Kids spend hours watching these best kids movies of all time on their own or with their families. Some are classics that have been enjoyed for many years, while new ones are constantly being added to the list every year. This list of the best kids movies on Netflix is made up of animated features that are fun, imaginative, and easy for even young children to understand.
Here is the list of the best kids movies of all time.
The Neverending Story (1984)
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Writer: Herman Weigel, Michael Ende
Cast: Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
A young boy is reading a book called “The Neverending Story,” which contains magical images that come to life. The boy and the main character in the story, Atreyu, become friends and work together to save their fantasy world of Fantasia from being destroyed by a dark force called “The Nothing.”
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Mick Garris, Neil Cuthbert
Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
In this kids movie, three witch sisters who were executed in 1693 return to life in 1993 and plan using an evil spell to suck the souls of all children in the town. Three ghost hunters, a young boy, and his sister, along with a cat, help save the day.
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
Director: Jeff Kanew
Writer: B.J. Nelson, Bruce Taft, Jeffrey Silver
Cast: Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Gregory Calpakis
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
A Beverly Hills socialite who joins the Wilderness Girls troop to make friends does not exactly fit in with the other girls and their wilderness skills. However, she reunites the troop when two men claim rights to a piece of land that is actually owned by the Girl Scouts. The Wilderness Girls show everyone what they are made of and stop the greedy men from getting it.
Aladdin (1992)
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Writer: Roger Allers, Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
A street urchin meets a princess who has been forced to live in the palace because she is a threat to her evil father’s rule. The street urchin must help the princess escape and defeat the sultan’s right-hand man, who plots to steal a magical oil lamp that contains a genie.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: William Goldman, S. Morgenstern
Cast: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
A grandfather sits his sick and disinterested grandson down to tell him the story of a beautiful young woman who lived on a farm with her parents. The evil prince and heir to the kingdom take over the land and capture the princess. As her true love, her farm boy must save her before it is too late. This is one of the best kids movies of all time which you can watch with the whole family.
My Girl (1991)
Director: Howard Zieff
Writer: Laurice Elehwany, Barbara Jacobs
Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
When Vada’s “best friend forever” Thomas J. dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident involving bee stings and anaphylactic shock, the young girl becomes distraught. However, her mother insists that she move on and focus more on herself than her lost friend. So she goes to spend the summer with an uncle in the country, where she learns about life, love, bullies, and then dies again when her dear friend’s father also dies.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Director: Nancy Meyers
Writer: David Swift, Elizabeth James, Nancy Meyers
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
With a single conversation about how much they hate their respective parents, twin sisters Annie and Hallie are reunited for the first time in eleven years. With their parents in tow, they return to the vacation spot where they first met and conspired to get together. The girls may have gotten their wish, but it is anything but smooth sailing when your parent is an ex-lover, and your sibling wants nothing to do with you.
Home Alone (1990)
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: John Hughes
Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Home Alone is a comedy film about an eight-year-old boy named Kevin who discovers that a pair of burglars are trying to rob houses in his neighborhood on Christmas Eve while everyone is away. Armed only with the family’s over-abundance of traps and some very elaborate childlike inventions, Kevin must defend his house from Harry and Marv (the burglars) until his parents arrive back home.
The Karate Kid (1984)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writer: Robert Mark Kamen, Jerry Weintraub
Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Ralph Macchio plays the role of Daniel LaRusso, a kid at odds with life dealing with his mother’s illness and abusive father. Finally, he finds an unlikely friend in the form of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), who teaches him karate and turns his life around.
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Director: Mel Stuart
Writer: Roald Dahl, David Seltzer
Cast: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson Plot Summary
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Willy Wonka has decided to open his famous chocolate factory’s doors to five lucky kids who find golden tickets hidden in chocolate bars. The kids will get a free guided tour of the factory, be treated like royalty, and win a lifetime supply of chocolate should they find one of the five golden tickets. Unfortunately for poor Charlie Bucket, all five tickets are found by people far richer than him, but that doesn’t stop his Grandpa Joe from encouraging him to never give up hope.
Queen Of Katwe (2016)
Director: Mira Nair
Writer: William Wheeler, Tim Crothers
Cast: Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Queen of Katwe is among the new kids movies you can watch with your family. It is the true story of a young girl from the streets of Uganda who rose to become an international chess champion. Phiona Mutesi was living in the slums of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda when she discovered the game of chess at a nearby religious center. As her skill and reputation grew, her potential became clear to those around her, especially Robert Katende, who recognized Phiona’s talent for chess and took her under his wing to help cultivate it.
