75 Best Family Movies You Can Watch Right Now

75 Best Family Movies You Can Watch Right Now

April 25, 2025

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Whether you’re looking for a movie to entertain the kids, a movie the whole family can enjoy, or even just a movie about that beautifully complex familial bond, we’ve got you covered. We combed through everything from classic animated films to heartwarming comedies to gut-wrenching dramas and compiled the very best of these you can stream right now. So gather everyone, pop some corn, and settle in for a night of the best family movies.

 

71. John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)

7.5

Genres

Comedy, Family

Director

Rhys Thomas

Actors

Alexander Bello, André De Shields, Annaleigh Ashford, Ava Briglia

Moods

Dark, Funny, Smart

John Mulaney’s comedy special has candid interview segments, gallows humor on a children’s show, oddly specific musical numbers, and other variety show tropes. It having a children’s cast is largely why its snarky, uneasy tone works, and the topics that make it so are why you might watch it again. The cute absurdity of it all, as well as brief moments of introspection that can catch you off guard, are why you might even watch this with (older) kids—just don’t expect them to sit through the whole thing. It’s a comedy special for kids, by adults, so by design it’ll always be a bit off.

72. October Sky (1999)

7.5

Genres

Drama, Family

Director

Joe Johnston

Actors

Andy Stahl, Blaque Fowler, Brady Coleman, Chad Lindberg

Moods

Dramatic, Emotional, Heart-warming

October Sky doesn’t tread new ground—in fact, you’ll be forgiven for rolling your eyes at a couple of cliches, including the classic “Those are your dreams, dad, not mine!” moments—but it’s so unassuming and well-made that it’s hard not to get drawn in by its many charms. There’s Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance for one, and the small town coming together to help each other out for another. Perhaps because the film is based on Homer Hickman’s true story, it also feels more specific and lived in than most period pieces. And it smartly avoids villainizing young Hickam’s adversaries so that they feel more real and nuanced, as opposed to the other far-fetched parts of the film. Sure, the overuse of sweeping music can feel cloying at times, but stellar performances across the board and confident direction overall make it a heartwarming, inspiring winner.

73. The Man in the Moon (1991)

7.5

Genres

Drama, Family, Romance

Director

Robert Mulligan

Actors

Bentley Mitchum, Dennis Letts, Emily Warfield, Ernie Lively

Moods

A-list actors, Challenging, Character-driven

Crushes seem much more important when you’re young, and when you and your sibling share one, it easily alters your dynamic, with the jealousy, comparison, and the insecurity it can foster. The Man in the Moon tackles this childhood crush with care. Writer Jenny Wingfield and director Robert Mulligan characterize each kid with consideration befitting their ages, with an understanding of the different priorities they would have with a three year age gap, the feelings they would have, and the misunderstandings they would have with each other. And this all works because of Reese Witherspoon, who even then held a screen presence that made her into a star.

74. The Secret of NIMH (1982)

7.5

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Drama

Director

Don Bluth

Moods

Dramatic, Emotional, Lovely

While not containing the most famous cartoon mouse, The Secret of NIMH nonetheless is a childhood classic about mice for kids from the 80s, launching the animation studio Don Bluth Productions to rival Disney. As such, the film takes a departure from the usual kid’s cartoon standards, taking less time in musical spectacle, and more time in stylistic art to express emotion, as well as take on a more complex plot about a mice family with more personal stakes. It’s what makes The Secret of NIMH an underrated classic that deserves a rewatch for those who have watched it in their childhood.

75. The Boy and the Beast (2015)

7.4

Genres

Action, Adventure, Animation

Director

Mamoru Hosoda

Actors

Aoi Miyazaki, Kōji Yakusho, Lily Franky, Shota Sometani

Moods

Character-driven, Easy, Sweet

The Boy and the Beast is somewhat like the Jungle Book, except the jungle has Japanese supernatural creatures competing for deity status, and the human village nearby is the bustling district of Shibuya. But what makes the film different is the main relationship. As boy and beast learn to become apprentice and master, and eventually father and son, their dynamic shifts their lives permanently, transforming their flaws into the keys to the worlds they once felt excluded from. It’s a familiar conflict, but The Boy and the Beast depicts its coming-of-age adventure with beautiful animation, an impeccable score, and unabashed heart.

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