The NeverEnding Family Movie List: Animated
A list by John Perritt
John Perritt's G/PG family movie list from his Family Movie Night newsletter (johnperritt.substack.com): the animated films, from Snow White (1937) to Migration (2023). John's note: not every film here is an endorsement, so check the content before you press play.
- 1
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Movie · 1938
“Disney's 1938 fairy tale classic that's equal parts animation milestone and nightmare fuel for the unprepared preschooler.”
IMDb 7.6 - 2
Pinocchio
Movie · 1940
“The original cautionary tale where a puppet learns that lying makes your nose grow and skipping school can literally turn you into a donkey.”
- 3
Fantasia
Movie · 1940
“Disney's 1940 classical music spectacular: visually stunning, culturally important, and realistically unwatchable for 90% of modern kids.”
IMDb 7.7RT 95% - 4
Dumbo
Movie · 1941
“The 1941 Disney classic that's equal parts adorable flying elephant and equal parts 'wait, did that really just happen?'”
IMDb 7.2RT 95% - 5
Bambi
Movie · 1942
“Disney's gorgeous nature animation that's traumatized generations with THAT scene—you know the one.”
IMDb 7.3RT 91% - 6
Cinderella
Movie · 1950
“The ultimate rags-to-riches glow-up that still hits, provided your kid can handle 1950s pacing.”
- 7
Sleeping Beauty
Movie · 1959
“Gorgeous 1959 animation showcasing a princess who literally sleeps through her own rescue—stunning to look at, painful to watch by 2025 standards.”
IMDb 7.2RT 90% - 8
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Movie · 1961
“Pongo and Perdita rescue 99 puppies from a woman who wants to turn them into outerwear—wholesome but slow by 2025 standards.”
IMDb 7.3RT 98% - 9
The Jungle Book
Movie · 1967
“Disney's 1967 classic is charming but shows its age—sweet songs and friendship lessons wrapped in dated animation and some cringey stereotypes.”
IMDb 7.6RT 88% - 10
Robin Hood
Movie · 1973
“The original 'tax the rich' manifesto, but with a charming fox, a thumb-sucking lion, and a killer folk soundtrack.”
- 11
An American Tail
Movie · 1986
“A mouse immigrant's tearjerker journey through 1880s America—beautiful in theory, but slow and scary enough to test modern kids' patience.”
IMDb 6.9RT 76% - 12
The Transformers: The Movie
Movie · 1986
“The 1986 toy commercial that gave Gen X kids their first experience with grief—and it has NOT aged well.”
- 13
The Little Mermaid
Movie · 1989
“The Disney classic where a mermaid trades her voice for legs and a shot at romance—gorgeous animation, iconic songs, questionable life choices.”
IMDb 7.6RT 92% - 14
Beauty and the Beast
Movie · 1991
“Tale as old as time: bookworm falls for angry furry guy with serious anger management issues—but make it a musical masterpiece.”
IMDb 8.0RT 95% - 15
Aladdin
Movie · 1992
“Disney's Renaissance-era magic carpet ride with Robin Williams' manic Genie energy, catchy songs, and a street rat who learns honesty is the best policy (eventually).”
IMDb 8.0RT 96% - 16
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Movie · 1993
“Tim Burton's stop-motion gothic masterpiece where Halloween tries to steal Christmas—visually stunning, genuinely spooky, and surprisingly deep.”
IMDb 7.9RT 95% - 17
The Lion King
Movie · 1994
“The Disney movie that taught a generation what grief feels like—Hamlet with lions, unforgettable songs, and that scene we all still haven't recovered from.”
IMDb 8.5RT 92% - 18
Toy Story
Movie · 1995
“The movie that made you paranoid your toys were judging you—and launched Pixar into the stratosphere.”
IMDb 8.3RT 100% - 19
Space Jam
Movie · 1996
“Michael Jordan teams up with Bugs Bunny in this 90s time capsule that's more Nike commercial than movie—your kids will probably ask to turn it off.”
IMDb 6.5RT 44% - 20
Toy Story 2
Movie · 1999
“The Pixar sequel that somehow matched the original—toys grapple with mortality, loyalty, and whether being loved is worth the risk of loss.”
IMDb 7.9RT 100% - 21
The Iron Giant
Movie · 1999
“A boy befriends a giant robot during the Cold War and teaches him that guns are bad—then the military shows up with all the guns.”
