner-wearing Captain Hook).
Newsies
This is an original musical about the Newsboys' Strike of 1899 starring a teenage Christian Bale. He sings, dances, and does an absurd New York accent. It's a total delight. A children's musical about labor union organizing! What more could you ask for in a family movie?
The Karate Kid
A total '80s mixed martial arts classic about the value of hard work and the power of the underdog. A total must-watch, but better for older kids, 10+. Just be prepared for your kid to immediately ask to take karate classes.
Soul
Soul is Pixar's newest foray into very adult emotions for a supposedly children's audience, and it will make you laugh and cry. Joe is a middle school music teacher who lands his dream gig as a jazz pianist, and then dies in a freak accident. He's stuck in the in-between before moving on, and he goes on a journey to get back to his life.
