Jam-packed with tales of talking animals, adventures of heroes in disguise, and stories of true love, Netflix has one rockin’ collection of films perfect for family movie night.
But with so much to choose from (and a million other things to worry about), parents can have a hard time sussing out what to cue up at any given moment. So, in honor of them and their small humans, we narrowed it down ahead of time.
From animated classics to live-action newcomers, here are 15 of the best kid-friendly movies now streaming on Netflix — all with enough sly adult humor and tearjerking moments to take viewers of every age along for the ride.
1. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
Rated: PG
Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) is a talented inventor and toymaker who is left in ruins after his apprentice, Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key), steals his greatest creation. Decades later, his granddaughter Journey (Madelen Mills) arrives and, through a series of events, she reignites her grandfather’s creative spark.
Netflix delivered Jingle Jangle on Nov. 13, 2020 as an early holiday gift. It features a dynamite cast that also includes Phylica Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, and Ricky Martin, with music from John Legend and Philip Lawrence. It’s an odd one, but in the best possible way.
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Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is now streaming on Netflix.
2. The Muppets (2011)
Rated: PG
Gary (Jason Segel) and his muppet brother Walter (Peter Linz) are both longtime nerds for The Muppet Show who miss their old TV friends. So when the two learn during a tour of the rundown and unused Muppet Studios that an evil money man named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is going to buy the old Muppet Theatre, they realize they have to act.
So begins an epic “getting the band back together” journey that finds the siblings tracking down scattered Muppets, all while Gary’s incredibly patient and understanding wife, Mary (Amy Adams), increasingly struggles with her husband’s disinvestment in their relationship. This is a 2010s Muppet movie conceived in the mold of the Jim Henson Company classics. It’s great.
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The Muppets is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: PG
Marty McFly is a high school-aged music geek with a brilliant friend in Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), an eccentric inventor. One night, Doc shares with Marty the news that he’s turned a run-of-the-mill DeLorean (a model of car that doesn’t exist anymore in 2020) into a time-traveling powerhouse, and he needs help testing it.
Things take a dark turn when the test is interrupted by Libyan terrorists and the two friends find themselves hurtling backwards in time to the year 1955, on the eve of Marty’s future parents, now in high school, falling in love. But since this is a movie and nothing is easy, Marty’s eventual mom, Lorraine (Lea Thompson), falls for him instead. And so Marty sets out to play matchmaker with his mom and nerdy dad, George McFly (Crispin MFing Glover).
I didn’t need to tell you any of that. This movie is a true-blue classic. And now it’s on Netflix, along with its two sequels. You know what to do.
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Back to the Future is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: n/a
How to describe John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch? It’s a comedy variety show featuring kids, but treating them like adults, that’s all guided along by the eponymous comedian. Mulaney brings his love for musical theater, delight in all things weird, and all ages-friendly sense of humor to this sketch-centric special that sticks a cast of actual children into a variety of settings with special guests like Jake Gyllenhaal, André De Shields, David Byrne, and Richard Kind.
It’s fair to say that Sack Lunch Bunch defies explanation. And while some of the humor might be zesty enough that parents will want to give it a watch before putting it in front of their kids, it remains an excellent and hilariously weird journey into Mulaney’s creative sensibilities.
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John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch is now streaming on Netflix.
5. WarGames (1983)
Rated: PG
The science side of WarGames‘ science fiction story may come off as a little bit dated in 2020, but that doesn’t rob the movie of any of its charm or value. It stars Matthew Broderick as David Lightman, a computer-loving high schooler who manages to accidentally hack his way into a government system that, among other things, controls the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Thinking he’s connected to a game company, David fires up something called Global Thermonuclear War. Unfortunately for everyone, it’s not a game. And it isn’t long before David and his friend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) find themselves on the run from government operative after the “game” David starts leave the U.S. on the brink of an apocalyptic war with the (now-former) Soviet Union.
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WarGames is now streaming on Netflix.
6. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
Rated: n/a
Based on a true story and a memoir bearing the same title, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a Malawi-set drama from first-time director Chiwetel Ejiofor. It stars Maxwell Simba as William Kamkwamba, a young boy who loves to tinker with science and technology but can’t attend school because his family can’t afford it.
In the mid-2000s, social and economic strife leave William’s village in dire straits. He concocts a plan to save his village from a drought by building an energy-producing windmill, but there’s one obstacle: His doubting father, Trywell (Ejiofor). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind a touching, at times heartbreaking story, and ultimately uplifting of a young boy finding his own way to triumph over adversity.
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is now streaming on Netflix.
7. ParaNorman (2012)
Rated: PG
Laika’s stop-motion spookfest, ParaNorman, stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as the voice of Norman Babcock, a young boy who discovers that he has the ability to see ghosts. This is no Sixth Sense knockoff, though. There’s a zombie apocalypse brewing, and Norman’s the only one who can stave it off.
