Even when they don’t have the time or leisure to take vacations or engage in other activities that require much effort, watching movies together is a favorite activity for many families. Simply spending time at home with their loved ones while lounging in their pajamas is a massive relief for the family’s busiest members. Family movies have the potential to be the ultimate comfort genre, whether you’re viewing them with family or by yourself and many such movies are still undiscovered or underrated.
Especially when you want to escape from reality briefly, these movies might feel fantastic for the heart and spirit. Suppose you frequently have family movie evenings, though. They could become dull and repetitive if you run out of options and end up rewatching mainstream or popular movies you’ve already seen a million times. However, don’t panic; we have you covered.
We have compiled a list of 15 underrated family-friendly movies that you may have yet to become familiar with or have seen in the past but have since forgotten. The neglected films featured here, which range from inspiring dramas to animated comedies to fantasy adventures to action-packed blockbusters. But all deserve attention for their enjoyable aspects that appeal to people of all ages.
15 Underrated Family Movies for Your Memorable Family Night:
15. Titan A.E
About Titan A.E:
An animated movie that almost completely discouraged 20th Century Fox from making more of them. It’s safe to argue that Titan A.E., a space adventure that combines 2D hand-drawn animation with some excellent C.G. work, was ahead of its time in terms of thinking. Fox shut down Fox Animation after the film’s box office failure.
It wasn’t until much later that it resumed producing animated content thanks to companies like Blue Sky Studios and its partnership with DreamWorks Animation. However, Titan A.E., by directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, continues to be a genuinely enjoyable science fiction adventure.
The film, set more than 1000 years in the future with the A.E. standing for after Earth. Undoubtedly has some flaws, but these are offset by its appealing pace, strong story, and stunning cinematography. This one is worth looking into.
14. Treasure Planet
About Treasure Planet:
When Walt Disney Animation Studios was viewed as possibly losing some confidence, a notable Disney commercial underperformed. Not that the film’s directors, John Musker and Ron Clements, weren’t talented. But they reimagined Treasure Island in space and paired it with visually stunning imagery.
That’s a nice underlying narrative push to Treasure Planet, though, that retains attention even when the luster of the graphics has somewhat worn off, even when the movie is not being viewed on a large screen. Rediscovering this one is worthwhile. The films were better than they were given credit for, even though many people dismissed Disney animation in the early 2000s.
13. The Parent Trap
About The Parent Trap:
The Parent Trap, recreated by Nancy Meyers, is a genuinely terrific movie, just like the 1961 original, proving that not every remake is a failure (both are based on the same German novel, Lottie and Lisa). Lindsay Lohan deserves a lot of credit for this. Because since she was very young, she could portray two sisters who were completely oblivious to one another. They lead separate lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic until, as in a movie, fate steps in.
The Parent Trap never drags on, which is surprising for a 128-minute live-action family film, and Lohan shows genuine charm and a gift for comedy. But beware—once seen, The Parent Trap is the kind of movie that gets added to the family’s list of movies to watch again and again immediately after the similarly potent Freaky Friday.
12. Bill
About Bill:
Bill, a British family comedy in the lighthearted vein of Monty Python, is produced by the same group behind Horrible Histories and Yonderland. It picks up William Shakespeare’s life right before his rise to fame.
You’re in for a genuine treat here whether or not you’ve already encountered the work of Matt Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Simon Farnaby, Jim Howick, Martha Howe-Douglas, and Ben Willbond. Mine smiles, grins, chuckles, and full-on guffaws from a brilliantly funny piece of genuine family entertainment as the principal sextet takes on various roles with tremendous zest.
11. Paper Planes
About Paper Planes:
Based on an actual incident, this Australian film follows a little child and his father dealing with the boy’s mother’s death. Sam Worthington convincingly portrays the father. But Dylan, the boy’s name, is introduced to the idea of the paper aircraft tossing competition one day at school. The challenge is duly thrown.
A truly cherished 96-minute live-action story develops with the aid of a delightfully wild granddad and the inevitable rivalry such stories command. It is based on a true story recounted with elegance, heart, and character but with undeniable story beats. It quietly entered British theatres, but it’s precisely the kind of movie you might like if you are also on the hunt for some good family movies.
10. The Indian in the Cupboard
About The Indian in the Cupboard:
In the fantasy film The Indian in the Cupboard from 1995, a small boy overnight imprisons a toy Iroquois warrior named Little Bear (Litefoot). The doll has come to life as he awakens the following morning. However, the scene degenerates into chaos as the youngster imitates the action with other toys, and Little Bear is hurt.
The idea of children’s favorite toys coming to life serves as the film’s opening scene. However, characters in the movie are drawn from actual historical periods and cultures. This teaches the ever-important lesson about playing God about life’s fragile balance. Although the film has an adult premise, younger audiences can still enjoy the story and appreciate the crucial task.
9. Big Fish
About Big Fish:
Big Fish is an exciting and surprisingly heartwarming movie about family and the tales we pass down from generation to generation about our forefathers. However, it is one of Tim Burton’s most criminally underappreciated and underrated family movies.