Paddington 2 (2017)
Director: Paul King
Writer: Simon Farnaby, Michael Bond
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Paddington is a famous community member who is living happily with the Brown family. He decides to find and work multiple jobs to save up and buy a gift for Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday. However, once he buys the gift, it ends up being stolen. It is among the comedy family movies that can make you laugh your heart out.
Akeelah And The Bee (2006)
Director: Doug Atchison
Writer: Susan McMartin, Doug Atchison
Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Eleven-year-old Akeelah Anderson is a girl from Los Angeles with a gift for words. She enters a local spelling bee in hopes of winning but quickly realizes the only way she will be able to win is if she enlists the help of her loquacious and reluctant coach, Dr. Joshua Larabee. This is among the best kids movies of all time you can watch at home with family.
The Secret Garden (1993)
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Writer: Frances Hodgson Burnett, Caroline Thompson
Cast: Maggie Smith, Kate Maberly, Andrew Knott
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Mary Lennox is a spoiled and sickly young girl who lives with her wealthy parents in India. When her mother dies from cholera, Mary is sent to Yorkshire, England, to live with an uncle she has never met. The orphaned girl’s misery changes as soon as she enters the vast, lonely house where her uncle lives: there’s a secret garden only she can enter. Through her new friendship with a boy named Dickon, whom she initially despised, Mary soon discovers the magical key to this mysterious place.
Matilda (1996)
Director: Danny DeVito
Writer: Roald Dahl, Nicholas Kazan
Cast: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Matilda Wormwood is an exceptionally smart little girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. Finally, she discovers that she has magical powers and learns how to use them on her mean old principal, Miss Trunchbull.
The Lion King (1994)
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Writer: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and longs to someday become a great lion just like him. Unfortunately, Simba is the son of a king and must follow in his footsteps, not an ordinary jungle dweller like his friend Nala who will be queen one day.
Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Linda Woolverton, Lewis Carroll
Cast: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Alice returns to the magical world of Underland and reunites with her friends, the White Rabbit and Absolem. She is told of a prophecy involving a loathsome beast named the Jabberwocky and realizes she must slay the creature before he destroys everything.
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives with his horrible aunt and uncle until his 11th birthday when he learns the truth about who he is. On his way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, two other first-year students. Unfortunately, the three become entangled in the plot of dark wizard Lord Voldemort to return to full strength by stealing a legendary object that has been protected by Harry’s family. Do watch all harry potter movies in chronological order to completely understand the franchise.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Director: Brad Bird
Writers: Ted Hughes, Tim McCanlies
Cast: Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald, Jennifer Aniston Plot Summary
IMDb rating: 8.0/10
An adventurous boy named Hogarth finds a giant iron man hidden in the woods and befriends him. The robot is taken away by an army agent to be destroyed, but when he learns of its actual power, Iron Man’s enemy, War Machine, returns for it.
Star Wars: Episode Iv – A New Hope (1977)
Director: George Lucas
Writers: George Lucas (story), George Lucas (screenplay)
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Luke Skywalker enrolls in the celebrated Jedi Academy, where he will learn the ways of the force and use his abilities to defend the galaxy from the evil Darth Vader. Along with his friends, Luke tracks down an old Jedi master who will teach them the secrets of becoming a Jedi knight.
The Goonies (1985)
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: Chris Columbus, Steven Spielberg
Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
A group of misfits form a band and call themselves the Goonies. Their leader is a young boy named Mikey who discovers clues to the location of the long-lost pirate One-Eyed Willy’s hidden treasure, and they go on an adventure to find it and save their homes from demolition.
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2010)
Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alex Russell, Alice Eve
IMDb Rating: N/A
A group of kids in a small town fight for their freedom when the best fighter in town, Mitchell, is challenged to a robot duel by a mysterious corporation. Being one of the best kids movies of all time, The Mitchells can be watched at the comfort of home with all members, including toddlers, present.
The Princess And The Frog (2009)
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Writer: Ron Clements, John Musker, Hans Christian Andersen
Cast: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
After her father is turned into a frog by a witch doctor, Tiana sets out on an adventure with the help of a prince to break the spell. Along the way, she finds love in a not-so-charming prince who helps her reach her goal.
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Eiko Kadono, Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Takuya Kimura
IMDb rating: 7.9/10
A young witch takes a year off from schooling to hone her flying and broomstick skills so she has time to search for a town where she can transfer her magical gift and make her own deliveries.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Andrew Stanton, Peter Docter
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
IMDb rating: 8.1/10
A clownfish sets out on a journey to find his son, who has been taken by divers and sold to a pet store. With a forgetful Dory by his side, Marlin dives into the sea and befriends a fish named Gill, who helps him on his journey.
