Slashfilm.com's The 95 Best Family Movies Ever
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BY BRENDAN KNAPP/JULY 17, 2023 5:15 AM EST
In my home, family movie night is a weekly tradition. It's a shared experience that safely introduces my children to new ideas, places, cultures, people, and emotions. It reinforces qualities like humility, persistence, and kindness. And, of course, it's fun to snuggle up on a couch to laugh, cry, and scream together.
Movie night doesn't require conversation, though it might spark one after you watch a film that challenges viewers' perceptions of reality. And unlike in the theater, you can sit wherever you want, too, though a small couch will help keep young ones within a hug's reach during tense moments. Don't worry about snacks or bathroom breaks, either; both are only a quick pause and short walk away.
To help you find the best films for the event, I put together a list of the 95 best family films you can watch today. They will make family movie night (or morning, or afternoon) memorable for the entire clan, from the kindergarten-aged on up. Some films feature innovative artistic techniques, kicking open doors to new universes of creative discovery. Some films sneak in a moral lesson, the medicine the cinematic spoonful of sugar helps go down. Some may inspire impromptu dance parties, especially during the end credits. And all 95 of these movies are perfect for film-loving families, including mine.
{List is ordered alphabetically, and the four Toy Story films are counted as a single entry.}
...and the ones that didn't make the cut
When compiling this list, I wanted to make sure everyone in the family could enjoy every film, from kindergarten-age on up. However, young viewers, even those who can read, might struggle with captions. That means that incredible foreign films like "Summer 1993" and "Wadjda" won't work for most U.S. families, although animated films that are dubbed in English will be just fine.
Violence is another issue. I fell in love with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" after seeing it in the theater when I was four. That's two years after I saw my first horror movie (a miniseries, actually), "Salem's Lot." I could handle it. I know my five-year-old daughter cannot. Many parents don't want their children to see a Nazi's face melt or bald men get butchered by propeller blades — and that's okay.
"Raiders" and other violent, scary classics I loved as a kid, like "Poltergeist," "Conan the Barbarian," and "Jurassic Park," can go on other family film lists, but not this one. With my picks, you may need to offer a few comforting snuggles or answer questions about violence and intolerance, but I want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable watching these films. That said, you know your kids best; if you think they're ready for slightly more mature fare, there's no better way to introduce it than by viewing the movies together.
Pssst, want to check out the Slashfilm.com's The 95 Best Family Movies Ever list in our new look?
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1 new
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
1958, in 4 top lists Check -
2 new
Avril et le monde truqué
2015 — a.k.a. April and the Extraordinary World, in 1 top list Check -
3 new
Babe
1995, in 12 top lists Check -
4 new
Back to the Future
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
5 new
Beauty and the Beast
1991, in 19 top lists Check -
6 new
Beetlejuice
1988, in 5 top lists Check -
7 new
Big
1988, in 7 top lists Check -
8 new
Big Hero 6
2014, in 3 top lists Check -
9 new
The Black Stallion
1979, in 7 top lists Check -
10 new
The Breadwinner
2017, in 1 top list -
11 new
Chicken Run
2000, in 9 top lists Check -
12 new
A Christmas Story
1983, in 4 top lists Check -
13 new
Coco
2017, in 14 top lists Check -
14 new
Coraline
2009, in 3 top lists Check -
15 new
The Dark Crystal
1982, in 1 top list Check -
16 new
Duck Soup
1933, in 24 top lists Check -
17 new
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982, in 30 top lists Check -
18 new
Elf
2003, in 3 top lists Check -
19 new
Encanto
2021, in 1 top list -
20 new
Enchanted
2007, in 3 top lists Check -
21 new
Ernest et Célestine
2012 — a.k.a. Ernest & Celestine, in 4 top lists Check -
22 new
Fantasia
1940, in 20 top lists Check -
23 new
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009, in 9 top lists Check -
24 new
Forbidden Planet
1956, in 9 top lists Check -
25 new
Frozen
2013, in 5 top lists Check -
26 new
Galaxy Quest
1999, in 3 top lists Check -
27 new
Ghostbusters
1984, in 13 top lists Check -
28 new
The Goonies
1985, in 5 top lists Check -
29 new
A Hard Day's Night
1964, in 18 top lists Check -
30 new
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2001, in 5 top lists Check -
31 new
Hidden Figures
2016, in 4 top lists Check -
32 new
Home Alone
1990, in 6 top lists Check -
33 new
How to Train Your Dragon
2010, in 11 top lists Check -
34 new
The Incredibles
2004, in 13 top lists Check -
35 new
Inside Out
2015, in 18 top lists Check -
36 new
The Iron Giant
1999, in 14 top lists Check -
37 new
The Kid
1921, in 17 top lists Check -
38 new
Majo no takkyûbin
1989 — a.k.a. Kiki's Delivery Service, in 8 top lists Check -
39 new
Kubo and the Two Strings
2016, in 0 top lists Check -
40 new
Kung Fu Panda
2008, in 4 top lists Check -
41 new
Labyrinth
1986, in 4 top lists Check -
42 new
A League of Their Own
1992, in 5 top lists Check -
43 new
The Lego Movie
2014, in 5 top lists Check -
44 new
The Lion King
1994, in 24 top lists Check -
45 new
A Little Princess
1995, in 2 top lists Check -
46 new
Tout en haut du monde
2015 — a.k.a. Long Way North, in 0 top lists Check -
47 new
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
2021, in 1 top list -
48 new
La marche de l'empereur
2005 — a.k.a. March of the Penguins, in 3 top lists Check -
49 new
Babes in Toyland
1934 — a.k.a. March of the Wooden Soldiers, in 1 top list Check -
50 new
Mary Poppins
1964, in 15 top lists Check
Last updated on Jul 22, 2023; source