The term “kids movie” is not quite the most accurate way to describe the beloved films I have compiled for this guide. While their subject matter is certainly suitable for younger audiences and even some of the main characters are children, the stories they tell are intended to appeal to viewers of all ages. No need to sift through all the best streaming services to subscribe to for your next family movie night because I have collected some of the best choices available here.
The Wild Robot (2024)
Director: Chris Sanders
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor
What it’s about: A robotic assistant is accidentally dropped in the middle of the woods where it forms an unexpected relationship with the wildlife.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: A strong contender for the 2025 Best Animated Feature Oscar, The Wild Robot is a powerful parable about the trials of parenthood set in a dystopian future, disguised as a fun talking animal movie.
How to watch The Wild Robot
The Inside Out Movies (2015, 2024)
Director: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen, Kelsey Mann
Starring: Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Phyllis Smith
What they are about: The sentient emotions living in Riley’s head try to help her navigate adolescence and her teenage years.
Why they are some of the best kids movies: Pixar’s Inside Out is an inventive tear-jerker that younger viewers can certainly relate to and Inside Out 2 taps into the anxieties that some older viewers can certainly identify with.
How to watch the Inside Out movies
- Stream Inside Out on Disney+
- Rent or buy Inside Out on Amazon
- Buy Inside Out on Blu-ray on Amazon
- Stream Inside Out 2 on Disney+
- Rent Inside Out 2 on Amazon
- Buy Inside Out 2 on Blu-ray on Amazon
Transformers One (2024)
Director: Josh Cooley
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson
What it’s about: Young residents of an alien planet inhabited by sentient machines make a discovery that changes their lives, and their home, forever.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: The story of how Optimus Prime and Megatron became enemies is revealed in Transformers One – the first theatrically released animated movie based on the popular toy line in decades and the best Transformers movie yet to some fans.
How to watch Transformers One
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse And Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2018, 2023)
Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman; Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Shamiek Moore, Hailee Steinfeld
What they are about: After a radioactive spider bite gives him amazing powers, teenager Miles Morales teams up with other webslingers from different areas of the Multiverse.
Why they are some of the best kids movies: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature) topped CinemaBlend’s ranked list of the best Spider-Man movies until the release of its sequel, Across the Spider-Verse (one of the best Marvel movies on Netflix), which boasts an even more stunningly diverse aesthetic, richer coming-of-age themes, and captivating action-packed thrillers.
How to watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Rent or buy Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse on Amazon
- Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix
- Rent or buy Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Amazon
- Buy Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Blu-ray on Amazon
WALL-E (2008)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight
What it’s about: A lonely robot left to clean up what is left of a deserted Earth finds kinship with a newer model searching the planet for a sign of life.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Out of the many beloved movies by Pixar, one of the most creative, clever, and important is the Oscar-winning WALL-E, which is also one of the best sci-fi movies, regardless of being animated, for its frighteningly plausible dystopian message that audiences young and old can learn from.
How to watch WALL-E
The Iron Giant (1999)
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal
What it’s about: A 10-year-old B-movie fan befriends a gargantuan alien robot in the 1950s.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Bird made his feature-length debut with The Iron Giant, which proved to be a box office flop but is now one of Rotten Tomatoes’ highest rated sci-fi movies for being a fun fantasy adventure with an unflinchingly earnest portrayal of Cold War-era fears.
How to watch The Iron Giant
Home Alone (1990)
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara
What it’s about: When his vacationing family accidentally leaves him behind, Kevin McCallister shows a pair of burglars who’s boss with a series of painful booby traps.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: This slapstick favorite’s holiday setting is not entirely necessary, but it has made the hilarious box office smash, Home Alone (from writer John Hughes), a traditional classic.
How to watch Home Alone
The LEGO Movie (2014)
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks
What it’s about: An average construction worker is believed to be the “master builder,” destined to liberate the LEGO Universe from a frozen state.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: LEGO products appeal to both modern-day children and adults who grew up putting blocks together, which is expressed beautifully in The LEGO Movie – a story that stresses the importance of preserving imagination and creativity that was uniquely animated with the titular toys.
How to watch The LEGO Movie
The Paddington Movies (2014, 2017)
Director: Paul King
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville
What they are about: An adorable, talking, marmalade-loving bear from Peru is taken in by a kindly family after he is abandoned at a London train station.
Why they are some of the best kids movies: The eponymous star of Michael Bond’s beloved children’s books was first brought to the big screen in Paddington and brought him back in an even more acclaimed sequel that has broadened the character’s appeal and united audiences of all ages with his bright, infectious personality.
How to watch The Paddington Movies
- Stream Paddington on Amazon Prime
- Stream Paddington 2 on Amazon Prime
- Buy the Paddington movies on Blu-ray on Amazon
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Director: Mel Stuart
Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum
What it’s about: An eccentric candy maker invites five lucky children to tour his famed factory.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Author Roald Dahl adapted one of his most cherished whimsical novels into one of the best movies of the 1970s, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which, despite one infamously creepy scene, was a sweet success that has never gone stale.
