The Disney brand is, and always has been, about family. This is why Disney+ has an unmatched lineup of family movies, which goes back nearly a century. And while Disney and Pixar’s wonderful animated feature films are a staple of Disney+ and are all there for your family’s enjoyment, we’re largely focusing on the live-action movies that have something to offer the whole family. Single people and couples who appreciate the Disney brand (even if they don’t have a family of their own) will also appreciate many of our selections. Everyone is welcome under the Disney umbrella, and we’ve already put together the best family movies that you can stream on Disney+ right now.
We’ve also rounded up the best family movies on Amazon Prime and the best family movies on Netflix if you don’t find what you’re looking for on Disney+.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Critics weren’t exactly thrilled when The Greatest Showman took a lot of creative license with the life of P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman). Audiences, however, embraced this movie and made it one of the highest-grossing musical films of all time. The story follows P.T.’s journey from entrepreneur to the founder of Barnum’s circus. Zac Efron co-stars as P.T.’s partner, Phillip Carlyle, a young man who falls hard for an acrobat named Anne Wheeler (Zendaya). The romance between Phillip and Anne provides a lot of the film’s heart, but it’s the songs and the performances that make The Greatest Showman a winner.
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Genre: Musical, Drama
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya
Director: Michael Gracey
Rating: PG
Runtime: 105 minutes
Isle of Dogs (2017)
Isle of Dogs may be the only Wes Anderson film to ever make it on Disney+, and it’s also one of the most offbeat animated movies ever made. In a dystopian future, all dogs have been banished to Trash Island after an outbreak of canine influenza. Spots (Liev Schreiber), the beloved dog of young Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), was among the first canines to be exiled. That’s why Atari goes on a rescue mission to find his pup, and he goes on to befriend a pack of talking dogs led by Chief (Bryan Cranston). Their misadventures on the island are hilarious and heartfelt.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Bill Murray
Director: Wes Anderson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 101 minutes
Hamilton (2020)
The original cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical Hamilton has long since gone their separate ways. Thankfully, they filmed the Hamilton movie for one last tribute to the pop culture sensation that they created. Miranda stars as Alexander Hamilton, one of the unexpected founding fathers of the United States of America. Alexander’s rise is meteoric, but his own hubris helps lead to his downfall in his famous duel with Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.). If you can’t see a production of Hamilton live, this is the next best thing.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Musical, Drama
Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones
Director: Thomas Kail
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 160 minutes
Miracle (2004)
In the world of sports, people still talk about the Miracle on Ice. During the 1980 Olympics, the United States hockey team of college players faced a professional squad of Russian players. In Miracle, Kurt Russell plays Herb Brooks, the U.S. coach who had to bring his team together and make them a winning unit against all odds. This is one of the best feel-good sports stories of all time. Sure, there may have been a few embellishments for dramatic effect, but it’s hard to argue with a crowd-pleasing flick like this.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann, Kenneth Welsh
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Rating: PG
Runtime: 136 minutes
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
C.S. Lewis’ beloved Narnia books received a lavish modern remake in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. During World War II, young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) and her three siblings find an enchanted wardrobe that is actually a portal to a fantasy world under the heel of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Although the talking creatures of this world fear the Witch, they recognize that the children may herald the return of Aslan (Liam Neeson), the great lion who created Narnia ages ago.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson
Director: Andrew Adamson
Rating: PG
Runtime: 143 minutes
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)
Have you been waiting for a diverse and modern take on Cinderella? Disney already did it 24 years ago, with Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as her Fairy Godmother. This TV movie beautifully adapts Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, with additional musical numbers and a more proactive heroine. Cinderella may be smitten with Christopher (Paolo Montalbán), but she’s not the kind of young woman who waits around for her prince to save her.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Musical, Fantasy
Stars: Whitney Houston, Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters
Director: Robert Iscove
Rating: G
Runtime: 88 minutes
Into the Woods (2014)
Director Rob Marshall adapted James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway hit Into the Woods as a live-action film. It’s not quite as dark as the original play that inspired it, but it’s still a dazzling musical journey into fantasy, with several familiar faces. The Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) desperately want to have children of their own. But first, they will have to escape the curse of the Witch (Meryl Streep) and procure the items she needs. Along the way, the childless couple encounters Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), and even the Big Bad Wolf (Johnny Depp).
