The NeverEnding Family Movie List (Version: G/PG - 1st Edition)
The continual list of movies most families can watch together.
True movie lists are never complete and always up for debate. As years pass, our tastes in movies nuance, not to mention the fact that new movies are released and make their way onto our list.
This is ‘The NeverEnding Family Movie List’ because new versions will release periodically. Not only will this be due to new movies being released, but it will be due to the Family Movie Night community. Your recommendations may make their way on this list, so I really want to hear from you because I can guarantee you I’ve forgotten some good movies out of the 202 movies (!) listed below.
One of the primary reasons I started this newsletter was to create lists.
I often receive texts/emails from people asking for movie suggestions for their family. I also struggle to think of movies my own family should watch, but creating lists can help with this. They can remind us of movies we’ve forgotten about and plan for future movie nights. If you’d like to print this list, you can use the link at the bottom to have a version with check boxes to keep up with those you’ve watched.
Some things to keep in mind:
I don’t like every movie on this list, but have included some movies I know others enjoy.
I haven't seen every movie on this list, so this isn’t an endorsement of a particular movie.
Some of these movies contain questionable content for your family, so check out the content before viewing. Example: Raiders of the Lost Ark was released prior to the PG-13 rating. (IMDb is my go-to for content)
There are some movies I’ve intentionally left off, so they might not make their way on to future versions of this list.
In the comments, please be sensitive to the stronger/weaker brother encouragement Paul gives in Romans 14.
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Treasure Island (1950)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Flash Gordon (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
E.T. (1982)
Tron (1982)
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Cloak & Dagger (1984)
The Goonies (1985)
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Labyrinth (1986)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Willow (1988)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Field of Dreams (1989)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
The Hunt for the Red October (1990)
Hook (1991)
Home Alone 2 (1992)
The Sandlot (1993)
Jumanji (1995)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Holes (2003)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
National Treasure (2004)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005)
Night at the Museum (2006)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Cinderella (2015)
Pete’s Dragon (2016)
The Jungle Book (2016)
The BFG (2016)
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Animated
Snow White (1937)
Pinocchio (1940)
Fantasia (1940)
Dumbo (1941)
Bambi (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
The Jungle Book (1967)
Robin Hood (1973)
An American Tail (1986)
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Aladdin (1992)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Lion King (1994)
Toy Story (1995)
Space Jam (1996)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Shrek (2001)
Monster’s Inc. (2001)
Ice Age (2002)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Incredibles (2004)
Shrek 2 (2004)
The Polar Express (2004)
Madagascar (2005)
Cars (2006)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Happy Feet (2006)
Ratatouille (2007)
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
The Tale of Desperaux (2008)
Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
Wall-E (2008)
Bolt (2008)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Up (2009)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Tangled (2010)
Despicable Me (2010)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Rango (2011)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
The Lorax (2012)
The Croods (2013)
Frozen (2013)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Monster’s University (2013)
The Lego Movie (2014)
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
Big Hero 6 (2014)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Minions (2015)
Inside Out (2015)
Moana (2016)
Finding Dory (2016)
Zootopia (2016)
Sing (2016)
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse (2018)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Frozen II (2019)
Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
Onward (2020)
The Croods: A New Age (2020)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Sing 2 (2021)
Luca (2021)
Encanto (2021)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Migration (2023)
Drama/Comedy/Musical/Documentary
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Pollyanna (1960)
The Parent Trap (1961)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The Sting (1973)
Annie (1982)
The Natural (1984)
Clue (1985)
Hoosiers (1986)
Top Gun (1986)
*Batteries Not Included (1987)
Babette’s Feast (1987)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Big (1988)
The Wizard (1989)
What About Bob? (1991)
My Girl (1991)
Father of the Bride (1991)
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Rudy (1993)
Cool Runnings (1993)
Rookie of the Year (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Clifford (1994)
Little Women (1994)
Maverick (1994)
Heavyweights (1995)
Babe (1995)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Simon Birch (1998)
The Truman Show (1998)
October Sky (1999)
Remember the Titans (2000)
My Dog Skip (2000)
The Princess Diaries (2001)
The Rookie (2002)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Elf (2004)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Miracle (2004)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Charlotte’s Web (2006)
Invincible (2006)
We Are Marshall (2006)
Glory Road (2006)
Nacho Libre (2006)
Enchanted (2007)
Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Maleficent (2014)
Paddington (2014)
Wonder (2017)
A Dog’s Purpose (2017)
Paddington 2 (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Leave No Trace (2018)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Little Women (2019)
Christopher Robin (2019)
Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass (2020)
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Cruella (2021)
Matilda: The Musical (2022)
Wonka (2023)
A Million Miles Away (2023)
Ordinary Angels (2024)
Below are three extraordinary family movies worth knowing. No pressure to put on any list. Although these are beautiful stories with no violence or bad language, there is a moment in two of them portraying grief and death that may not be ideal for younger children. Maybe parents could watch first and share if they see fit to.
My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle (two-part film, in French with English subtitles)
https://theunexpectedworld.substack.com/p/my-fathers-glory-and-my-mothers-castle
Captains Courageous (classic film based on Rudyard Kipling's story)
https://theunexpectedworld.substack.com/p/captains-courageous-1937