How to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Rent or buy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on Amazon
- Buy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on Blu-ray on Amazon
Spirited Away (2001)
Director: Hayoa Miyazaki
Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette
What it’s about: A girl whose family recently moved to the suburbs gets lost in a dangerous, magical world where humans get transformed into bizarre creatures.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Any curious viewers wanting to give anime a shot might want to start with the Studio Ghibli classic, Spirited Away, which earned Miyazaki a Best Animated Feature Oscar and is, arguably, the best anime movie for both kids and adults so far.
How to watch Spirited Away
- Stream Spirited Away on Max
- Rent or buy Spirited Away on Amazon
- Buy Spirited Away on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King
What it’s about: A princess from an underwater world trades her voice for a chance to walk on land and find love with a human prince.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: One Disney’s best live-action remakes of its most iconic animated films yet is The Little Mermaid, which stands out as more than just a worthy reboot for Bailey’s wonderful performance as Ariel.
How to watch The Little Mermaid
- Stream The Little Mermaid on Disney+
- Rent or buy The Little Mermaid on Amazon
- Buy The Little Mermaid on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Parent Trap (1961, 1998)
Director: David Swift; Nancy Meyers
Starring: Hayley Mills; Lindsay Lohan
What they are about: Two young strangers who discover they are twin sisters conspire to reunite their divorced parents by switching lives.
Why they are some of the best kids movies: Nearly forty years after Hayley Mills starred in Swift’s The Parent Trap, Erich Kästner’s novel was adapted once more by Nancy Meyers into Lindsay Lohan’s feature-film debut, which is just as charming and funny as the original, if not more.
How to watch the Parent Trap movies
- Stream the Parent Trap movies on Disney+
- Rent or buy The Parent Trap (1961) on Amazon
- Buy The Parent Trap (1961) on Blu-ray on Amazon
- Rent or buy The Parent Trap (1998) on Amazon
- Buy The Parent Trap (1998) on Blu-ray on Walmart.com
Coraline (2009)
Director: Henry Selick
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher
What it’s about: A girl discovers a bizarre alternate reality that seems to promise a better version of her own life, until she learns the truth.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Parents looking for a good introductory horror movie for children cannot go wrong with, arguably, the best movie from stop-motion studio, Laika, Coraline – a Neil Gaiman adaptation from the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas that is creepy enough to spook even the eldest thrillseekers.
How to watch Coraline
Akeelah And The Bee (2006)
Director: Doug Atchison
Starring: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne
What it’s about: A bright girl from L.A. gains the courage to show her spelling talents to the world.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Years before she led modern adult hits like Nope, Keke Palmer made her theatrically released feature-film debut in the title role of the inspiring drama, Akeelah and the Bee, which is still considered one of her best movies to date.
How to watch Akeelah and the Bee
- Stream Akeelah and the Bee on Plex
- Rent or buy Akeelah and the Bee on Amazon
- Buy Akeelah and the Bee on Blu-ray Amazon
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Director: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara
What it’s about: Hiccup makes the life-changing discovery that the creatures his people have made enemies with are not as dangerous as they thought when he befriends Toothless.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Most medieval fantasy stories involve humans at war with winged, fire-breathing creatures, which is how the story of How to Train Your Dragon (which has a live-action update in the works) begins before the heartwarming, action-packed DreamWorks Animation favorite flips the script.
How to watch How to Train Your Dragon
- Stream How to Train Your Dragon on Max
- Rent or buy How to Train Your Dragon on Amazon
- Buy How to Train Your Dragon on Blu-ray on Amazon
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Director: Hayoa Miyazaki
Starring: Jean Simmons, Christian Bale
What it’s about: A young woman trapped in an elderly body enlists the help of a wizard living in a tower with legs.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: There are many great anime movies that fantasy lovers of all ages will likely enjoy, such as another Studio Ghibli classic called Howl’s Moving Castle, based on Daiana Win Jônzu’s stellar novel.
How to watch Howl’s Moving Castle
- Stream Howl’s Moving Castle on Max
- Rent or buy Howl’s Moving Castle on Amazon
- Buy Howl’s Moving Castle on Blu-ray on Amazon
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton
What it’s about: A young boy discovers and forms a close bond with an alien accidentally left behind on Earth.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: For years, terrifying alien invasion movies had society cowering at the thought of otherworldly creatures, until director Steven Spielberg opted to tell a different story with the Oscar-winning E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which became a timeless classic for John William’s rousing score, themes of loneliness and friendship, and the heartbreaking final line.
