Hulu is the more grownup streaming service in the Disney bundle, with a wide selection of classic and original movies and shows covering all kinds of genres. Disney+ may have all of the big Disney brands and the Disney Animation Vault, but don’t sleep on Hulu’s library of kids’ movies. Hulu has a great selection of live-action and animated flicks from other studios that are great for younger viewers. If you’re looking for something other than Moana for once, we highly recommend you check out these kids’ movies on Hulu.
We’ve also rounded up the best kids movies on Netflix, the best kids movies on Amazon Prime, and the best kids movies on Disney+ if you don’t find what you’re looking for on Hulu.
Trolls World Tour (2020)
DreamWorks’ Trolls franchise continues with the musical romp Trolls World Tour. Trolls Poppy and Branch discover that there are six different troll tribes scattered across six different lands, each of which is dedicated to a different kind of music. When rockers Queen Barb and King Thrash set out to destroy the worlds of funk, country, techno, classical, and pop, Poppy and Branch embark on a daring mission to unite the trolls and save the eclectic world of music.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden
Director: Walt Dohrn
Rating: PG
Runtime: 91 minutes
UglyDolls (2019)
Yes, the wildly popular children’s toy got a movie! Uglyville is an adorably different town where weirdness is celebrated, strangeness is special, and beauty is more than meets the eye. But on the other side of the mountain is Perfection, a town where more conventional dolls receive training before entering the real world to find a child’s love. Moxy and her UglyDoll friends soon learn a powerful lesson about what it means to be different and where real value comes from.
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Stars: Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monae
Director: Kelly Asbury
Rating: PG
Runtime: 87 minutes
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Not even 2020 or a bad rap for video game movies could stop Sonic the Hedgehog from being a hit. Ben Schwartz provided the voice and motion capture for Sonic, a refuge from a world with anthropomorphic animals. While living on Earth for years, Sonic idolizes and later befriends Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), as well as Tom’s wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter). It’s a good thing, too, because Sonic needs all the help he can get when the evil Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) plots to steal Sonic’s speed and take over the world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
Stars: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Jim Carrey
Director: Jeff Fowler
Rating: PG
Runtime: 98 minutes
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Jeff Kinney’s wildly popular book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was adapted as a film by director Thor Freudenthal, and it kicked off a franchise. Zachary Gordon stars as Greg Heffley, an 11-year-old who is an outcast within his own family and at his school. Greg hopes to turn things around for himself by becoming popular. However, Greg’s willingness to sell out his friend, Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron), earns him yet another enemy and an even greater sense of isolation. Greg’s only chance to redeem himself is to earn forgiveness, if he can.
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Stars: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Rating: PG
Runtime: 92 minutes
Shrek (2001)
There are a ton of pop-culture jokes in Shrek to keep older audiences happy. But at its core, the story of the ogre, Shrek (Mike Myers), is timeless. Although Shrek is naturally reclusive and off-putting, he forms an odd friendship with a talking donkey named Donkey (Eddie Murphy), after Shrek is blackmailed into going on a quest to save Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a dragon. On the way home, Shrek and Fiona feel romantically drawn to each other, but she has a secret that could doom their relationship before it can begin.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
Director: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Rating: PG
Runtime: 90 minutes
Missing Link (2019)
Laika’s stop-motion animated films are criminally underrated at the box office, but they’ve got a lot of heart. Laika’s latest movie, Missing Link, casts Hugh Jackman as Sir Lionel Frost, an explorer and investigator who dreams of finding the mythical Sasquatch and earning his way into the Society of Great Men. However, the Sasquatch in question has other plans. Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), or “Susan” as he likes to be called, simply wants Lionel’s help reuniting with his distant relatives, the Yetis, half a world away. To make the journey, Lionel will have to enlist the aid of his ex, Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), while also avoiding a hunter who is out to stop them.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, David Walliams, Stephen Fry
Director: Chris Butler
Rating: PG
Runtime: 94 minutes
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
If you have children, chances are good that you know all about Dora the Explorer. The live-action film, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, actually treats the TV show as canon and allows Dora (Isabela Moner) to grow up a bit. Dora has spent so much of her life exploring jungles and ancient ruins that she’s not prepared to deal with life in an ordinary high school. Much to her dismay, Dora also discovers that she has grown apart from her best friend and cousin, Diego (Jeff Wahlberg). But before long, Dora and Diego are off on a new adventure, with at least one more treasure to find.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Danny Trejo
Director: James Bobin
Rating: PG
Runtime: 104 minutes
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
How far would you go for a little variety in your diet? In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a young scientist named Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is so eager to escape a steady diet of sardines that he creates a machine that can convert water into food. After successfully transforming the local weather system into a literal rain of food, Flint befriends a local reporter, Sam Sparks (Anna Faris). But when Flint’s device begins to wildly malfunction, he’ll have to become a hero and fix the problem with the help of his friends.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Rating: PG
Runtime: 90 minutes
Mousehunt (1997)
Imagine if Home Alone starred a highly intelligent mouse instead of an adorably mischievous kid. That’s not too far from the premise of Mousehunt. Brothers Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars Smuntz (Lee Evans) are down on their luck when they discover that their father left them a house that would be extremely valuable if restored. However, said house is also the home of the unnamed mouse, and he doesn’t take kindly to the two human intruders. As the brothers plot to get rid of the mouse, the little pest escalates the conflict and matches them every step of the way.
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Stars: Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, Christopher Walken
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rating: PG
Runtime: 98 minutes
The Secret Garden (2020)
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel, The Secret Garden, has a new adaptation that puts a fresh spin on the story. Dixie Egerickx stars as Mary Lennox, an orphaned girl who is sent to live with her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (Colin Firth). While chafing under the rules set by her uncle’s housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock (Julie Walters), she meets Archibald’s crippled son, Colin (Edan Hayhurst), and Dickon (Amir Wilson), the younger brother of one of the estate’s servants. Together, the children find a hidden garden on the estate and begin to heal their troubled hearts.
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Stars: Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Dixie Egerickx, Edan Hayhurst, Amir Wilson
Director: Marc Munden
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
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