There are several great family movies streaming right now on the most popular entertainment platforms. Sometimes even the best movies of all time aren’t suitable for the whole family to enjoy. It can often be difficult to find something that fits the bill, especially one that hasn’t been played on repeat throughout the years.
There have been a great number of animated family movies released in recent years since they were the easiest to produce during the pandemic. As a result, most of the best movies to stream right now were made using advanced animation as live-action family movies are becoming more sparse across the entertainment industry. While there certainly are some live-action family movies such as the new Netflix release Spy Kids: Armageddon, they often pale in comparison to the best animated family movies nowadays. With this in mind, here are ten of the greatest family movies you can stream right now.
10 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Director: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic | Runtime: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Jack Black, Sebastien Maniscalco, Fred Armisen, Keegan Michael-Key
The Super Mario Bros. Movie became the second highest-grossing movie of 2023 at the global box office, raking in more than $1.3 billion worldwide. The beloved animated movie based on the long-running Nintendo games is now available to stream after its impressive theatrical run. The movie tells the story of an iconic plumber named Mario who travels through a mysterious labyrinth to save a Princess Peach, much like the original handheld side-scroller games.
Available on Peacock Premium, Rated PG
9 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Director: Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado | Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, Olivia Coleman, John Mulaney, Samson Kayo
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the long-awaited sequel to the original Puss in Boots and Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos which came out in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Puss in Boots is a spin-off franchise inspired by the popular and adorable character from the Shrek movies. Voiced by Antonio Banderas throughout the entire trilogy, Puss in Boots is a hilarious and charming character starring in a fun adventure comedy that people of all ages can enjoy.
Available on Netflix, Rated PG
8 Elemental (2023)
Director: Peter Sohn | Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Catherine O’Hara, Shila Ommi
Elemental is a new installment from the legendary combination of Disney and Pixar that focuses on diversity and inclusion in interesting and creative ways. While in may seem that the four elements of fire, water, earth, and air are very different from each other, Elemental proves that they actually have more in common than they might have thought. As is typical of modern Disney Pixar films, Elemental possesses deep and thought-provoking themes that will intrigue both parents and their kids.
Available on Disney Plus, Rated PG
7 The Little Mermaid (2023)
Director: Rob Marshall | Runtime: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs
The remake of The Little Mermaid is Disney’s most recent attempt at converting its catalog of classic movies into live-action renditions. While some fans aren’t exactly thrilled about all the remakes that risk the integrity of the original animated films, others find the reboot efforts to be thoroughly enjoyable. The whole family can sing along to famous songs such as “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World” which have been celebrated for decades since the original was released in 1989.
Available on Disney Plus, Rated PG
6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Director: Jeff Rowe | Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Cast: Seth Rogen, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, Ayo Edebiri, Rose Byrne, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Paul Rudd, Ice Cube, Hannibal Buress, Post Malone
The classic characters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return in a new animated feature with innovative graphics and an action-packed story. Fans of all ages will be able to dive into the visually stunning movie and cheer on the iconic squad of Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo. The Turtle brothers must fight against the mutants in New York City in order to win over the favor of its citizens.
Available on Paramount Plus, Rated PG
5 DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
Director: Jared Stern | Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Keanu Reeves, Olivia Wilde, Laura Headey
DC League of Super-Pets is a charming and humorous family-safe film that brings the universe of DC’s superheroes to the worlds of everyday pets and common animals. With a star-studded cast and compelling action-based story, DC League of Super-Pets can entertain people of all ages, especially fans of classic superheroes such as Batman and Superman who appear in the animated film.
Available On Max, Rated PG
4 Nimona (2023)
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane | Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy
Nimona is an unsuspecting animated hit movie that can be streamed on Netflix. The story follows a knight in a futuristic medieval world who is helped by a shapeshifting mischievous creature to get out of a crime that he didn’t commit. The highly original concept paired with the stunning visual world makes Nimona one of the best and perhaps most overlooked family movies available to stream right now.
Available on Netflix, Rated PG
3 Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafon | Runtime: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman, David Bradley, Gregory Mann
In a year that saw two Pinocchio remakes, Guillermo del Toro’s unique animated interpretation was certainly the better of the two. The film tells the timeless fairy tale of Pinocchio but with a dark, fantastical reimagining that could only come from the mind of del Toro. Pinocchio’s journey is taken to new existential and emotional levels while still maintaining its magical appeal from the original Disney film that the whole family can enjoy.
Available on Netflix, Rated PG
2 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp | Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cast: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Joe Gabler, Thomas Mann, Rosa Salazar, Lesley Stahl
This adorable story will melt the entire family without feeling too cheesy or forced. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On follows an animated small shell who lives with his grandma Connie in their quaint home. Marcel becomes the center of a documentary within the movie as he tries to solve the mystery of how he was separated from his shell family. It’s an incredibly unique and heartwarming story with a great balance of drama and comedy.
Available on Showtime, Rated PG
1 The Sea Beast (2022)
Director: Chris Williams | Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Cast: Karl Urban, Jared Harris, Helen Sadler, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Zaris-Angel Hator
Another unexpected yet outstanding animated Netflix film is The Sea Beast, an exciting action-adventure set on tropical islands and far out at sea. For an animated movie, the film is full of impressive and compelling action sequences matched with beautiful visuals and a heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled story. The onscreen dynamic between monster hunter Jacob Holland and the innocent Maisie Brumble is the heart and soul of this film, making it one of the best family movies available to stream right now.
Available on Netflix, Rated PG