IMDb 8.1RT 96% - 22
Shrek
Movie · 2001
“The ogre that launched a thousand memes teaches kids that true beauty isn't what you see in the mirror—it's about being yourself, farts and all.”
IMDb 7.9RT 88% - 23
Monsters Inc
Movie · 2001
“The Pixar classic where monsters learn kids aren't toxic—they're just misunderstood, and also surprisingly good for business when you make them laugh.”
IMDb 8.1RT 96% - 24
Ice Age
Movie · 2002
“A woolly mammoth, a sloth, and a saber-tooth tiger become unlikely babysitters in this prehistoric buddy comedy that still delivers laughs.”
- 25
Finding Nemo
Movie · 2003
“An anxious clownfish dad crosses the ocean to find his captured son—Pixar's heartwarming adventure that launched a thousand aquarium trips.”
IMDb 8.2RT 99% - 26
The Incredibles
Movie · 2004
“Pixar's superhero family drama that's somehow about midlife crisis, marriage counseling, and saving the world—and it actually works.”
IMDb 8.0 - 27
Shrek 2
Movie · 2004
“The rare sequel that matches the original: Shrek meets the in-laws in a fairy tale rom-com that's still genuinely funny two decades later.”
IMDb 7.4RT 89% - 28
The Polar Express
Movie · 2004
“Tom Hanks plays everyone in this motion-capture Christmas journey that's either magical or nightmare fuel, depending on who you ask.”
IMDb 6.6RT 55% - 29
Madagascar
Movie · 2005
“Zoo animals crash-land in Madagascar and discover that the wild isn't all it's cracked up to be—especially when your best friend wants to eat you.”
IMDb 6.9RT 55% - 30
Cars
Movie · 2006
“A hotshot race car learns to pump the brakes on his ego in this Pixar road trip that's sweet, safe, and maybe a little too in love with car puns.”
IMDb 7.3RT 74% - 31
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Movie · 2006
“The Ice Age gang returns for a forgettable sequel about melting glaciers and middling laughs—it's fine, but nobody's asking for a rewatch.”
- 32
Happy Feet
Movie · 2006
“A tap-dancing penguin who can't sing tries to find his place—it's cute until it gets unexpectedly preachy about overfishing.”
- 33
Ratatouille
Movie · 2007
“A rat with refined taste and big dreams infiltrates a Paris kitchen—it's as delightful and surprisingly profound as it sounds.”
IMDb 8.1RT 96% - 34
Meet the Robinsons
Movie · 2007
“Time-traveling orphan inventor meets his future family and learns that failure is just the first step to success.”
- 35
The Tale of Despereaux
Movie · 2008
“A mouse with big ears and bigger dreams goes on a knight's quest—it's sweet, safe, and thoroughly forgettable.”
IMDb 6.1RT 56% - 36
Kung Fu Panda
Movie · 2008
“A chubby panda discovers he's the Chosen One and has to kung-fu his way into self-acceptance—it's surprisingly deep for a movie about dumplings.”
IMDb 7.6RT 87% - 37
WALL-E
Movie · 2008
“A trash-compacting robot saves humanity and teaches kids more about environmentalism than any documentary ever could—with barely any words.”
IMDb 8.4RT 95% - 38
Bolt
Movie · 2008
“A TV star dog discovers he's not actually a superhero—just a very good boy who needs to find his way home.”
- 39
Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
Movie · 2008
“Zoo animals crash-land in Africa and discover their wild roots—it's fine, your kids will probably enjoy it, you'll survive it.”
IMDb 6.6RT 64% - 40
Up
Movie · 2009
“An elderly widower ties balloons to his house and accidentally brings an overeager kid along—prepare tissues for the first ten minutes.”
IMDb 8.3RT 98% - 41
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Movie · 2009
“The Ice Age crew meets dinosaurs in a visually busy but narratively tired third outing that's fine but far from essential.”
- 42
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Movie · 2009
“A nerdy inventor makes it rain cheeseburgers—what could go wrong? Spoiler: giant food chaos, but make it wholesome.”
IMDb 6.9RT 85% - 43
The Princess And The Frog
Movie · 2009
“Disney's last hand-drawn princess tale serves up New Orleans jazz, hard work over wishes, and a villain scary enough to make bedtime interesting.”
