Big List of Family Favorite Movies
For your next family movie night, here are more than 100 non-animated family-friendly movie ideas. There’s sure to be one your family can agree on!
Sunday nights are family movie night in our house, and we are always looking for family-friendly flicks. Common Sense Media has lots of “best” movie lists, and their list of “Best Family Movies” has a great variety of Disney animation, classics, and a few, like “My Neighbor Totoro” or “Spellbound,” that may be unfamiliar to you. After seeing a lot of the classic Disney/Pixar fare, I’ve been on the hunt for non-animated movies that I can enjoy along with my kids.
I have three daughters, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times they have ALL agreed on what movie they want to watch. So here’s how you preempt the entire 30-minute argument over what to watch – it’s Parent’s Pick! I do give my kids the opportunity to “negotiate” over their movie selections, but sometimes…you gotta play the mom card. They might start out groaning over my movie pick, but pretty soon, their six little eyes are glued to the screen. So far, every movie that I have picked and MADE them watch, they gave a thumbs up. I do my best not to say “I told you so!”
Here is a list of movies (and a few documentaries) our family has watched and liked. I did not include blockbusters like the “Harry Potter” or “Star Wars” series, but tried to go for less obvious picks. Your local library is a great resource for older movies—check them out!
52 non-animated family movie night recommendations
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- The Queen of Katwe
- Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
- A Little Princess
- Mr. Holland’s Opus
- Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
- Soul Surfer
- The Astronaut Farmer
- Fly Away Home
- Hidden Figures
- The Eagle Huntress
- Akeelah and the Bee
- Gifted Hands
- The Hundred Foot Journey
- Searching for Bobby Fischer
- Flight of the Navigator
- Explorers
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- Bridge to Terabithia
- The Princess Bride
- Apollo 13
- Ramona and Beezus
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Annie
- Cheaper by the Dozen
- The Secret Garden
- The NeverEnding Story
- Secretariat
- National Treasure
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- The Little Rascals
- Dennis the Menace
- Space Camp
- Night at the Museum
- Home Alone
- The Incredible Journey
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Little Women
- Evan Almighty
- The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
- We Bought a Zoo
- Born Free
- Eight Below
- The Parent Trap
- Dolphin Tale
- Secondhand Lions
- Cool Runnings
- On the Way to School
- Wonder
52 more non-animated movies to try
Here’s another year’s worth of family movie night picks that are on my “to-watch” list:
- Alaska
- A Ballerina’s Tale
- Iron Will
- Simon Birch
- Newsies
- National Velvet
- Life of Pi
- The Absent-Minded Professor
- Rudy
- Sister Act 2
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- My Side of the Mountain
- The Kid
- Adventures of the Wilderness Family
- Opposite Day
- Children of Heaven
- Superman
- Duma
- Maleficent
- Nanny McPhee
- Spellbound
- Inkheart
- Darby O’Gill and the Little People
- Nim’s Island
- The Piano Lesson
- The Bookshop
- Wonderstruck
- The Greatest Showman
- The Man Who Invented Christmas
- The Resurrection of Gavin Stone
- The Bouquet
- Wadjda
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green
- Big Miracle
- Jig
- Endurance
- Morning Light
- Blindsight
- If You Build It
- Rabbit-proof Fence
- The Miracle Season
- The Miracle Worker
- The Gabby Douglas Story
- The Secret of Roan Inish
- Mad Hot Ballroom
- The Great Gilly Hopkins
- Fiddler on the Roof
- October Sky
- The Mighty Macs
- Ladies First
- Emma
- In Search of Greatness
So for a weekly family movie night, that is two years worth of movies to check out. If you have some family favorites to share, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to add to my list!
Movie Night Must-Haves
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