Family-Friendly, Best Comedies, on streaming/DVD/more; Dr. Diane Howard; Movie Editor, Interviewer, Publicist

by DrDianeHoward | created - 05 May 2020 | updated - 22 Dec 2021 | Public

Diane Howard, Ph.D. (Performance Studies), reviews top redemptive, family movies & TV for content and artistry for a range of viewers to promote the best for Good, eternal difference in our world (See https://dianehoward.com/)

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1. Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

PG | 130 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

66 Metascore

A few decades after her original visit, Mary Poppins, the magical nanny, returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult time in their lives.

Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer

Votes: 91,375 | Gross: $171.96M

2. The Princess Bride (1987)

PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

77 Metascore

A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon

Votes: 436,101 | Gross: $30.86M

3. Monarch of the Glen (2000–2005)

TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Archie MacDonald, a young restaurateur is called back to his childhood home of Glenbogle where he is told he is the new Laird of Glenbogle.

Stars: Alexander Morton, Susan Hampshire, Hamish Clark, Dawn Steele

Votes: 3,496

4. Paddington (2014)

PG | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

77 Metascore

A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.

Director: Paul King | Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent

Votes: 123,647 | Gross: $76.27M

5. Paddington 2 (2017)

PG | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

88 Metascore

Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Director: Paul King | Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins

Votes: 84,976 | Gross: $40.44M

6. Christopher Robin (2018)

PG | 104 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

60 Metascore

A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss

Votes: 80,908 | Gross: $99.22M

7. Peter Rabbit (2018)

PG | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

51 Metascore

A rebellious rabbit tries to sneak into a farmer's vegetable garden.

Director: Will Gluck | Stars: James Corden, Fayssal Bazzi, Domhnall Gleeson, Sia

Votes: 45,370 | Gross: $115.25M

8. Toy Story (1995)

G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

96 Metascore

A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.

Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney

Votes: 1,018,113 | Gross: $191.80M

9. Toy Story 2 (1999)

G | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

88 Metascore

When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.

Directors: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer

Votes: 595,556 | Gross: $245.85M

10. Toy Story 3 (2010)

G | 103 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

92 Metascore

The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.

Director: Lee Unkrich | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

Votes: 855,015 | Gross: $415.00M

11. Toy Story 4 (2019)

G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

84 Metascore

When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.

Director: Josh Cooley | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale

Votes: 262,028 | Gross: $434.04M

12. Cars (2006)

G | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

73 Metascore

On the way to the biggest race of his life, a hotshot rookie race car gets stranded in a rundown town and learns that winning isn't everything in life.

Directors: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft | Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy

Votes: 439,021 | Gross: $244.08M

13. Cars 2 (2011)

G | 106 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

57 Metascore

Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Directors: John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis | Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer

Votes: 201,047 | Gross: $191.45M

14. Finding Nemo (2003)

G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

90 Metascore

After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe

Votes: 1,066,448 | Gross: $380.84M

15. Finding Dory (2016)

PG | 97 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

77 Metascore

Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane | Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson

Votes: 286,828 | Gross: $486.30M

16. Zootopia (2016)

PG | 108 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

78 Metascore

In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush | Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate

Votes: 516,340 | Gross: $341.27M

17. Stuart Little (1999)

PG | 84 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

61 Metascore

The Little family adopt a charming young mouse named Stuart, but the family cat wants rid of him.

Director: Rob Minkoff | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki

Votes: 141,547 | Gross: $140.04M

18. Stuart Little 2 (2002)

PG | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

66 Metascore

Stuart and Snowbell set out across town to rescue a friend.

Director: Rob Minkoff | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki

Votes: 56,386 | Gross: $64.96M

19. Cars 3 (2017)

G | 102 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

59 Metascore

Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he's still the best race car in the world.

Director: Brian Fee | Stars: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Nathan Fillion

Votes: 108,614 | Gross: $152.90M

20. The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

PG | 87 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

61 Metascore

The quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.

Director: Chris Renaud | Stars: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Lake Bell

Votes: 208,506 | Gross: $368.38M

21. The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

PG | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

55 Metascore

Continuing the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.

Directors: Chris Renaud, Jonathan del Val | Stars: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Eric Stonestreet

Votes: 65,236 | Gross: $158.87M

22. Dolittle (2020)

PG | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

26 Metascore

A physician who can talk to animals embarks on an adventure to find a legendary island with a young apprentice and a crew of strange pets.

Director: Stephen Gaghan | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent

Votes: 67,367 | Gross: $77.05M

23. Sing (2016)

PG | 108 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

59 Metascore

In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists find that their lives will never be the same.