ParaNorman drew wide praise when it released in 2012 thanks to Laika’s gorgeous stop-motion work, a charming story from future Kubo and the Two Strings writer Chris Butler, and an all-star cast that features Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, and John Goodman.
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Paranorman is now streaming on Netflix.
8. Hugo (2011)
Rated: PG
Hugo stars Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret, a young boy who finds himself living alone in a 1930s Paris train station after his father dies and his adoptive uncle, who manages the station’s clocks, goes missing. It’s not long after that he’s drawn into a mystery involving his departed dad, a nonfunctional automaton of unknown origins, and Georges Méliès, a French pioneer of early film.
Oh yeah, it’s also directed by legendary director and lover of film, Martin Scorsese. Hugo is a kid-friendly movie delivered by a master craftsman, with a compelling story and artfully shot delivery that makes it an unforgettable celebration of the fantastical appeal of film. It also stars Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, and Jude Law.
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Hugo is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: n/a
Cathy Ang is the voice of Fei Fei, young girl with a love for science and an adorable pet bunny named Bungee, who was a gift from her departed mother. Years after the unfortunate passing, Fei Fei’s interest in space travel is kindled by the legend of Chang’e, Chinese Goddess of the Moon and a soon-to-remarry father who doubts the goddess’s existence.
So Fei Fei sets out to build a rocket capable of carrying her off to the stars. She almost succeeds, but her failure — and certain doom! — is averted when a beam of light saves her and carries her skyward. So begins an adventure that helps Fei Fei finally get a handle on her grief, and her path forward in life.
Over the Moon also features the voices of Phillipa Soo, Robert G. Chiu, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn., Artt Butler, and Sandra Oh.
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Over the Moon is now streaming on Netflix.
10. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Rated: G
Loosely based on the Brothers Grimm tale of the same name, this royal adventure transports the story of a woman looking for love to 1920s New Orleans.
Disney’s first African American princess Tiana, voiced by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose, begins our story as a young waitress with a knack for making beignets. But when she benevolently agrees to kiss a cursed amphibian prince, things get… complicated.
Full of warmth and love, this instant classic is the old school Disney you first fell in love with.
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The Princess and the Frog is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: PG
Wreck-it Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz return in this surprisingly spot-on cyber adventure.
After the success of Disney’s first Wreck-It adventure, it’s no wonder the studio wanted to do it all over again. And while Ralph Breaks the Internet does fall victim to a number of sequel pitfalls — including that cringe-worthy title — it manages to tell a unique story all its own.
TL;DR: Worth a watch, if only for the internet jokes. (There’s also a little reference to Mashable. See if you can find it.)
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Ralph Breaks the Internet is now streaming on Netflix.
12. Casper (1995)
Rated: PG
Delightful during October, but enjoyable the whole year ’round, Casper the Friendly Ghost is a classic kid movie for a reason.
Based on the cartoon from Harvey Comics, this 1995 comedy follows a paranormal expert (Bill Pullman) and his young daughter (Christina Ricci) as they struggle to uncover the secrets behind Whipstaff Manor. What they find, a kind ghost named Casper and his three vengeful uncles, is a story for the ages.
Note: Casper is kid-friendly, but its dark themes may prove too intense for some children.
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Casper is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: PG
We took some issue with this sequel — but if your family is cataloguing those Disney live-action remakes, then it’s probably worth your time.
Emily Blunt stars as the no-nonsense nanny, alongside musical genius Lin-Manuel Miranda and grown-up Banks children Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer. Filled to the brim with pastel daydreams and sugary-sweet songs, Mary Poppins Returns will have newcomers mesmerized and old fans nostalgic as ever.
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Mary Poppins Returns is now streaming on Netflix.
14. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Rated: PG
When the world learned that Judi and Ron Barrett’s timeless children’s book was being made into a film, many took pause. Luckily, in the deft hands of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the iconic story of a town with edible weather shines with newfound finesse.
Returning to the imaginary world of Chewandswallow, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs chronicles the adventures of inventor Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), his pet monkey Steve (Neil Patrick Harris), and aspiring weather woman Sam Sparks (Anna Faris). As comforting as any bowl of tomato soup, this tale will fill your day with joy. And possibly, spaghetti.
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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is now streaming on Netflix.
Rated: PG
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is not only the best Spider-Man movie to ever grace our superhero-filled lives, it is also one of the most gorgeously animated movies ever made.
The humor is spectacular. The story is endearing. The characters are lovable. Even the soundtrack is outstanding. When the world is filled with endless superhero movies, it’s nice to have a movie that isn’t a part of the rest of the massive Marvel universe — a contained story that doesn’t come with all that baggage.
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is now streaming on Netflix.
Kellen Beck and Proma Khosla contributed to this article. This story was originally published in Aug. 2019 and updated in Nov. 2020 by Adam Rosenberg.