Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "child-as-main-character"

1. The Tree of Life (2011)

PG-13 | 139 min | Drama, Fantasy

The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.

Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken

Votes: 184,267 | Gross: $13.30M

2. Hailey's on It! (2023– )

TV-Y7 | Animation, Action, Adventure

Hailey Banks must overcome her fears in order to save the world.

Stars: Auli'i Cravalho, Manny Jacinto, Gary Anthony Williams, Julie Bowen

Votes: 498

3. Lady in White (1988)

PG-13 | 113 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

An author tells the story of how, as a young boy growing up in a 1960s small town, he was haunted after witnessing the murder of a little girl.

Director: Frank LaLoggia | Stars: Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond

Votes: 8,066 | Gross: $1.71M

4. Fido (2006)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror

In an Earthly world resembling the 1950s, a cloud of space radiation has shrouded the planet, resulting in the dead becoming zombies that desire live human flesh. A company called Zomcon ... See full summary »

Director: Andrew Currie | Stars: Kesun Loder, Billy Connolly, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Kaye

Votes: 30,172 | Gross: $0.30M

5. The Secret Garden (1987 TV Movie)

PG | 100 min | Family, Drama

Mary Lennox is sent to live at Misselthwaite Manor where she befriends a young boy and learns about a secret garden.

Director: Alan Grint | Stars: Gennie James, Barret Oliver, Jadrien Steele, Michael Hordern

Votes: 1,884

6. A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

After stopping 12 y.o. Romeo and Gavin from being beaten up, Morell drives them home and meets Romeo's adult sister and falls in love. The boys "help" him in his pursuit.

Director: Shane Meadows | Stars: Martin Arrowsmith, Dave Blant, Darren Campbell, Paddy Considine

Votes: 6,180 | Gross: $0.02M

7. The Boy (I) (2015)

Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

An intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath's growing fascination with death.

Director: Craig William Macneill | Stars: David Morse, Jared Breeze, Rainn Wilson, Bill Sage

Votes: 5,750

8. Innocent Voices (2004)

R | 120 min | Drama, Thriller, War

A young boy, in an effort to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war which is raging all around him.

Director: Luis Mandoki | Stars: Carlos Padilla, Leonor Varela, Xuna Primus, Gustavo Muñoz

Votes: 8,198 | Gross: $0.84M

9. Ways to Live Forever (2010)

PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Family

Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukemia he wants to know the ... See full summary »

Director: Gustavo Ron | Stars: Robbie Kay, Alex Etel, Emilia Fox, Greta Scacchi

Votes: 1,165

10. Northern Borders (2013)

108 min | Drama

'Northern Borders' tells the story of ten year-old Austen Kittredge who is sent by his father to live on his grandparents' Vermont farm, where he experiences wild adventures and uncovers ... See full summary »

Director: Jay Craven | Stars: Bruce Dern, Geneviève Bujold, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jacqueline Hennessy

Votes: 432

11. Believe (I) (2013)

PG | 96 min | Drama, Sport

A gifted young football player who gets into trouble for a petty crime is brought to the attention of former Manchester United coach Matt Busby, who comes out of retirement to help the boy and his teammates.

Director: David Scheinmann | Stars: Jack Smith, Brian Cox, Natascha McElhone, Anne Reid

Votes: 1,007

12. Duck Season (2004)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

Flama and Moko are fourteen years old; they have been best friends since they were kids. They have everything they need to survive yet another boring Sunday: an apartment without parents, ... See full summary »

Director: Fernando Eimbcke | Stars: Diego Cataño, Daniel Miranda, Enrique Arreola, Danny Perea

Votes: 4,624 | Gross: $0.15M

13. Grandmother's House (1988)

R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller

After the death of their beloved father, two teens go to their grandmother's house in California and begin to suspect their grandparents of murder.

Director: Peter Rader | Stars: Eric Foster, Kim Valentine, Len Lesser, Ida Lee

Votes: 2,306

14. Home Makeover (2010)

TV-Y7 | 5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy

A social worker is coming to Gru's house to check if it's suitable for children. Margo, Edith, Agnes and the Minions must take care of the situation.

Directors: Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux | Stars: Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Pierre Coffin

Votes: 2,295

15. El último verano de la Boyita (2009)

TV-PG | 93 min | Drama

A teenage girl, feeling babyish and awkward compared to her older sister, finds solace in a childhood friend while spending a countryside summer in her father's old van.

Director: Julia Solomonoff | Stars: Guadalupe Alonso, Nicolás Treise, Mirella Pascual, Gabo Correa

Votes: 979

16. Cub (2014)

Not Rated | 84 min | Adventure, Horror

Over-imaginative 12 year-old Sam heads off to the woods to summer scout camp with his pack convinced he will encounter a monster...and he does.

Director: Jonas Govaerts | Stars: Maurice Luijten, Evelien Bosmans, Titus De Voogdt, Stef Aerts

Votes: 6,187

17. Honey (2010)

Not Rated | 103 min | Drama

The quiet life of a boy and his family is endangered when his father does not return home from his work collecting honey in the forest.

Director: Semih Kaplanoglu | Stars: Bora Altas, Erdal Besikçioglu, Tülin Özen, Ayse Altay

Votes: 7,487

18. Den sommeren jeg fylte 15 (1976)

98 min | Drama

Peter is telling his story about a special summer, when he was invited over to summer holiday from bickering parents, to his aunt and uncle in the country. He's been there before, but this summer was quite one to remember.

Director: Knut Andersen | Stars: Steffen Rothschild, Anne-Lise Tangstad, Kaare Kroppan, Grethe Ryen

Votes: 203

19. Gakuen Alice (2004– )

25 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

Best friends Mikan and Hotaru are separated when Hotaru is scouted by a special school called "Alice Academy." Mikan determines to enroll too but Alice Academy is a mysterious place.

Stars: Rie Kugimiya, Romi Park, Sakiko Uran, Sarah Hauser

Votes: 272

20. Power Kids (2009)

R | 77 min | Action, Comedy

Four children sneak into a terrorist-controlled hospital to steal a heart to transplant for the 5th child who is dying in a different hospital.

Director: Krissanapong Rachata | Stars: Nantawooti Boonrapsap, Nawarat Techarathanaprasert, Sasisa Jindamanee, Phethai Vongkumlao

Votes: 499

21. Rich Hill (2014)

Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

Rich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.

Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos | Stars: Alyssa Jewell, Andrew Jewell, Elizabeth Jewell, Willie Jewell

Votes: 2,511

22. The Little Traitor (2007)

TV-PG | 88 min | Drama

A coming of age tale of the unlikely bond between a kindly British soldier and a spirited Jewish boy set against the backdrop of the birth of the State of Israel.

Director: Lynn Roth | Stars: Ido Port, Alfred Molina, Gilya Stern, Rami Heuberger

Votes: 1,105 | Gross: $0.40M

23. Kids of the Round Table (1995)

Unrated | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

Eleven-year-old Alex and his fellow homemade heroes are having a backyard blast. Battles rage, knights fight and damsels distress in a cardboard Camelot of dirt-bike steeds, aluminum foil ... See full summary »

Director: Robert Tinnell | Stars: Johnny Morina, Maggie Castle, Christopher Olscamp, Justin Borntraeger

Votes: 360

24. Hide Your Smiling Faces (2013)

Not Rated | 81 min | Drama

After a neighborhood tragedy, two adolescent brothers confront changing relationships, the mystery of nature, and their own mortality.

Director: Daniel Patrick Carbone | Stars: Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Colm O'Leary, Thomas Cruz

Votes: 1,835

25. Thrill of the Hills (2011)

103 min | Drama, Romance

In order to to see his idol, Jimi Hendrix, a twelve year old boy attempts a journey from his Quebec village to Woodstock.

Director: Richard Roy | Stars: Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Antoine Bertrand, Evelyne Brochu, Anick Lemay

Votes: 465

26. Victor and the Secret of Crocodile Mansion (2012)

PG | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Mystery

When Victor and his family move into his grand-uncle's mysterious - and seemingly haunted - mansion, the young boy detective makes it his mission to solve the case of a girl who died there forty years earlier.

Directors: Cyrill Boss, Philipp Stennert | Stars: Kristo Ferkic, Joanna Ferkic, Vijessna Ferkic, Christoph Maria Herbst

Votes: 559

27. One Small Hero (1999)

PG | 84 min | Comedy, Family

A young boy, who has stowed away on a camping trip for the school wilderness club, must use his wits in order to rescue the club from a pair of kidnappers.

Director: Jennifer Marchese | Stars: Nathan Kiley, Lindsay Lewis, Robert Schuch, Frankie Ray

Votes: 296

28. Swinki (2009)

94 min | Drama

14-year-old Tomek falls in love with Marta. Being poor he seeks ways of earning money so as to please her. He approaches a man who was seeking people for work. Not realizing the man is a pimp, Tomek has no idea of what awaits him.

Director: Robert Glinski | Stars: Filip Garbacz, Bogdan Koca, Dorota Wierzbicka-Matarrelli, Piotr Jagielski

Votes: 630

29. Pollyanna (1973– )

155 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

Elizabeth Archard plays the overly optimistic orphan, Pollyanna, in this timeless heart-warming BBC mini-series based on the best-selling novel and classic child literature by Eleanor ... See full summary »

Stars: Elizabeth Archard, Elaine Stritch, Paddy Frost, Ray McAnally

Votes: 84

30. Psychic Squad (2008–2009)

TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Comedy

Kouichi Minamoto has to watch over three adorable young girls: Kaoru, Shiho, and Aoi, who all have super powers called ESP. The Children work for B.A.B.E.L.; an organization dedicated to stopping crimes before they happen.