Directors: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson

Votes: 178,625 | Gross: $270.40M

24. The Muppet Movie (1979)

G | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

74 Metascore

Kermit and his newfound friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog legs merchant is after Kermit.

Director: James Frawley | Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt

Votes: 37,553 | Gross: $76.66M

25. The Muppet Show (1976–1981)

TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Music

Kermit the Frog and his fellow Muppets put on a vaudeville show at their theatre, bringing in a famous celebrity to help out for each episode.

Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz

Votes: 25,349

26. The Muppets (2011)

PG | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

75 Metascore

A Muppet fanatic with some help from his 2 human compatriots must regroup the Muppet gang to stop an avaricious oil mogul from taking down one of their precious life-longing treasures.

Director: James Bobin | Stars: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones

Votes: 94,658 | Gross: $88.63M

27. The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

G | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

64 Metascore

Kermit and his friends go to New York City to get their musical on Broadway only to find it's a more difficult task than they anticipated.

Director: Frank Oz | Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire

Votes: 22,087 | Gross: $25.53M

28. The Muppets. (2015–2016)

TV-PG | 21 min | Comedy, Family

Jim Henson's lovable Muppets return to the small screen in this mockumentary-style series that follows their personal and professional lives.

Stars: Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Bill Barretta, Peter Linz

Votes: 7,016

29. The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 120 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

This version of The Wizard of Oz is played by the Muppets!

Director: Kirk R. Thatcher | Stars: Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier

Votes: 3,739

30. Peanuts (2014–2017)

TV-G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Action

In this series based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strips, Charlie Brown, an insecure boy, and Snoopy, his mischievous beagle, strive to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one eccentric misadventure to another.

Stars: Aiden Lewandowski, Taylor Autumn Bertman, Bella Stine, Jude Perry

Votes: 236

31. The Peanuts Movie (2015)

G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

67 Metascore

Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their archnemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home to win the love of his life.

Director: Steve Martino | Stars: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller, Francesca Capaldi

Votes: 47,796 | Gross: $130.18M

32. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

92 Metascore

Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.

Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr

Votes: 410,401 | Gross: $2.08M

33. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

54 Metascore

When both he and a colleague are about to lose their job, Walter takes action by embarking on an adventure more extraordinary than anything he ever imagined.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Kathryn Hahn

Votes: 326,575 | Gross: $58.24M

34. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

G | 100 min | Comedy, Family, Western

59 Metascore

Three orphan children strike gold in 1878 California.

Director: Norman Tokar | Stars: Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Don Knotts, Tim Conway

Votes: 6,207 | Gross: $36.85M

35. The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)

G | 88 min | Comedy, Family, Western

37 Metascore

The adventures of two idiotic outlaw wannabees, Amos and Theodore.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Tim Matheson, Kenneth Mars

Votes: 3,065 | Gross: $20.93M

36. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

G | 92 min | Comedy, Romance, Western

56 Metascore

In the old west, a man becomes a Sheriff just for the pay, figuring he can decamp if things get tough. In the end, he uses ingenuity instead.

Director: Burt Kennedy | Stars: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan

Votes: 11,958

37. The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)

TV-G | 60 min | Comedy, Family

Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.

Stars: Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, The Ernie Flatt Dancers, Harvey Korman

Votes: 6,841

38. Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers (2001 TV Special)

Unrated | 60 min | Comedy

The cast of the CBS variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," gets together and revisits some of their favorite moments throughout the course of the show.

Stars: Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence

Votes: 187

41. The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry (2003 TV Special)

E | 60 min | Documentary, Comedy

Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Rodney Dillard, Don Knotts sat in their court room set where the show was made. They talked about the show and how the show affected their lives and how others ... See full summary »

Directors: Eamon Harrington, John Watkin | Stars: Frances Bavier, Aneta Corsaut, Rodney Dillard, Elinor Donahue

Votes: 93

42. The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)

TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family

Widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, and his son Opie, live with Andy's Aunt Bee in Mayberry, North Carolina. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney Fife.

Stars: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Frances Bavier

Votes: 15,908

43. The New Andy Griffith Show (1971)

30 min | Comedy

After working for several years in the state capital for the government, Andy Sawyer learns that the mayor of his hometown is retiring from the position and is looking for an appointee to ... See full summary »

Stars: Andy Griffith, Lee Meriwether, Ann Morgan Guilbert, Lori Rutherford

Votes: 122

44. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

R | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical

79 Metascore

Six tales of life and violence in the Old West, following a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling impresario, an elderly prospector, a wagon train, and a perverse pair of bounty hunters.

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, Clancy Brown, Danny McCarthy

Votes: 155,883

45. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

PG-13 | 107 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime