Key Takeaways
- Family Films: These movies resonate across generations, offering different meanings at various life stages.
- Cultural Shifts: Each decade brings unique perspectives on what constitutes a good family film, influenced by societal changes.
- Emotional Depth: The best family films combine humor with deeper themes, making them relatable for both children and adults.
- Timeless Classics: The selected films have stood the test of time, continuing to impact audiences years after their release.
The mark of a good family film is its potential to grow with time. These are films that mean one thing when you’re young and something completely different when you revisit them years later. That’s because they aren’t meant to appeal to a certain age range. Instead, they focus on telling stories that can entertain everyone in the room at once.
Now, every decade brings its own idea of what a good family movie should look like, and that’s shaped by the culture, audience, and even technology of the time. Ultimately, though, what matters is their ability to resonate across generations, even if they look slightly different. This list gives you the best family movie from each of the last five decades that have stood the test of time.
Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the definition of an all-time classic. The story follows a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) who befriends an alien stranded on Earth after his spaceship departs in a rush. Elliott discovers that he can telepathically communicate with the alien, whom he lovingly dubs E.T. As the young boy and his siblings begin to take care of E.T., they develop an unexpected friendship with the creature, which becomes the heart of the story. What’s interesting about the film is how the audience never actually hears E.T. talk. Even then, though, you find yourself connecting with him on a deeply emotional level through his bond with Elliott. Spielberg directs this heartwarming story with the perfect mix of humor and suspense.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has this sense of wonder that will instantly fascinate its younger audience while taking the adults right back to the good old days of adolescence. In many ways, the film feels like a love letter to childhood in all its simplicity. However, even then, it dares to address how difficult it truly feels to grow up and sheds light on how children process abandonment and loss. Elliott finds the perfect friend in E.T. because they both experience a similar kind of loneliness. The young boy’s fractured family dynamic, especially his heartbreaking longing for his father, is what grounds the story and gives weight to the film’s message about the universally healing power of friendship. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the kind of film that will continue to impact generations, not just for its memorable special effects but for its genuine depiction of what it means to be a child.
4
‘Toy Story’ (1995)
Everyone knows that Toy Story completely changed the game by being the first entirely computer-animated film. That’s definitely not all it’s remembered for, though. Even three decades after its premiere, The Pixar Studios adventure comedy remains a cultural milestone because it showed how ambitious animated films could be in terms of their storytelling. Toy Story is set in a world where toys come to life whenever humans aren’t looking, and back in 1995, no one really knew the possibilities that premise held. The film follows Woody (Tom Hanks), a cowboy doll who has always been his owner Andy’s (John Morris) favorite. However, things take a turn when the young boy receives the flashy new Buzz Lightyear figure (voiced by Tim Allen) for his birthday.
Woody’s jealousy over Buzz is the film’s central conflict and eventually leads to the two toys being trapped by Andy’s weirdly sadistic neighbor, Sid(Erik von Detten).This establishes a classic buddy movie format, where Woody and Buzz must work together to find their way back home. Toy Story definitely delivers laughs, but beyond that, the film digs surprisingly deep into themes of identity and fear of change. Of course, we all know that by the end, Woody and Buzz become one of the greatest animated duos of all time, and their brilliant chemistry is one of the reasons behind the successful expansion of the Toy Story franchise. To this day, though, the magic and sincerity of the first film haven’t diminished at all.
3
‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
Finding Nemo is Disney and Pixar at their absolute best. The underwater adventure is one of the most grounded animated films you will ever watch, and that’s what makes it perfect for the entire family. The story follows Marlin(Albert Brooks), an overprotective clownfish whose worst fear comes true when his son Nemo(Alexander Gould) is captured by scuba divers and taken far from home. This leads Marlin on a journey across the ocean to find his child with the help of the forgetful but lovable Dory(Ellen DeGeneres). At the same time, Nemo finds himself trapped in a dentist’s fish tank in Sydney, where he begins plotting his own escape.
The colorful world of Finding Nemo is enough to pull anyone in, but what you stay for is the emotional roller-coaster ride that the film takes you on. In many ways, the film is actually a lesson on parenting that a lot of adults can strongly connect to. Despite its more serious themes, though, Finding Nemo never forgets to balance all that emotional weight with consistent humor. A huge part of that comes from Dory’s character, whose short-term memory loss is one of the film’s most memorable gags without ever coming off as insensitive. The film’s unapologetic optimism along with its sense of adventure serves as an everlasting reminder to “just keep swimming!”
2
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
The story slowly builds toward … strong appeal … visually stunning fight sequences … deeper themes … prejudice … rewatch … strongest family film … generation.
1
‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ (2021)
The story follows … chaotic Mitchell family … Katie (Abbi Jacobson) … Rick (Danny McBride) … cross-country trip … relationship … AI uprising … dysfunctional family … save humanity…
The Mitchells vs… tech culture… social media… messy animation style… creative mindset… polished design… modern generation… important lesson…
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