Parent-Child Family backdrop

Parent-Child Family movies

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

The Lorax

1. The Lorax

Animation Family Family Animation Parent-Child Family
6.4
20121h 26min

Overview

A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

Themes

Legacy and responsibility, Deforestation and pollution, Consumerism and air market, Artificial nature vs real, Collective action and resistance, Corporate greed vs environment

Available on

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

Hugo

2. Hugo

Adventure Drama Family City Adventure Family Drama
7.5
20112h 6min

Overview

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.

Megamind

3. Megamind

Animation Action Comedy Family Science Fiction
7.3
20101h 36min

Overview

After Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain, defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Megamind creates a new hero to fight, but must act to save the city when his "creation" becomes an even worse villain than he was.

Themes

Secret identity tension, Power vs responsibility, Saving the world, Alien baby presence, Antihero ethics, Gadget repurposing for good

Available on

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

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue

4. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue

Animation Adventure Family Fantasy Animated Fantasy Adventure
6.9
20101h 16min

Overview

During a summer stay on the mainland, Tinker Bell is accidentally discovered while investigating a little girl's fairy house. As the other fairies, led by the brash Vidia, launch a daring rescue in the middle of a fierce storm, Tink develops a special bond with the lonely, little girl.

Themes

Belief vs skepticism, Parental attention vs work, Growth and independence, Collective rescue effort, Intergenerational friendship

Available on

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

Ramona and Beezus

5. Ramona and Beezus

Comedy Family Parent-Child Family
6.5
20101h 43min

Overview

Ramona is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus, who's just trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that anything's possible when you believe in yourself and rely on each other.

Themes

Economic insecurity and resilience, Sibling dynamics under stress, Parental career change, Adaptation to upheaval, Family support networks, Creativity as coping mechanism

Available on

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

Despicable Me

6. Despicable Me

Family Comedy Animation Science Fiction Family Animation
7.6
20101h 35min

Overview

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.

The Last Song

7. The Last Song

Drama Family Romance Family Drama Parent-Child Family
6.0
20101h 47min

Overview

A rebellious girl swears she’s done with her father and the piano, but one unfinished song and a quiet summer by the sea pull her back in. As old wounds reopen and new love complicates everything, her need to know why he really brought her here starts to consume her every choice.

Themes

Parental divorce effects, Reconciliation through music, Small town gossip dynamics, Illness and caregiving

Available on

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

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

8. Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

Comedy Fantasy Family Supernatural Fantasy Parent-Child Family
6.1
20101h 49min

Overview

Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny discovers that the children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in. Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant, Nanny uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

Themes

Economic pressure on a farm, Wartime family resilience, External interference and manipulation, Authority versus parental care, Magic as problem solving, Unexpected outsiders and adaptation

Available on

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

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Comedy Family Awkward Comedy Parent-Child Family
6.2
20101h 32min

Overview

Greg Heffley is headed for big things, but first he has to survive the scariest, most humiliating experience of any kid’s life – middle school! That won’t be easy, considering he’s surrounded by hairy-freckled morons, wedgie-loving bullies and a moldy slice of cheese with nuclear cooties!

Themes

Peer pressure and conformity, Belonging and exclusion, Classroom social ladder, Identity within adolescence, Popularity through performance, Group dynamics and mischief

Available on

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

The Princess and the Frog

10. The Princess and the Frog

Animation Romance Fantasy Family Animated Fantasy Adventure
7.2
20091h 38min

Overview

A waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, is set on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being, but she has to face the same problem after she kisses him.

Themes

Deception and impersonation, Transformation and identity shift, Economic inequality and aspiration, Romance versus duty, Social mobility under pressure, Restaurant dreams and ownership, Voodoo magic and manipulation

Available on

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