Look, Max (formerly HBO Max, RIP to that rebrand) has one of the most chaotic content libraries out there. It's got everything from prestige HBO dramas to reality TV to, yes, actually great family films. But finding them? That's the challenge.
The good news: Max has some genuinely excellent movies for kids that go way beyond "fine, I guess they can watch this while I make dinner." We're talking Studio Ghibli masterpieces, the entire Harry Potter series, classic animated films, and some newer gems that deserve way more attention than they get.
The bad news: Max's interface is... not great at surfacing kid-friendly content. You'll be scrolling past "Succession" and "The Last of Us" trying to find something your 8-year-old can actually watch.
So let's cut through the noise. Here are the best family films on Max right now, organized by age so you can actually find something appropriate without spending 20 minutes scrolling.
The Studio Ghibli Collection is the crown jewel here. My Neighbor Totoro is the perfect starting point – gentle, magical, and genuinely comforting. No villain, no manufactured conflict, just two sisters meeting forest spirits. It's the antidote to the overstimulated chaos of most kids' content.
Kiki's Delivery Service is another winner for this age – a young witch starting her own delivery business. It's basically about entrepreneurship and independence, but make it wholesome and Japanese.
The LEGO Movie still holds up incredibly well. Yes, it's basically a feature-length toy commercial, but it's also genuinely funny, visually creative, and has a surprisingly emotional third act about father-son relationships. Plus, the "Everything is Awesome" song will be stuck in your head for approximately 6-8 weeks.
Paddington and Paddington 2 are both on Max and both are, no exaggeration, perfect family films. They're funny for adults, sweet without being saccharine, and have actual stakes. Paddington 2 has a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and honestly deserved Oscar consideration. These are the movies you can watch with your kids and actually enjoy.
The Harry Potter series – all eight films – are streaming on Max. Whether you're introducing them for the first time or doing a family rewatch, this is peak comfort viewing. Just know that the movies get progressively darker (literally and thematically), so maybe save Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for when they're a bit older or prepared for some intense scenes.
Spirited Away is the Studio Ghibli film for slightly older kids. It's weirder, more complex, and occasionally unsettling (those parents-turned-into-pigs scenes hit different). But it's also one of the greatest animated films ever made, full stop. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and it deserved it.
The Iron Giant is criminally underrated and absolutely worth watching. It's about a boy who befriends a giant robot during the Cold War, and it manages to be both a thrilling adventure and a genuinely moving story about sacrifice and choosing who you want to be. Bring tissues.
Matilda (the 1996 version) is still delightful. Roald Dahl adaptations are hit or miss, but this one nails the balance of dark humor and kid empowerment. Plus, Miss Trunchbull is one of the all-time great villains.
The Goonies – if your kids haven't seen this yet, fix that. It's the platonic ideal of a kids' adventure movie. Yes, it's from 1985, but it holds up. The pacing is perfect, the characters are memorable, and it doesn't talk down to its audience.
Castle in the Sky is the Studio Ghibli pick for this age group. It's got more action than the gentler Ghibli films, with sky pirates, government conspiracies, and floating cities. Think Indiana Jones meets anime, but with more environmental themes.
The Lego Batman Movie is genuinely one of the best Batman movies, period. It's hilarious, moves at a breakneck pace, and actually has something to say about Batman's character and his fear of family. Your teens won't feel like they're watching a "kids movie."
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Wes Anderson's stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl – is quirky, beautiful, and appeals to both kids and adults who appreciate Anderson's very specific aesthetic. It's about a fox who can't stop stealing chickens even though he promised his wife he'd go straight. Surprisingly relatable.
Here's the thing: the best family films aren't just "appropriate for kids." They're films that work on multiple levels – kids enjoy the adventure and humor, while parents appreciate the craft, the themes, and the fact that they're not being actively annoyed.
The Studio Ghibli films are the gold standard here. They trust kids to handle complexity, ambiguity, and slower pacing. There's no villain in Totoro. Spirited Away doesn't explain everything. Kiki's biggest conflict is burnout and creative block. These are real emotional experiences wrapped in magical settings.
The best family films also tend to have actual stakes. The Iron Giant is about nuclear war. Harry Potter deals with death and authoritarianism. Even Paddington 2 is about systemic injustice and prison reform (seriously). Kids can handle more than we give them credit for.
Not everything on Max's "Family" section is worth your time. Tom and Jerry movies are fine if you need 90 minutes of peace, but they're basically extended TV episodes. Scoob! tried to launch a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe and it shows – it's more concerned with setting up sequels than telling a good story.
The live-action Dr. Seuss adaptations (The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch) are... rough. Just stick with the original animated versions or the more recent Illumination films.
Max has a legitimately great selection of family films if you know where to look. The Studio Ghibli collection alone makes it worth having the subscription. Add in Harry Potter, the Paddington films, and some genuine classics like The Iron Giant, and you've got enough quality family viewing to last months.
The key is being intentional about what you choose. Don't just scroll until you find something with a G rating. Pick films that are actually good – movies you'd want to watch even if you didn't have kids. Your family movie nights will be better for it.
Pro tip: Create a Max profile specifically for family movie night and add these films to your watchlist. It'll save you from scrolling past "Game of Thrones" while your kids are watching.
Want to explore more family-friendly streaming options? Check out our guides on best family films on Netflix or Disney+ movies worth watching.