Edward’s youthful exploits in the Army, in a traveling circus, in a fight with a werewolf, and in a home run with a kind giant are interspersed throughout. It’s a unique, entertaining adventure film with lots of emotion that parents and children will appreciate.
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The entire Harry Potter film series is, without a doubt, a delight to see, and as such, it could not be left off this list. Although Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is undoubtedly a testimony to the adage that “the first time is the charm,”
The film performed an excellent job of introducing the fanciful element of magic to the franchise, which the future films tend to not focus on much, by introducing the public to the vast world of wizards. The young performers also help to encapsulate the film’s broad appeal and family-friendly atmosphere, which adds to the pure delight of the set design in this movie.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Plot:
The story follows the life of eleven-year-old orphan Harry Potter, who discovers he is a wizard and is invited to enroll in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even after leaving the natural world and entering a magical one, he still runs against obstacles.
7. How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon is a DreamWorks Animations classic that you can watch repeatedly. The movie features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois direct it.
How to Train Your Dragon Plot:
In the movie, we are introduced to the world of the Vikings, who manage to survive by slaying dragons. The story takes place in a mythical world where lives a young Viking boy named Hiccup. He aspires to become a dragon slayer by the traditions of his tribe.
When he finally manages to capture his first dragon, a Night Fury and has the chance to become a member of the tribe, he realizes that he no longer wants to kill the dragon and instead chooses to befriend it and name it Toothless. The movie was a huge commercial success, received rave reviews from critics, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
6. Annie
About Annie:
This musical comedy film, directed by Will Gluck. It is a modern rendition of the 1977 Broadway production of the same name. The story in the movie is set in the present day rather than during the Great Depression.
The film, which also stars Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Quvenzhané Wallis, centers on Annie, a little girl who has lived her entire life in the abusive Miss Hannigan’s foster care. Life changes dramatically when William Stacks, a mayoral candidate in New York, proposes to adopt her. Even though the movie received terrible reviews and just average box office returns, it immediately gained cult status and has remained a favorite among viewers.
5. The Addams Family
About The Addams Family:
Fans also praised the 2019 animated version of the movie, but nothing compares to the original. This 1991 underrated family friendly film with supernatural black comedy takes a very different direction from the animated movies we’ve previously suggested. Barry Sonnenfeld, the director, based his film on the Charles Addams cartoon series. Starring Christopher Lloyd as Fester Addams, Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, and Anjelica Huston as the famous Morticia Addams.
The movie was a financial hit, and Huston’s renowned portrayal of Morticia earned her a Golden Globe. The tale centers around a bizarre, gothic aristocratic family that meets up with Fester Addams, Gomez’s brother. He is the adopted child of a loan shark planning to steal the Addams family’s enormous wealth and fortune.
4. High School Musical
About High School Musical:
This fictional high school setting, where basketball jocks erupt into song and transfer students are statues of conventional beauty, is the focus of Kenny Ortega’s film. Putting the glitzy exterior aside, the movie is fantastic in and of itself.
Troy Bolton, a basketball captain, and Gabriella Montez, a shy transfer student who excels in math and science, are the protagonists of this story about two competing conventional cliques of high school seniors. However, the kids fall out after they audition for the lead roles in their high school musical together.
Troy and Gabriella want to resist peer pressure and rivalry and inspire others to challenge the current quo, despite attempts by other students to thwart their goals. However, they must deal with high school diva Sharpay Evans and her identical brother Ryan. Zac Efron appears in the movie alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, and other actors.
3. Spy Kids
This movie is not our first choice, but it is part of another excellent franchise. Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming, Teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Robert Patrick, Tony Shalhoub, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, and Mike Judge are among the cast members of this family-friendly action-adventure comedy directed by Robert Rodriguez. Critics praised the movie, and it did well at the box office.
Spy Kids Plot:
Two young siblings train as spies to protect their ex-spies’ parents from a real villain. Armed with a bag full of cutting-edge gadgets and an extraterrestrial mode of transportation, Carmen and Juni bravely fly through the air, plunge beneath the waves, and traverse the globe in a series of daring encounters to save their parents and perhaps the entire world.
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This 2018 film was helmed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti. The first animated Spider-Man movie, this one won the Best Animated Picture Oscar that year, becoming only the second non-Disney or Pixar film to do so after Rango.
It garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews from both critics and audiences. In addition to its humor and character development, the movie received accolades for its distinctive animation style, which was very different from the time’s animated film.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Plot:
The story’s main character is Miles Morales, who becomes Spider-Man after receiving strength from a spider bite and defends his neighborhood. Soon after, he encounters several versions of himself and finds himself caught up in a fierce conflict to save the multiverse.
1. Kung Fu Panda
This story is as original as a movie can get, and it’s entertaining. Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Jackie Chan are among the voice actors who appear in the John Stevenson and Mark Osborne-directed movie.
Kung Fu Panda Plot:
The tale centers on a silly panda named Po who loves kung fu. The tale is set in a fantasy version of Chinese civilization where humanoid animals live. Soon after, a terrifying snow leopard named Tai Lung is foreseen to escape prison. Then Po is unintentionally called the Dragon Warrior, a foretold hero worthy of reading a scroll purported to offer its reader limitless power.
