Great Movies for Families with Younger Kids (Ages 7-11)
I've only included movies based on a few criteria: (1) Holds attention for both kids and adults; (2) The main storyline is not a romance; (3) No graphic content; (4) No overtly offensive content; (5) Stands out for quality cinema or learning opportunities; and (6) Generally avoid the major franchises and series we already know. All movies are rated G or PG.
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- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsLiesel MatthewsEleanor BronLiam CunninghamSara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJosh GadDennis QuaidPeggy LiptonA dog discovers the meaning of its own existence through the lives of the humans it teaches to laugh and love. Reincarnated as multiple canines over the course of five decades, the lovable pooch develops an unbreakable bond with Ethan.
- DirectorCharles Martin SmithStarsMorgan FreemanAshley JuddHarry Connick Jr.A boy finds a dolphin that was injured in a trap. They become friends, but the dolphin needs to have its tail amputated to survive. With the help of a biologist and a prosthetics specialist, the boy tries to save the animal.
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsReese WitherspoonEthan EmbryJack ThompsonWhen a gang of African poachers raid her family's farm, young Nonni, visiting American teenager Harry Winslow and a local bushman guide must escape into the Kalahari desert and reach the nearest town.
- DirectorDoug AtchisonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneKeke PalmerAkeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsTina MajorinoKeith CarradineChelsea FieldThe true story of how a seal named Andre befriended a little girl named Toni and her family in 1962.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsQuvenzhané WallisCameron DiazJamie FoxxA foster kid who lives with her mean foster mom sees her life change when business tycoon and New York City mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksElizabeth PerkinsRobert LoggiaAfter wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
- DirectorGabor CsupoStarsJosh HutchersonAnnaSophia RobbZooey DeschanelA preteen's life turns upside down when he befriends the new girl in school and they imagine a whole new fantasy world to escape reality.
- DirectorKen KwapisStarsDrew BarrymoreJohn KrasinskiJohn PingayakIn small-town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his Greenpeace-volunteer ex-girlfriend on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly-forming ice in the Arctic Circle.
- DirectorGary WinickStarsDakota FanningJulia RobertsOprah WinfreyWilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsEwan McGregorHayley AtwellBronte CarmichaelA working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsDon AmecheWilford BrimleyHume CronynWhen a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.
- DirectorJessie NelsonStarsRay LiottaWhoopi GoldbergTina MajorinoIn 1959, a widower hires a kindly housekeeper/nanny to care for his seven-year-old daughter.
- DirectorJohn GatinsStarsKurt RussellDakota FanningOded FehrCale Crane catalyzes the rescue and rehabilitation of Sonador, a race horse with a broken leg.
- DirectorCarroll BallardStarsAlex MichaeletosCampbell ScottHope DavisAn orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.
- DirectorChris WedgeStarsAmanda SeyfriedJosh HutchersonBeyoncéA teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil is taking place. She bands together with a ragtag group of characters to save their world--and ours.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHenry ThomasDrew BarrymorePeter CoyoteA troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsPierce BrosnanJulianna MarguliesAidan QuinnDesmond's wife leaves him and their 3 kids after Christmas 1953. As he's unemployed in Dublin, the authorities place the kids in orphanages; when he finds a job, he tries to get his kids back.
- DirectorCarroll BallardStarsJeff DanielsAnna PaquinDana DelanyA father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.
- DirectorJulian FellowesStarsAlex EtelTimothy SpallMaggie SmithA haunting ghost story spanning two worlds, more than a century apart. When 13-year-old Tolly finds he can mysteriously travel between the two, he begins an adventure that unlocks family secrets laid buried for generations.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsSean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenA group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsShia LaBeoufSigourney WeaverJon VoightA wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a brutal desert detention camp where he joins the job of digging holes for some mysterious reason.
- DirectorAlain GsponerStarsAnuk SteffenAnna SchinzLilian NaefA story of a young girl who lives in the Swiss Alps with her goat herding Grandfather.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDustin HoffmanRobin WilliamsJulia RobertsWhen Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.