IMDb 7.2RT 86% - 44
How to Train Your Dragon
Movie · 2010
“A nerdy Viking befriends a high-speed dragon and accidentally ends a multi-generational war through engineering and empathy.”
- 45
Toy Story 3
Movie · 2010
“Pixar's masterful farewell tour hits every emotional note—just prep the tissues and maybe skip it for the truly sensitive littles.”
IMDb 8.3RT 98% - 46
Tangled
Movie · 2010
“Disney's best modern princess movie—Rapunzel's got a frying pan, trust issues, and 70 feet of magical hair to work through.”
IMDb 7.7RT 89% - 47
Despicable Me
Movie · 2010
“A supervillain adopts three orphans for a heist and accidentally becomes a dad—surprisingly sweet beneath all the fart guns.”
IMDb 7.6RT 80% - 48
The Adventures Of Tintin
Movie · 2011
“Spielberg's motion-capture adventure brings the boy reporter and his dog into a rollicking treasure hunt—think Indiana Jones for the elementary set.”
IMDb 7.3RT 75% - 49
Kung Fu Panda 2
Movie · 2011
“Po levels up from Dragon Warrior to emotionally-intelligent hero who literally kung-fus his childhood trauma into inner peace.”
IMDb 7.3RT 82% - 50
Rango
Movie · 2011
“A chameleon with an identity crisis becomes an accidental Western hero in this visually stunning but tonally weird animated film.”
IMDb 7.3RT 88% - 51
Winnie the Pooh
Movie · 2011
“Disney's 2011 hand-drawn throwback is pure Hundred Acre Wood comfort food—sweet, slow, and possibly too gentle for the Bluey generation.”
IMDb 7.1RT 90% - 52
Wreck It Ralph
Movie · 2012
“A video game villain goes on a genre-hopping quest to prove he's more than his programming—surprisingly deep for a movie about pixels.”
IMDb 7.7RT 87% - 53
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Movie · 2012
“Manny and the gang go full pirate-adventure mode with family lessons, fart jokes, and Scrat's eternal acorn quest—safe but starting to feel tired.”
- 54
The Lorax
Movie · 2012
“Dr. Seuss goes Hollywood with singing, dancing trees and an environmental message that's about as subtle as a chainsaw in a forest.”
IMDb 6.4 - 55
The Croods
Movie · 2013
“A caveman family learns to embrace change when their world literally falls apart—wholesome, colorful, and safely chaotic.”
IMDb 7.1RT 71% - 56
Frozen
Movie · 2013
“Two sisters, ice magic, and a radical message that true love isn't always the prince—it's the people who've known you all along.”
IMDb 7.4RT 89% - 57
Despicable Me 2
Movie · 2013
“Gru trades villainy for spy work while the Minions steal every scene—a safe, silly sequel that entertains without breaking new ground.”
IMDb 7.3RT 75% - 58
Monsters University
Movie · 2013
“Mike and Sulley's college rivalry-to-bromance origin story—Pixar does the underdog sports movie with monsters and heart.”
IMDb 7.2RT 80% - 59
The Lego Movie
Movie · 2014
“A love letter to creativity wrapped in a hilarious, visually stunning adventure that makes you want to dump out every Lego bin in your house.”
IMDb 7.7RT 96% - 60
Penguins of Madagascar
Movie · 2014
“The Madagascar penguins get their own spy-adventure movie—it's harmless fun that kids will forget about by bedtime.”
IMDb 6.6RT 74% - 61
Big Hero 6
Movie · 2014
“Huggable healthcare robot meets teen genius in this STEM-powered, grief-processing superhero origin story set in anime-inspired San Fransokyo.”
IMDb 7.8RT 90% - 62
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Movie · 2014
“Vikings and dragons face war and loss in this visually stunning but emotionally heavier sequel that doesn't pull punches on the grief front.”
IMDb 7.8RT 92% - 63
The Peanuts Movie
Movie · 2015
“Good grief—Charlie Brown's sweet quest for love and Snoopy's aerial adventures make for genuinely wholesome family viewing.”
IMDb 7.0RT 87% - 64
Minions
Movie · 2015
“Yellow chaos agents serve supervillains in this spinoff that's more sugar rush than substance—fun for 20 minutes, exhausting for 90.”
