If you want to have a family movie night, our list of the best family movies on Netflix right now can save you a time and headaches. The last thing anyone wants to do on movie night is argue over what to watch while flicking through the options, which is why we’ve done the hard part for you. We update this list every month with the best family-friendly options available now.
This May, three movies join the list, including two recent releases that are crowd-pleasers. Read on for the best family movies on Netflix.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the best movies on Netflix.
To do that, she befriends the animals of the island, who have been mastering it for generations. But soon, she must pay it forward when she becomes the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
Embarking on a thrilling quest through the Amazon rainforest, Paddington and the Browns are determined to find Aunt Lucy, but they also may just accidentally stumble across one of the world’s most legendary treasures.
Teaming up with the far more competent Wildstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Emmet sets out to stop the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from using the Kragle to glue the entire universe together.
When they put her in a disciplinary school with a sadistic headmistress, Matilda’s only respite is her kind teacher, Miss Honey. Finally, with an adult taking an interest in her, Matilda soon discovers that she has telekinetic powers. After a little practice, she’s ready to stand up to her parents and the psychotic headmistress, Trunchbull.
Teenagers are family members, too, so allow us to propose a PG-13 option. Big Daddy is one of the more family-friendly of Adam Sandler’s litany of 1990s and early aughts comedies, in part because it’s literally about family.
After Sonny Koufax’s (Sandler) girlfriend dumps him because he’s not willing to commit to having a family, a former roommate’s estranged son suddenly shows up on his doorstep by mistake. Seeing an opportunity, Sonny starts taking care of the 6-year-old Julian (Cole Sprouse) in the hopes of winning his girlfriend back.
One of the most beloved football movies has absolutely no bearing in reality, as the real Rudy was universally loathed, but at least the Hollywood version of Rudy is very inspiring. The indomitable Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) grew up in a steel mill town but only ever wanted one thing: to play football for Notre Dame.
Unfortunately, his grades aren’t very good, he’s not much of an athlete, and he’s half the size of the other players. But that doesn’t stop him, through sheer force of will, from making it to Notre Dame and trying to get on the field.
It might feel a little dated to some kids, but Uncle Buck is a classic for a good reason. John Candy plays Buck Russell, a rough-around-the-edges bachelor who suddenly becomes the temporary caretaker of his nephew and nieces.
Fully unprepared to be a parent, Buck’s freewheeling style clashes with his eldest niece, his girlfriend, and basically everybody else he meets, all of whom have stern opinions on parenting.
The Minions are absolutely everywhere these days, so you might as well just accept it and enjoy the ride. So, jump on in with Despicable Me 4! Gru, Lucy, and their three girls welcome Gru Jr. to the family. The baby is immediately intent on making his father’s life as miserable as possible.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg because new nemeses in the form of Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara) emerge on the scene, forcing the family to go on the run.
Paramount’s Sonic franchise has come way back after early concept art leaks went viral and nearly made the first film dead on arrival. Fortunately, the studio got it together and has strung together one of today’s most exciting family-friendly franchises, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 making waves this past summer. Bridge the gap from the first film to the third with this second film that picks up in Green Hills, where Sonic is settling into suburban life and eager to prove that he’s a real hero.
Sonic gets his chance when Dr. Robotnik returns with a new partner, Knuckles (Idris Elba). Fortunately, Sonic finds his own sidekick, Tails (Colleen O’Shaugnessy), and together they set out on an epic adventure to find a powerful emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles.
Netflix has become the American hub for Nick Park’s Shaun the Sheep and Wallace & Gromit, with plenty of claymation fun for the whole family. In Vengeance Most Fowl, Gromit becomes concerned that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions, a feeling that becomes justified when Wallace’s latest invention — a “smart” gnome called Norbot — develops a mind of its own.
Soon, Gromit realizes that a vengeful figure from the past is behind this latest development, and it’s once again up to him to save Wallace!
Richard Curtis is perhaps best known for writing Love Actually, and he brings that textbook vignette style to a new animated Netflix original for the whole family. Based on his trilogy of children’s books of the same name, That Christmas follows several tales of a particularly memorable Christmas in the coastal town of Wellington-on-Sea.
When the town is rocked by one of the worst snowstorms in years, everyone’s plans are suddenly thrown into limbo. And, yes, that does include Santa Claus’s plans as well.
Netflix quietly released this Christmas special featurinh one of Nick Park’s (Wallace & Gromit) classic characters a few years ago, but it’s still a great small watch to enjoy with the whole family.
Shaun the Sheep is predictably excited for the holiday season, but when a farmhouse raid to get bigger stockings for the flock leads to Timmy getting lost, it throws the whole season into disarray. Now, Shaun must find toddler Timmy before he becomes somebody else’s present.
Ever wonder what your pup gets into when you’re gone for the day? Well, it’s probably not what happens in The Secret Life of Pets, but it’s still a fun watch. Terrier Max (Louis C.K.) leads a cushy life as a beloved pet living in a Manhattan apartment building. But when his owner brings home a sloppy mutt named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max is none too thrilled.
The duo will have to put their differences behind them, however, to fight back against a white bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart), who is building an army of abandoned pets to seek vengeance on all the happily cared-for pets and their owners.
If you’re looking for more films suitable for the whole family, we’ve also rounded up the best family movies on Amazon Prime Video and the best family movies on Disney+.
Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home for the better part of 15 years. He even knows a thing or two about how to fix this stuff when it starts misbehaving (because no tech is perfect!).
Mike has been writing for Digital Trends and several other publications since 2020. Fortunately, he’s still able to write after he got his index finger stuck in a vending machine at the Ramada Inn the summer before fourth grade! From hands-on reviews to best-of roundups, Mike does his best to share his expertise in a friendly and informative way with all readers, and loves staying on top of the latest AV and smart home trends.
When he’s not thanking his father for dislodging his finger from that vile vending machine in New Jersey, Mike enjoys playing guitar, reading, and indulging in horror films with his girlfriend.
Nick Perry is a freelance writer who bounced from Hollywood to Silicon Beach to pajama pants. His work has been featured on Digital Trends, Good Morning America, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and more media outlets.
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek Monthly, SYFY Wire, Superhero Hype, Collider, DC Universe, and the official sites for Star Trek and Marvel. He also lends his pop culture expertise to Digital Trends on a variety of TV, movie, and streaming features.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.