Best Family Movies for Tweens and Teens
(Inside: Best family movies for tweens and teens. Get the ultimate list of movies for tweens and teens that your family will love.)
A big bowl of popcorn, the family piled on the couch, and a great movie – those are some of my best childhood memories.
Now as a mom, after a busy week, it feels so good to crash on the couch with my favorite people and watch something great.
So I made an ultimate go-to list of best family movies. Of course, all movies aren’t best for every family, it depends on the ages of your kids, their interests, and how good you are with the fast-forward button. But, all the below movies are PG-13 (except one) or lower and have solid storylines.
I hope you find something your family will like.
Best Family Movies
for Tweens and Teens
**This blog post contains affiliate links, which mean if you purchase through the link, I get a small commission at no extra charge to you.**
Musicals Series
See 100 more best musical movies here, but listed below are my favorites.
Adventure/Drama Series
- Jurrasic Park (1993)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
- Jurassic Park III (2001)
- Jurassic World (2015)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
- Pirates the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 2 (2011)
- Tolkien (2019)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
- The Lord of the RIngs: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- Jumanji (1995)
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
- Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Mission Impossible II (2000)
- Mission Impossible III (2006)
- Mission Impossible IV – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Mission Impossible V – Rougue Nation (2015)
- Mission Impossible Fallout (2018)
Comedy Movies
For more comedy movies go here and here.
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horribles, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)
- Paddington (2014)
- Paddington 2 (2018)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
- Big (1988)
- Playing with Fire (2019)
- Beethoven (1992)
- Beethoven’s 2nd (1993)
- Beethoven’s 4th (2001)
- Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
- Christopher Robin (2018)
- Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007)
- Rush Hour (1998)
- Rush Hour 2 (2001)
- Rush Hour 3 (2007)
- The LEGO Movie (2014)
- The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
- Parenthood (1989)
- Father of the Bride I & II (1991 & 1995)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- The Muppets (2011)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
- The Pink Panther (2006)
- The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
- Groundhog Day (1993)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- Megamind (2010)
- Sister Act (1992)
- Sister Act 2 (1993)
- Dr. Dolittle (1998)
- The Princess Bride (1987)
- Funny Farm (1988)
- Just Like Heaven (2005)
Adventure/Action Movies
- The Finest Hours (2016)
- Night at the Museum (2006)
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
- Spy Kids (2001)
- Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
- Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
- Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011)
- The Goonies (1985)
- Into the Wild (2007, Rated R but an interesting story.)
- Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
- The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Times (2010)
- Ready Player One (2018)
- Pete’s Dragon (1977)
- Pete’s Dragon (2016)
- The Lion King (2019)
- Inception (2010)
- Jaws (1975)
- Life of Pi (2012)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
- The Last of the Mohican (1992)
- King Kong (2005)
- Eight Below (2006)
- Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- Dolittle (2020)
- I Am Legend (2007)
- A Quiet Place (2018)
- U571 (2000)
- Skyscraper (2018)
- Midway (2019)
- Cast Away (2000)
- The Martian (2015)
- Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- Eight Below (2006)
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
- Interstellar (2014)
- Unbroken (2014)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Waterworld (1995)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Signs (2002)
- The Villiage (2004)
- Unbroken (2014)
- I Spy (2002)
- The Patriot (2000)
Related article: 146+ Best Chapter Books for Tweens that Will Also Build Character
Drama Movies
- We Bought a Zoo (2011)
- War Room (2015)
- Overcomer (2019)
- Tuck Everlasting (2002)
- Cinderella (2015)
- Wonder (2017)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- Billy: The Early Years (2008)
- The Hiding Place (1975)
- The Work and The Glory (2004)
- Little Women (1994)
- Little Women (2019)
- The Last Song (2010)
- Instant Family (2018)
- October Sky (1999)
- Far and Away (1992)
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
- You’ve Got Mail (1998)
- Casablanca (1942)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
- A Beautiful Mind (2001)
- Hotel Rwanda (2004)
- I Can Only Imagine (2018)
- Left Behind (2014)
- Left Behind (2000)
- Left Behind II (2002)
- Left Behind III (2005)
- Mom’s Night Out (2014)
- Ben Hur (2016)
- The Nativity Story (2006)
- The Passion of the Christ (2004)
- Runaway Bride (1999)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- Case for Christ (2017)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Hacksaw Ridge (2016) (This one is rated R, but so good.)
- Hidden Figures (2017)
- The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
- Finding Neverland (2004)
- Luther (2003)
- Courageous (2011)
- God’s Not Dead (2014)
- Son of God (2014)
- Heaven is For Real (2014)
- A Walk to Remember (2002)
- Black Beauty (2004)
- Annapolis (2006)
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
- A Dog’s Journey (2019)
Sports Movies
- Rocky (1976)
- Rocky II (1979)
- Rocky III (1982)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- Rocky V (1990)
- Rocky Balboa (2006)
- Creed (2015)
- Creed II (2018)
Science Fiction/Fantasy Movies
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
- Star Trek (2009)
- Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
- Oz, the Great and Powerful (2013)
- Rise of the Planet Apes (2011)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
- Tomorrowland (2015)
- Arrival (2016)
- Gravity (2013)
- Sky Captatin and the World of Tomorrow (2018)
Related Article: One Thing Every Middle School Parent Should Know
Marvel Movies
We’re huge Marvel fans and have watched all of these movies, except Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 1 & 2 aren’t our favorite for family movies. If you’d like to know the chronological order in which to watch the Marvel movies, check out this website.
- Captain Americal: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain America: The Winter Solder (2014)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Animated Disney Movies
Click here to see a list of all Disney Movies. I listed my recommendations below.
- Robin Hood (1973)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- The Rescuers (1977)
- The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Pocahontas (1995)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- Mulan (1998)
- Tarzan (1999)
- Toy Story (1995)
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- The Incredibles (2004)
- Incredibles 2 (2018)
- Cars (2006)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- Cars 3 (2017)
- Planes (2013)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- WALL-E (2008)
- Bolt (2008)
- The Princess and The Frog (2009)
- Tangled (2010)
- Brave (2012)
- Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)
- Frozen (2013)
- Frozen 2 (2019)
Classic Disney Movies (Not animated)
Click here to see a list of all Disney Movies. I listed my recommendations below.
Other animated Movies
Click here to see a list of all Disney Movies. I listed my recommendations below.
Related article: Best Family Devotions That Create Family Connection
DC Movies
DC movies are a bit dark for our family; we don’t watch all of them. I listed the movies we like; however, if you want to see a full list of DC movies go here.
Star Wars Movies
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Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.
