Parent-Child Family backdrop

Parent-Child Family movies

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

Up

1. Up

Animation Comedy Family Adventure Family Animation
8.3
20091h 36min

Overview

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Themes

Mentorship under pressure, Grief and renewal, Duty to promise, Risk and ingenuity, Obsession vs restraint, Found family through journey

Available on

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

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

2. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

Family Animation Family Animation Parent-Child Family
6.2
20081h 17min

Overview

Follow Ariel's adventures before she gave up her fins for true love. When Ariel wasn't singing with her sisters, she spent time with her mother, Queen Athena. Ariel is devastated when Athena is killed by pirates, and after King Triton outlaws all singing. Along with pals Flounder and Sebastian, Ariel sets off in hopes of changing her father's decision to ban music from the kingdom.

Themes

Duty versus desire, Music ban and revival, Rebellion through art, Memory as motivation, Authoritarian discipline, Power and control within family

Available on

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

Enchanted

3. Enchanted

Comedy Family Fantasy Romance Romantic Comedy
7.1
20071h 47min

Overview

The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

Themes

Deception and disguise, Power and control, True love vs reality, City vs fairy tale clash, Family protection, Transformation and adaptation

Available on

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

The Game Plan

4. The Game Plan

Comedy Family Parent-Child Family Buddy Comedy
6.4
20071h 50min

Overview

Bachelor football star Joe Kingman seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter, the result of a last fling with his ex-wife. Joe must learn to balance his personal and professional lives with the needs of his child.

Themes

Trust and deception, Work-life balance, Athletic discipline meets art, Found family formation, Image management conflict, Unplanned parenthood

Available on

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

Meet the Robinsons

5. Meet the Robinsons

Animation Comedy Family Family Animation Parent-Child Family
6.8
20071h 35min

Overview

Lewis, a brilliant young inventor, is keen on creating a time machine to find his mother, who abandoned him in an orphanage. Things take a turn when he meets Wilbur Robinson and his family.

Themes

Adoption and family identity, Trust and deception, Belonging across timelines, Technological ambition vs duty, Self-discovery through mentorship, Found family through invention

Available on

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

Bridge to Terabithia

6. Bridge to Terabithia

Adventure Drama Family Coming-of-Age Adventure Family Drama
7.2
20071h 35min

Overview

Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school. So he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences including that she's rich, he's poor, she's a city girl, and he's a country boy the two become fast friends. Together they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants where they rule as king and queen.

Themes

Outsider friendship, Bullying dynamics, Economic disparity, Sibling bonds, Memory and loss, Imagination as refuge

Available on

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

Monster House

7. Monster House

Animation Comedy Family Fantasy Family Animation
6.7
20061h 31min

Overview

Three tech-obsessed teens treat Halloween like a game, until a cranky neighbor’s decrepit house turns into a living, breathing monster that targets them, trapping their gadgets, their friends, and their courage inside its walls.

Themes

Community resilience under pressure, Parental absence, Space as threat, Youth agency, Fear of the unseen, Grief embodied in space

Available on

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

Bambi II

8. Bambi II

Animation Drama Family Family Animation Parent-Child Family
6.1
20061h 12min

Overview

Return to the forest and join Bambi as he reunites with his father, The Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn on his own. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers there is much he can learn from his spirited young son.

Themes

Loss and resilience, Intergenerational mentorship, Shifting guardianship, External threat awareness, Peer rivalry and bullying, Parental doubt and pride

Available on

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

Zathura: A Space Adventure

9. Zathura: A Space Adventure

Science Fiction Adventure Family Space Sci-Fi Adventure Epic
6.3
20051h 41min

Overview

After their father is called into work, two young boys, Walter and Danny, are left in the care of their teenage sister, Lisa, and told they must stay inside. Walter and Danny, who anticipate a boring day, are shocked when they begin playing Zathura, a space-themed board game, which they realize has mystical powers when their house is shot into space. With the help of an astronaut, the boys attempt to return home.

Themes

Teamwork under threat, Sibling rivalry, Parental absence pressure, Responsibility through play, Danger bonding under stress, Trust through conflict

Available on

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

Nanny McPhee

10. Nanny McPhee

Fantasy Comedy Family Supernatural Fantasy Parent-Child Family
6.6
20051h 37min

Overview

Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch, threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee.

Themes

Authority and rebellion, Deception and appearances, Guardianship and custody, Discipline and transformation, Nontraditional family formation, Economic leverage in family

Available on

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