How to watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The Goonies (1985)
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan
What it’s about: A group of close-knit youngsters try to outrun a family of criminals while searching for a pirate’s treasure buried somewhere beneath their hometown.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: A film that launched the careers of many notable modern A-listers is The Goonies, which is an exciting adventure involving the sort of thrills adults are familiar with, but from a younger perspective
How to watch The Goonies
The Sandlot (1993)
Director: David Mickey Evans
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar
What it’s about: A shy kid and his new friends get themselves into a big pickle involving a fabled neighborhood legend and a prized baseball signed by Babe Ruth in the 1960s.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: There may not be a film that captures the joys of summer, the thrill of the game, and the perils of childhood more authentically than The Sandlot, and those are just a few reasons why it is one of the best baseball movies ever made.
How to watch The Sandlot
The Toy Story Movies (1995-2019)
Director: John Lasseter; Lee Unkrich; Josh Cooley
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
What it’s about: Child’s playthings go on a series of exciting adventures while struggling to keep their sentience a secret from their young owners.
Why they are some of the best kids movies: One of the great things about Pixar’s Toy Story movies – which have a fifth installment on the way – is that you can make an argument for why each movie is the best, even though the original makes a good case as the first feature-length computer-animated film.
How to watch the Toy Story movies
- Stream the Toy Story movies on Disney+
- Rent or buy the Toy Story movies on Amazon
- Buy the Toy Story movies on Blu-ray on Amazon
Shrek (2001)
Director: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jensen
Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
What it’s about: In order to have control of his homely swamp back, an ogre teams up with a talking donkey to rescue a princess by request of the petty Lord Farquad.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: DreamWorks’ cleverly funny adaptation of William Stieg’s children’s book, Shrek was the first movie to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, and changed the way audiences perceived animated films, bedtime stories, and the band Smash Mouth forever.
How to watch Shrek
The Incredibles (2004)
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter
What it’s about: In a world where superheroes exist but vigilantism is banned, a disillusioned veteran and family man is given a chance to use his superpowers against a new enemy.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Pixar’s Oscar-winning masterpiece, The Incredibles, is one of the best superhero movies of all time for its funny imaginative take on comic book lore and grim, high-stakes violence, and adult themes that will surely keep more mature viewers entertained.
How to watch The Incredibles
- Stream The Incredibles on Disney+
- Rent or buy The Incredibles on Amazon
- Buy The Incredibles on Blu-ray on Amazon
Mulan (1998)
Director: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
Starring: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy
What it’s about: To protect her elderly father, a young woman disguises herself as a male soldier to take his place in a war against the invading Huns.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: The title hero of Mulan is one of the greatest role models Disney has ever produced and the film – which was given the live-action treatment in 2020 – remains one of the company’s most exciting animated features to date with its intense battle sequences.
How to watch Mulan
Tarzan (1999)
Director: Chris Buck, Kevin Lima
Starring: Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver
What it’s about: A man raised by apes since infancy meets another human being for the first time when he meets and falls for a female explorer.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: One of the definitive iterations of Edward Rice Burroughs’ iconic ape-man hero comes from Disney’s unforgettable animated adventure, Tarzan, featuring Oscar-winning original music by Phil Collins.
How to watch Tarzan
Stuart Little (1999)
Director: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki
What it’s about: A talking mouse becomes the adopted son of a well-to-do New York family, which turns out to be a challenging transition, especially with the Littles’ mischievous cat, Snowbell, stirring the pot.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Based on the even stranger and darker 1945 novel by E.B. White, and written for screen in part by M. Night Shyamalan, Stuart Little is a family movie that makes you proud of your family, no matter how you define yours.
How to watch Stuart Little
- Stream Stuart Little on The Roku Channel
- Rent or buy Stuart Little on Amazon
- Buy Stuart Little on Blu-ray on Amazon
Spy Kids (2001)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Alexa Vega, Darryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino
What it’s about: A bickering brother and sister discover their parents are secret agents and must join forces to rescue them after they are kidnapped.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: The James Bond movies do not accurately reflect quite how children envision espionage, which is why Robert Rodriguez’s riotously fun, visually impressive Spy Kids is the ultimate childhood spy fantasy, with a dream-like plot complete with impossibly complex gadgets, gravity-defying martial arts, and an incomprehensibly bizarre villain.
How to watch Spy Kids
Monster House (2006)
Director: Gil Kenan
Starring: Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke
What it’s about: Three kids discover that their neighborhood’s creepiest home is alive and shows no mercy to anyone who steps foot on its lawn.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: From executive producers Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, Monster House is one of the best haunted house movies of its time for how it incorporates an unusual twist by making a sentient house the one that haunts unwitting surrounding suburbanites.
How to watch Monster House
- Stream Monster House on Tubi
- Rent or buy Monster House on Amazon
- Buy Monster House on Blu-ray on Amazon
Coco (2018)
Director: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal
What it’s about: Aspiring musician Miguel makes a life-changing discovery during a magical visit to the Afterlife on Dia de los Muertos.
Why it is one of the best kids movies: Coco is an infectious, heartfelt animated musical adventure from Pixar that inspires you to remember the meaning of family, which is why I would also recommend keeping tissues handy.
How to watch Coco
Planning a family movie night? You certainly cannot go wrong by streaming any of the beloved kids movies (that are not just for kids) above!
