20 Best Family Movies On HBO Max

A good family film is exactly that — it has to offer something for every member of a family, providing entertainment and provoking some kind of emotional response for a viewer of any age, be they toddlers, school-aged kids, teenagers, or adults. A family film is more than just a movie without any sort of objectionable or inappropriate-for-younger-audiences content. It's got to be relatable on multiple levels to keep children and grown-ups engaged. And that's no small feat. Only a relative handful of filmmakers have figured out how to make fun-for-the-whole-family movies that have stood the test of time, and it's definitely got something to do with having compelling stories and memorable characters.

However, it can be tough for a family to find a movie everyone can enjoy on a streaming service, with the genre's seemingly endless options — many of which aren't worth your time. But HBO Max is a particular haven for quality all-ages-welcome films, and here are the best family movies currently available on the service.

Updated on January 3, 2022: HBO Max frequently adds movies and drops them, too, so we'll keep this list updated as those changes occur. Check back each month for the latest and greatest in family entertainment.

Adults who read Jack London's classic novel of adventure in the punishing frontier of the Alaskan Yukon and kids who haven't yet will all likely enjoy "The Call of the Wild" just the same. Despite the gorgeous cinematography capturing the beautiful mountains and wintry wilds of Alaska, it's an intimate story, told largely from the point of view of a sweet big dog named Buck as he moves from one human master to another. It's a journey that will take him from a cushy existence in California all the way to a spot on a dog sled team delivering mail, and along the way, his journey will include gold prospecting, defending himself against cruel humans, and learning the ways of his wolf ancestors.

• Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens
• Director: Christopher Sanders
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%

That title is a play on words — "Dolphin Tale" is the story of a friendly, vivacious sea animal, but it's also about a dolphin's tail, and it's based on the amazingly true story about a kid's drive to get his ocean friend a prosthetic appendage.

Winter the dolphin gets trapped and injures her tail so severely that her rescuers and keepers at a Florida marine hospital don't think she has much chance for survival without a working fin. Lonely kid Sawyer finds companionship at the marine hospital with its employees and with Winter especially, and he gets so attached to the dolphin that he enlists the help of a biologist and a specialty prosthetics designer to get Winter the help she needs in what turns out to be a very inspiring, very emotionally satisfying film for viewers of any age.

• Starring: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble
• Director: Charles Martin Smith
• Year: 2011
• Runtime: 112 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Peter Pan is one of the most beloved characters in the English language. "Finding Neverland" is his origin story — or rather, the delicate and poignant tale of how playwright J.M. Barrie was reportedly inspired to create Peter, Wendy, and their world. Set in London in 1903, Barrie, looking to reverse a downturn in his professional fortunes, befriends a recently widowed mother of four. He takes a particular liking to her young, grieving son, Peter. As the lives of this family and Barrie intertwine, they support each other when they need it most. Barrie's invented tales, meant to cheer up Peter, eventually form the basis of his magical play, about a boy who never grows up.

• Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddie Highmore
• Director: Marc Forster
• Year: 2004
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

While some fans prefer the darker "Deathly Hallows" films, you can't deny that the first installment in the "Harry Potter" franchise, "The Sorcerer's Stone," is the most delightful entry in the series. It's here we're first introduced to the wonderful world of Hogwarts, with its living portraits, Sorting Hat, and the breathtaking Great Hall.

As for the plot, young orphan Harry Potter lives with his abusive extended family, but his life takes a magical turn when he receives an invitation to Hogwarts — a school for young witches and wizards. But when he arrives at the enchanted institution, he learns that a dark enemy, the nefarious Voldemort, might be coming back, leading to a plot involving unicorns, life-sized chess boards, and a mythical object.

On top of all that, Harry has to pass his classes, which isn't easy when you've got a teacher like the sneering Severus Snape. The result is a modern-day classic that will open up a whole new universe — and franchise — to young and old audiences alike.

• Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 152 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Many children fear a nasty monster lurks under their bed. "Little Monsters," an anarchic, horror-inflected family comedy, supposes that this nightmare is real, but that the creature isn't evil or vicious — rather, he's a friendly agent of chaos. Young Brian discovers that his supernatural roommate Maurice is more of a monster of the "party" variety. At night, they go out on little adventures, hang out with other harmless things that go bump in the night, and prank helpless sleeping kids. That's all well and good, until Brian realizes he's slowly transforming into a Maurice-like monster himself.

• Starring: Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, Daniel Stern
• Director: Richard Greenberg
• Year: 1989
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 44%

The third Muppet movie is also the last to feature all the original agents of comedic chaos (including Jim Henson and Richard Hunt) who made the brand a cultural sensation. In this adventure, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, and the rest of the gang head to New York to stage a show on Broadway, only to discover it's way more difficult, expensive, and dangerous than they ever expected. Thus, the Muppets each try to make a go of it in the big city on their own, providing some rare solo adventures for the crackling characters. Eventually, they have to get the group back together to help restore Kermit's memory. What results is delightful.

• Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dabney Coleman
• Director: Frank Oz
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Paddington, the sweet, gentle, marmalade-loving bear, charms and delights in this winsome sequel. While the Brown family is busy with their various pursuits, Paddington can't find a job where he can succeed — a necessary task, as he wants to purchase a one-of-a-kind antique pop-up book for Aunt Lucy's upcoming 100th birthday. When that book is stolen, Paddington is wrongfully accused (having been set up by evil actor Phoenix Buchanan, who wants the book for its clues to the whereabouts of hidden treasure) and sent to a very tough prison. But incarceration doesn't harden Paddington. Instead, he softens up the inmates, introducing them to the pleasures of marmalade sandwiches and pure kindness.

• Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson
• Director: Paul King
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" novels posit that the gods of Greek mythology are real and have children who live in the modern-day. Percy, the half-human, half-Olympian son of the sea god Poseidon is one of them. In "Sea of Monsters," the second film adaptation in the franchise, Percy attends the godly training academy known as Camp Half-Blood. When the powerful magical walls that keep it safe start to crumble, horrendous beasts invade. It's up to Percy and his fellow demigods to retrieve the fabled Golden Fleece from the treacherous and infested Sea of Monsters (which also happens to be the Bermuda Triangle).

• Starring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson
• Director: Thor Freudenthal
• Year: 2013
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

There's a fine tradition of moving movies about kids befriending a misunderstood outsider who's also an appealing non-human entity, such as "The Iron Giant" with its massive robot, "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" with its alien, and "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," with an adorable lake creature straight out of Scottish legend. In this film, World War II-era tween Angus finds an odd-looking egg just outside of the murky waters of Loch Ness, near his home. It soon hatches, and Angus names the adorable horse-like thing Crusoe (as in Robinson Crusoe, after the shipwrecked literary figure), and he decides to secretly keep it as a pet. Before long, this supposed water horse grows very large and arouses too much dangerous attention, and Angus will have to sacrifice his profound friendship for the safety and livelihood of his animal bud that's very clearly a brand new Loch Ness Monster.

• Starring: Alex Etel, Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin
• Director: Jay Russell
• Year: 2007
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

It's arguably the most beloved film ever produced, delighting and enchanting millions of people across multiple generations and becoming part of the collective American cultural experience. And now, "The Wizard of Oz" is among HBO Max's signature offerings. The classic fantasy film has endured because of its message of an appreciation of family and home (there's no place like home, after all), but it dazzles viewers because it's a visually stunning adventure. 

Young Dorothy Gale tires of her life on a Kansas farm — tedious except for the mean old woman who threatens to take away her beloved dog — and a tornado whisks her away to the merry old land of Oz, where she meets wicked and good witches, Munchkins, flying monkeys, and others as she travels to visit a wonderful wizard who will help her get back home again. Plus, she hopes he'll grant the wishes of her fellow travelers: a Scarecrow in need of a brain, the courage-lacking Cowardly Lion, and the heart-free Tin Man.

• Starring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
• Director: Victor Fleming
• Year: 1939
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%