5 Best Viking Movies For Kids, Ranked

When looking at the list of the best Viking movies of all time, it is understandably light on family-friendly fare. If you know anything about either the real history of Vikings or just the various Norse myths and stories, then you know why movies that adapt any of those things tend to lean into R-rated territory. And while other historical eras that include a lot of sex, violence, and other such content — say, the golden age of piracy — have plenty of kids movies that downplay all that, Vikings don't seem to have the same wealth of options in that regard. But that isn't to say there are zero kid-friendly movies about either Vikings specifically or Norse mythology and fiction as a whole. In fact, there are a few that are actually quite good.

From animated blockbusters to lesser-known live-action gems, we've ranked the five best Vikings movies that can be enjoyed by all the family.

Originally released in Scandinavia as "Sigurd Drakedreper" — which translates to "Sigurd the Dragonkiller" — this 1989 family adventure flick hit English-speaking regions as "The Littlest Viking." Right off the bat, the movie has a certain built-in authenticity to its Viking tale by way of actually being filmed in Norway and made by Norwegians. That last fact in particular is much more of a rarity among Viking movies than it should be, but we digress.

Given that it's a movie about Vikings and originally had the word "Dragonkiller" in its title, you'd think that "The Littlest Viking" would be among the list of family movies where way too many characters die. Mild spoiler alert, but nobody actually perishes throughout the runtime of the movie, which should put parents' minds at ease in letting the kiddos watch it. As for the story, it isn't about the actual Nordic folk hero Sigurd, but instead follows a Viking-to-be who was named after said hero.

This Sigurd (Kristian Tonby) isn't too keen on the pressure put on him by being given such a lofty name, nor is he particularly interested in doing Viking stuff at all. Even losing his brother to his family's rival clan doesn't fully push Sigurd into wanting to pursue a life of barbarism. He eventually does become the hero everyone wants him to be — though he comes to be so on his own terms. It's a heartfelt, action-packed coming of age adventure that was a childhood favorite for a whole generation of Norwegians and is worth seeking out for American kids who are developing an interest in Vikings.

Directed by prolific '60s and '70s Disney filmmaker Robert Stevenson, 1974's "The Island at the Top of the World" didn't get brought up much when Stevenson passed away in 1986. You also won't find it on any lists of the best live-action Disney movies. But it didn't make this list by default because it happens to be a kid-friendly movie about Vikings — it's an underrated gem that more people should be aware of.

Set in the early 20th century, the movie follows a wealthy aristocrat named Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden) who arranges an expedition to search for his missing son Donald (David Gwillim). Donald had previously gone looking for a mysterious island that is believed to be a place where whales go to die. Sir Anthony eventually finds a very unusual island indeed — it's home to an entire Viking civilization that has somehow gone undiscovered for nearly a thousand years.

Things quickly go sideways for Sir Anthony and his crew, as the Vikings of the island don't take kindly to the unwanted visitors. But the backlash the expedition endures stays well within Disney-approved guidelines, and "The Island at the Top of the World" is actually a more lighthearted, frolicking, and funny adventure than you might expect. If you like Stevenson's films "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and "Mary Poppins" (which remains one of the best Disney movies ever), you'll no doubt enjoy "The Island at the Top of the World."

As the title of the 1986 Danish animated movie "Valhalla" suggests, this feature is heavily steeped in Norse mythology. It centers on two Viking children (voiced by Suzanne and Alexander Jones in the English version) who inadvertently upset the gods Thor (Stephen Thorne) and Loki (Allan Corduner) on one of their regular visits to Earth.

The scorned gods decide to take the children back to the titular realm, with Loki (whose trickery is what caused the whole misunderstanding) forcing them to work as penance for what they did. Luckily, they meet a creature named Quark (Thomas Eje) who helps them escape and they set off on a fantastical adventure across not only Valhalla but multiple realms from Norse mythology.

While you may not have heard of "Valhalla," you'll likely be familiar with the work of some of the people behind it. Namely, co-director Jeffrey J. Varab, who was an animator on some of the best Disney movies of the '80s and later worked with Don Bluth on "Rock-A-Doodle" and "Titan A.E." "Valhalla" is the only feature film he's directed, and it's a must-watch for kids who are getting into Vikings.

Speaking of works by familiar names, the 1968 anime film "The Great Adventures of Horus, Prince of the Sun" — released in the U.S. as both "Horus, Prince of the Sun" and "The Little Norse Prince" — was directed by Isao Takahata and features animation from his future Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to talent – the movie's animation department also included future Nintendo animator Yoichi Kotabe and Reiko Okuyama, one of the first female anime artists. Also on the staff was Yasuo Otsuka, one of Miyazaki's mentors.

"Horus" was a landmark release in the world of anime. It follows the title character (voiced by Billie Lou Watt in the English version), who inadvertently becomes the Prince of the Sun after pulling a sword from a stone giant that he thought was just a splinter. That sets him off on a journey across the unnamed ancient Norwegian kingdom the film is set in. He battles mythical beasts with his bear sidekick on his way to ultimately taking down the powerful ice king named Grunwald (Gilbert Mack). 

In addition to its importance in film history for effectively setting the stage for the creation of Studio Ghibli, "Horus" is a great movie even without all of that lofty baggage attached to it. It also spent over 50 years being the best Viking movie for kids — animated or otherwise — until the next entry took its throne.

In truth, every "How to Train Your Dragon" film could have made this list, but concentrating on just one opened things up to four lesser-known Viking movies that are also family friendly. As a trilogy, "How to Train Your Dragon" is one of the best of the last 20 years, if not all time. All three "How to Train Your Dragon" films have insane Rotten Tomatoes scores, all being varying degrees of great and not even dropping down to "merely good" territory. As somewhat of a cheat, this entry is meant to get you to watch all of them — and even the surprisingly good 2025 live-action remake. But, more officially, it centers on the 2010 original, both because you need to start from there to appreciate the rest and because it really is still the best entry in the franchise.

Another story of a young Viking boy who would rather just hang out than fulfill his destiny, "How to Train Your Dragon" follows the journey of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel). Hiccup not only doesn't want to be a tough Viking, he doesn't think he is actually capable of it, with his puny frame being chief among the reasons. He tries to make up for that with gadgets, which doesn't please his father, Viking king Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Hiccup also further draws the ire of his father and the rest of the village when he befriends a dragon, with the creatures being the sworn enemies of the Vikings. But Hiccup knows his dragon, whom he names Toothless, isn't evil by nature — and he intends to prove that the same goes for all dragons. It's not only the best Viking movie for kids, it's one of the best animated movies of all time.