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Genre: Musical, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Stars: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine
Director: Rob Marshall
Rating: PG
Runtime: 124 minutes
Home Alone (1990)
Disney’s merger with 21st Century Fox really paid dividends for Disney+. Now, the classic 20th Century Studios films like Home Alone are part of the Disney+ library. And unlike Die Hard, this one is unquestionably a Christmas movie. Macaulay Culkin has a star-making turn as Kevin, a mischievous kid who is accidentally left behind while the rest of his family goes on a vacation. Kevin’s mother, Kate (Catherine O’Hara), desperately tries to reunite with her son. Meanwhile, Kevin faces the Wet Bandits — Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) — as they fruitlessly try to break into his home.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy
Director: Chris Columbus
Rating: PG
Runtime: 103 minutes
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Before he abandoned Hollywood for a few decades, Rick Moranis headlined Disney’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise. But the first film is the best one, as Moranis’ Wayne Szalinski struggles to perfect his size-changing ray. Unfortunately for Wayne and his family, the neighbor kids, Ron (Jared Rushton) and Russ Thompson (Thomas Wilson Brown), accidentally get themselves and Wayne’s children — Amy (Amy O’Neill) and Nick Szalinski (Robert Oliveri) — greatly reduced in size. Now, the children have to band together for their own survival as they try to reach their parents and undo the ray’s effects.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Stars: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, Kristine Sutherland
Director: Joe Johnston
Rating: PG
Runtime: 93 minutes
Mary Poppins (1964)
“As I expected. ‘Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.’” That magical tape measure might as well have been reviewing the movie too. Mary Poppins is a true Disney classic, and Julie Andrews is an absolute treasure in the title role. Within the film, Mary answers the call to become the new nanny of the Banks children, Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber). With the help of her friend, Bert (Dick Van Dyke), Mary takes the children on magical misadventures and helps them reconnect with their emotionally distant parents.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Musical, Fantasy
Stars: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Hermione Baddeley
Director: Robert Stevenson
Rating: G
Runtime: 139 minutes
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
Disney’s initial Mighty Ducks movie wasn’t a hit with critics, but it was a slap shot for audiences. The Mighty Ducks introduced viewers to Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) a former hockey player turned successful lawyer. After an arrest for driving under the influence, Gordon is assigned to 500 hours of community service as the coach of a youth hockey team. Through the Ducks, Gordon rediscovers his passion for the game and proves that he has a lot to teach the next generation of players. Gordon also bonds with his young players and makes big sacrifices in order to be a better example for the team.
Rotten Tomatoes: 23%
Genre: Comedy, Sports
Stars: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Lane Smith
Director: Stephen Herek
Rating: PG
Runtime: 104 minutes
The Muppets (2011)
Disney hasn’t always known what to do with the Muppets, but Jim Henson’s creations finally got their due in this 2011 revival. Credit co-writer and star Jason Segel for the passion behind this film. Segel plays Gary, the human brother of Walter, a lost Muppet who became the world’s biggest fan of The Muppet Show. With the help of Gary’s girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), Walter and Gary get the gang back together to save the Muppet Theater from Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). This film is terrific, and it has all of the heart that The Muppets have become known for.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper. Rashida Jones
Director: James Bobin
Rating: PG
Runtime: 103 minutes
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride is another brilliant pickup from the Disney and Fox merger. This very modern fairy tale is grounded by a Grandfather (Peter Falk), who reads the story to his Grandson (Fred Savage). In the faraway land of Florin, a young farmhand named Westley (Cary Elwes) becomes the Dread Pirate Roberts in order to reunite with his lost love, Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright). To save Buttercup from a loveless marriage to an evil prince, Westley aligns himself with a giant named Fezzik (André the Giant), and the vengeful Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). This is a movie that remains enchanting for moviegoers of all ages.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant
Director: Rob Reiner
Rating: PG
Runtime: 98 minutes
Willow (1988)
Willow was a rare venture outside the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises for Lucasfilm. It’s an original fantasy film that charges Warwick Davis’ would-be sorcerer, Willow Ufgood, with protecting the infant princess Elora Danan. The evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), will do anything to eliminate Elora. Fortunately, Willow has Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) and Bavmorda’s rebellious daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), by his side as they join forces to save the girl and the kingdom. There’s a sequel series coming to Disney+ next year, but the original film is still a winner for family audiences.
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Stars: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley
Director: Ron Howard
Rating: PG
Runtime: 126 minutes
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