IMDb 6.4RT 55% - 65
Inside Out
Movie · 2015
“Pixar's emotional intelligence masterpiece that'll make you cry and finally understand why your kid melts down over 'nothing.'”
IMDb 8.1RT 98% - 66
Moana
Movie · 2016
“Disney's best non-romance heroine sails the Pacific with a demigod, killer songs, and zero love interest—refreshing.”
IMDb 7.6RT 95% - 67
Finding Dory
Movie · 2016
“Blue tang with short-term memory loss goes on an emotional deep-dive to find her parents—Pixar does disability rep right.”
IMDb 7.2RT 94% - 68
Zootopia
Movie · 2016
“A bunny cop and con-artist fox tackle prejudice in a gorgeous animal metropolis—surprisingly smart for a buddy-cop comedy.”
IMDb 8.0RT 98% - 69
Sing
Movie · 2016
“Illumination's jukebox musical about anthropomorphic animals chasing their dreams—safe, sweet, and utterly predictable.”
IMDb 7.1RT 71% - 70
The LEGO Batman Movie
Movie · 2017
“Batman learns feelings exist while adopting a kid and saving Gotham—all in LEGO form with jokes that'll make parents laugh harder than their kids.”
IMDb 7.3RT 89% - 71
Incredibles 2
Movie · 2018
“Elastigirl saves the world while Mr. Incredible discovers that fighting villains is way easier than helping with math homework.”
IMDb 7.5RT 93% - 72
Spider Man Into The Spider Verse
Movie · 2018
“The Spider-Man movie that proved animated superhero films could be art—visually stunning, emotionally rich, and genuinely cool.”
IMDb 8.4RT 97% - 73
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Movie · 2019
“The Viking-dragon saga sticks the landing with a gorgeous, tearful finale about growing up and letting go.”
IMDb 7.4RT 90% - 74
Frozen Ii
Movie · 2019
“Elsa and Anna venture into enchanted forests for answers—expect stunning visuals, earworm songs, and some surprisingly heavy themes about grief.”
IMDb 6.8RT 77% - 75
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Movie · 2019
“Everything is still pretty awesome: LEGO sequel tackles sibling rivalry with catchy songs, meta-humor, and a whole lot of plastic brick destruction.”
IMDb 6.5RT 84% - 76
Onward
Movie · 2020
“Two elf brothers quest to spend one more day with their dead dad in this Pixar tearjerker disguised as a fantasy road trip.”
IMDb 7.4RT 88% - 77
The Croods: A New Age
Movie · 2020
“Cave family meets suburban cave family in this colorful sequel about learning to get along with your evolutionarily-superior neighbors.”
IMDb 6.9RT 76% - 78
The Mitchells Vs The Machines
Movie · 2021
“A weird, wonderful family road trip meets robot apocalypse—think Spider-Verse energy meets tech-addiction commentary that actually lands.”
- 79
Sing 2
Movie · 2021
“Animated animals stage a big musical comeback—it's colorful, loud, and your kids will probably want the soundtrack on repeat for weeks.”
IMDb 7.3RT 72% - 80
Luca
Movie · 2021
“Two sea monster boys have the summer of their lives on the Italian Riviera—as long as they stay dry and keep their scales hidden.”
IMDb 7.4RT 91% - 81
Encanto
Movie · 2021
“A Colombian family's magic is fading, and the only 'ordinary' kid might be the one to save them—cue the Lin-Manuel Miranda earworms.”
IMDb 7.2 - 82
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Movie · 2022
“A one-inch shell with a googly eye will make you cry in the best way—tender, weird, and utterly lovely.”
- 83
Puss In Boots The Last Wish
Movie · 2022
“A surprisingly deep animated adventure where a swashbuckling cat confronts death itself—literally—and learns what actually matters in life.”
IMDb 7.8 - 84
Spider Man Across The Spider Verse
Movie · 2023
“Visually mind-blowing Spider-Man sequel where Miles fights the entire multiverse to save his dad—and it ends on a cliffhanger.”
IMDb 8.5RT 95% - 85
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Movie · 2023
“Brooklyn plumbers save the Mushroom Kingdom in this colorful, crowd-pleasing adventure that finally gets a Mario movie right.”
- 86
Migration
Movie · 2023
“A Danish farm kid wrestles with Korean heritage and family expectations—thoughtful but slow, like watching crops grow in real time.”
IMDb 6.6RT 73%
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