Parent-Child Family backdrop

Parent-Child Family movies

Family stories focused on parent-child bonds: care, responsibility, trust, generational tension, and repair.

The Lego Batman Movie

11. The Lego Batman Movie

Animation Action Comedy Family Family Animation
7.3

20171h 44min

Australia, Denmark

Director: Chris McKay

A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick.

Themes

Found family, Leadership under pressure, Mentorship dynamic, Trust and collaboration, Duty versus belonging

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Monster Calls

12. A Monster Calls

Fantasy Adventure Family Supernatural Fantasy Parent-Child Family
7.4

20161h 48min

Spain, United States

Director: J. A. Bayona

12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.

Themes

Intergenerational bonds, Caregiving burden, Fantasy as coping, Illness and coping, Truth and vulnerability, Bullying and isolation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Minions: The Rise of Gru

13. Minions: The Rise of Gru

Family Comedy Adventure Animation Science Fiction
6.5

20221h 27min

United States

Director: Kyle Balda

A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them, with the backup of his followers, the Minions.

Themes

Group dynamics under pressure, Loyalty tested by minions, Ambition via pet rock, Sequel shaped by 1970s, Betrayal by a supervillain, Belonging via minions, Identity shift through competition

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Peacock Premium
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Stand by Me Doraemon

14. Stand by Me Doraemon

Animation Adventure Science Fiction Drama Family
7.3

20141h 34min

Japan

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.

Themes

Trust vs deception, Peer rivalry, Future consequences, Guidance under pressure, Self-improvement drive, Identity formation

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Despicable Me 2

15. Despicable Me 2

Animation Comedy Family Family Animation Parody
7.3

20131h 38min

United States

Director: Pierre Coffin

Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

Themes

Nontraditional family formation, Trust through collaboration, Faked death and deception, Parental duty vs romance, Work-life balance under threat, Heroism through teamwork

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hugo

16. Hugo

Adventure Drama Family City Adventure Family Drama
7.5

20112h 6min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Martin Scorsese

Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.

Themes

Creativity against neglect, Belonging and home, Memory through artifacts, Work as dignity, Found family through art, Technological wonder vs control

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Despicable Me

17. Despicable Me

Family Comedy Animation Science Fiction Family Animation
7.6

20101h 35min

United States

Director: Pierre Coffin

Villainous Gru lives up to his reputation as a despicable, deplorable and downright unlikable guy when he hatches a plan to steal the moon from the sky. But he has a tough time staying on task after three orphans land in his care.

Themes

Life's dream vs reality, Villain rivalry, Orphanage pressures, Moon ambitions, Adoptive father dynamics, Caregiver deception tactics

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Storks

18. Storks

Adventure Animation Comedy Family Family Animation
6.8

20161h 27min

United States

Director: Doug Sweetland

Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for a global internet retail giant. Junior, the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl...

Themes

Resilience through cooperation, Corporate ambition vs responsibility, Loyalty under leadership change, Stock pressure and corporate risk, Family formation and longing, Mass production vs personal care

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ballerina

19. Ballerina

Animation Adventure Comedy Family Family Animation
6.8

20161h 29min

Canada, France

Director: Eric Summer

In 1879 Paris, a young orphan dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.

Themes

Class tension, Mentorship and talent, Deception for entry, Rivalry and legitimacy, Ambition and sacrifice, Performative pressure

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Croods

20. The Croods

Animation Adventure Family Comedy Family Animation
7.1

20131h 39min

United States

Director: Kirk DeMicco

The prehistoric Croods family live in a particularly dangerous moment in time. Patriarch Grug, his mate Ugga, teenage daughter Eep, son Thunk, and feisty Gran gather food by day and huddle together in a cave at night. When a more evolved caveman named Guy arrives on the scene, Grug is distrustful, but it soon becomes apparent that Guy is correct about the impending destruction of their world.

Themes

Intergenerational tension, Trust under threat, Leadership under strain, Change vs safety, Jealousy and cooperation, Innovation vs fear

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Peacock Premium
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.