Stars: Yûichi Nakamura, Aya Hirano, Haruka Tomatsu, Rina Satô

Votes: 68

31. El Cristo del Océano (1971)

74 min | Drama

The people of a fishing village is about to witness a miracle thanks to the new mysterious friend of a young, lonely boy.

Director: Ramón Fernández | Stars: Nino del Arco, Paolo Gozlino, Pilar Velázquez, Leonard Mann

Votes: 115

32. Panday Kids (2010)

99 min | Action, Adventure, Family

Three kids destined to protect the world from the evil Lizardo using the shards of the Panday Sword. Oliver is the Heart (Puso) of the team, Hadji is the Bravery (Tapang), and Charlie is the Intelligence (Talino).

Stars: JC De Vera, Buboy Villar, Julian Trono, Sabrina Man

Votes: 23

33. Muukalainen (2008)

105 min | Drama

A stranger arrives into a remote farm where a mute boy is living with his mother.

Director: J.-P. Valkeapää | Stars: Pavel Liska, Vitali Bobrov, Jorma Tommila, Emilia Ikäheimo

Votes: 627

34. Eli & Ben (2008)

Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Family

The life of the Yassif family becomes almost impossible when the father who is the city architect, is charged with taking bribes.

Director: Ori Ravid | Stars: Lior Ashkenazi, Yuval Shevach, Yael Hadar, Nissan Nativ

Votes: 137

35. Primite telegrammu v dolg (1979)

82 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

A young boy is trying to arrange money in order to build aircraft.

Director: Leonid Nechaev | Stars: Andrey Tikhonchik, Tatyana Pelttser, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya

Votes: 60

36. Grace Bedell (2010)

17 min | Short, Drama, History

The true story of a little girl, who in 1860, wrote to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln suggesting he grow whiskers.

Director: Eric Burdett | Stars: Lana Esslinger, Mark Esslinger, Elizabeth Lackey, Pasha D. Lychnikoff

Votes: 7

37. La última isla (2012)

91 min | Drama

A young city girl spends time with her curandera aunt on an enigmatic volcanic island where she meets a plucky island boy and his mysterious sister, plus a very Quixotic loner.

Director: Dácil Pérez de Guzmán | Stars: Julieta Serrano, Eduardo Velasco, Antonio Dechent, Maite Sandoval

Votes: 46

38. Outside It's Making Sun (2019)

13 min | Short, Adventure, Drama

Martin is a 12 years old boy, who is growing up while understands the value of brotherhood. In a city of graffiti, trendiness, solitude and violence. Maturing, sometimes means recognizing the other one.

Director: Felipe Camargo Vargas | Stars: Juan Diego Acosta Blanquicet, Miguel Angel Motavita Pineda

39. Kiltti tyttö (2019)

12 min | Short, Drama

After being awarded for being a good girl, a naive little girl learns what it really means to be one.

Director: Merja Maijanen | Stars: Dana Faarinen, Annastiina Gylling, Jyrki Tammi

Votes: 9

40. Janje (2019)

16 min | Short, Crime, Drama

A young boy harboring a sinister agenda invites two friends to hang out in an abandoned apartment.

Director: Nina Violic | Stars: Margarita Belan, Cvita Viljac, Dan Kabalin Sirotnjak, Issaka Sawadogo

Votes: 8

41. The Obolus (2009)

Not Rated | 19 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy

A fairy tale for adults about a little boy who has to gain strength and courage to find his way out of a mysterious place by making the ultimate sacrifice.

Director: Mathias Røer | Stars: Jarrod Bailey, Christine Kellogg-Darrin, David Christian Welborn, Tony Amendola

Votes: 30

42. What I Did on My Vacation (2013)

6 min | Short, Comedy

Add a Plot

Director: Lucy Rudichuk | Stars: Lucy Rudichuk, Brandon Pentecost, Brenda Pentecost, Carla Rudichuk

43. Deadtime Stories (2012–2014)
Episode: Terror in Tiny Town (2013)

TV-PG | 23 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy

Willy and Zach love their Tiny Town train set but when the boys add a new toy, weird things begin to happen. The toys aren't where they were left and the Tiny Town train runs by itself. Is it possible Tiny Town has come to life?

Director: David Hillenbrand | Stars: Jennifer Stone, Aramis Knight, Garrett Ryan, Grace Kaufman

Votes: 36

44. R.L. Stine's the Haunting Hour (2010–2014)
Episode: Spores (2014)

TV-PG | 23 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

While on a hike in the woods, strange things begin to happen to Melvin's family.

Director: Ken Friss | Stars: William Ainscough, Paul McGillion, Erica Carroll, Michelle Creber

Votes: 67