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
Director: Melanie Mayron
Writers: Ann M. Martin (book), Stacey Printz, Dalene Young
Cast: Schuyler Fisk, Rachael Leigh Cook, Larisa Oleynik
IMDb rating: 5.8/10
Four girls with nothing in common form a babysitting club to earn some money. As they grow up, the girls become absorbed in their own lives and only come together every now and then to sit for some kids.
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Director: Victor Fleming
Writers: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf
Cast: Frank Morgan, Judy Garland, Bert Lahr
IMDb rating: 8.0/10
A young girl gets caught up in a tornado and finds herself transported into a magical land where she must find the Wizard who can help her return home. In her adventure, Dorothy meets three other odd characters from Oz as they join forces to try to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.
Coco (2017)
Director: Lee Unkrich
Writer: Matthew Aldrich
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
IMDb rating: 8.7/10
Miguel dreams of becoming a musician like his late idol Ernesto de la Cruz despite his family’s wishes for him to follow tradition and become a shoemaker. Instead, he finds himself in the land of the dead, where he meets his ancestors and learns about them to find out why music is forbidden for him.
Frozen (2013)
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Chris Buck (story), Jennifer Lee (story), Hans Christian Andersen (book)
Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
When her sister Anna gets struck by a mysterious illness, young princess Elsa tries to find a cure with the help of mountain man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. However, she must fight off an evil prince who is trying to take control of her kingdom along the way.
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Writers: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Rene Auberjonois
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
After being caught by a young sailor, a mermaid princess strikes a deal with him to help her be part of his world so that she can meet the human man who has captured her heart. In the process, she must become human and risk everything to make up for her mistake, which would result in losing everything she knows and loves.
Despicable Me (2010)
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Writers: Sergio Pablos
Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
After being fired, a villain named Gru finds himself having to do the unthinkable and become good when the Anti-Villain League asks for his help to stop a new supervillain who has created mutant high-tech weapons. This movie is among the new family movies you can watch at the comfort of your home on Netflix.
A Christmas Story (1983)
Director: Bob Clark
Writer: Jean Shepherd
Cast: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
IMDb rating: 7.9/10
A young boy must deal with his darkest days when he has to get a gun for Christmas, make the ultimate sacrifice of staying awake in church on Christmas Eve, and be the target of every bully at school when his family moves into a new neighborhood.
The Santa Clause (1994)
Director: John Pasquin
Writers: Michael C. Martin, Peter Lerangis
Cast: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson
IMDb rating: 6.5/10
After putting Santa Claus in an accident on Christmas Eve, a father has to take his place when he accidentally causes the official Santa to disappear. In order to keep his new duties, he must make sure that he is ready and able to do them while keeping his family under control.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Director: Brian Henson
Writers: Jerry Juhl, Tom Martin, Charles Dickens
Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
A miser is shown the true meaning of Christmas when he is visited by four ghosts in order to help him understand what his selfish ways have done to the people around him.
Toy Story (1995)
Director: John Lasseter
Writer: John Lasseter, Pete Docter
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
A cowboy doll and his friends help a young child who has been neglected by his parents to learn that what is really important in life are his friends, not the new toy that has replaced him. You need to watch Toy Story since it has been featured in the top list of the best kids movies of all time severally, meaning it is a good movie.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Director: Robert Stevenson
Writer: Bill Walsh
Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlison
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
A young boy who has just gone to live with his uncle learns the meaning of family when he meets a magical nanny who teaches him about what it truly means.
The Sandlot (1993)
Director: David M. Evans
Writers: David Mickey Evans, Robert Gunter
Cast: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
When a new kid moves in, he is quickly introduced to the neighborhood’s tradition of playing baseball on their field and must find a way to fit in, eventually becoming one of the team.
Tangled (2010)
Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Writers: Dan Fogelman, Jacob Chase
Cast: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
A princess who has been held captive for 18 years must find a way to escape with her new friend. Along the way, she discovers that she might have magic hair that holds the key to breaking the spell.
The Polar Express (2004)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr.
Cast: Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Chris Coppola
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
After a boy is visited by Santa on Christmas Eve, he is taken on a magical train to the North Pole in order to receive a special present.
Jumanji (1995)
Director: Joe Johnston
Writers: Greg Taylor, Jonathan Hensleigh, Jim Strain
Cast: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt
IMDb rating: 7.0/10
When two kids find a mysterious board game, they soon discover that it is more than just a regular board game; when playing the game unleashes a man who’s been stuck in it for years.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John August
Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
A poor boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by its eccentric owner, Willy Wonka.
