The best movies for toddlers the whole family will love

Sweet, silly and simple, the animated Lilo and Stitch, from 2002, was the closest thing zoomers had to a Disney Renaissance Era classic, and rewatched it accordingly. Twenty years later, it received the now-standard live-action treatment, and lost little of its charm. Lilo is a lonely orphan from Hawaii. Stitch is the blue, puppy-like alien she adopts as her new bestie. Adventures ensue from there. 

At the risk of confusing wee ones just learning animal noises, this barnyard fable, featuring a menagerie of talking critters, is too sweet to ignore. An orphaned piglet, adopted by a kindly old farmer, learns the rules of life are meant to be broken, en route to discovering his true calling: herding sheep.

Children’s literature’s favourite marmalade-craving furball is at once a bear out of time and just the calming presence kids (and plenty of adults) need to deal with the chaos of the modern world. In his first live-action romp, he arrives in London from South America searching for a new home and must evade a taxidermist eager to stuff him. Now up to three films, the whole series is worth watching. 

Just as soon as your kids finally let go of ‘Let It Go’, along came ‘Bruno’. Lin-Manuel Miranda penned the hyper-addictive soundtrack for this fable about a magical family living in the mountains of Colombia, but don’t let that put you off: it’s a colourful, enchanting celebration of Latin-American identity multiple generations can enjoy.

Who can resist Pooh and his crew? Join our beloved bear as he moseys around the Hundred Acre Wood with the likes of Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Eeyore and other furry friends in this beloved 1977 classic. 

All kiddos should be so lucky as to have a nanny like Mary Poppins. This whimsical Disney tale follows the Banks children as they journey alongside their new caregiver who is nothing short of magical, and we assure you this heartwarming classic will never go out of style.

A thumb-shaped old man fulfils his late wife’s wishes with the help of an over-eager Wilderness Explorer and a talking dog named Dug. Kids will swoon at the floating house and Dug’s antics, while parents will have to explain why they’ve been sobbing since the first ten minutes. Anyone who wanders off mid-film deserves the cone of shame.

The classic Disney tale answers the eternal question: ‘What if Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a flying baby elephant and had giant ears instead of a glowing schnoz?’ The story isn’t precisely the same, but the message is, which is that it’s okay to be different. Just be prepared to respond to nightmares about pink dancing pachyderms for years afterward. 

Can someone please tell Big Bird how to get to Sesame Street? Sent away from his nest by a misguided social worker, everyone’s favourite overgrown canary quickly grows homesick, and sets out to find his way back – but as the song implies, it’s not the easiest place to find. This sweet, funny road movie also imparts a pro-diversity message a few adults we know could stand to hear. 

At this point, all viewings of this snow-capped adventure should come with a warning from the Surgeon General about its addictive properties. Multiple generations of tots now have grown up completely obsessed with the story of Queen Anna of Arendelle, who bravely sets off to find her estranged sister Elsa and save her land from eternal winter. Still complaining about having to watch it over and over again and listen to the soundtrack on repeat? Well, you better ‘let it go’ – this is your life now.

What do babies love more than other babies? In this big-screen spinoff of the classic ’90s Nickelodeon cartoon about the secret lives of toddlers, Tommy, Chuckie and the gang venture away from home, get lost in the woods and tangle with a group of escaped circus monkeys. Sounds scary, but it’s nothing most tots can’t handle.

Sure, it’s the movie that unleashed those annoying, nattering Minions on the world, but the original Despicable Me indulges in a kind of old-school animated zaniness that works for simple-minded kiddos and nostalgic adults alike. Heck, you might even get a bit verklempt as supervillain Gru has his cold heart unexpectedly melted by a trio of orphans. 

In an animal kingdom where predator and prey coexist in harmony, a rabbit police officer must team up with a conniving fox to solve a mysterious disappearance. It’s fun and clever without alienating its core demo, and carries a message about inclusivity to boot. The blockbuster 2025 sequel is worth trying out, too.

It’s at once a send-up of fairy tales and a classic fairy tale in itself, in which a hideous ogre competes for the affection of a beautiful princess who is way out of his league – or so he thinks. The in-jokes jabbing at Disney will whoosh over your kids’ heads, but everyone can get a laugh out of wisecracking sidekick Donkey. 

A peasant boy disguises himself as royalty to win the heart of a beautiful princess in this classic from Disney’s renaissance years. Yeah, yeah, that’s all great, but we know what the kids are really here for: the wisecracking, hyperactive genie, voiced by Robin Williams in one of his most iconic (and manic) performances.

When this Pixar movie raced into theaters, it left its tire tracks on our automotive-loving hearts. Though Lightning McQueen meant to head to the Piston Cup Championship in the franchise's first film, we're grateful he loses his way and meets the likes of Doc Hudson, Mater and Sally. 

While most Studio Ghibli films are often for much older children, this sweet and charming tale about two young sisters who befriend woodland spirits is brilliant for all ages. Not only is it a beautiful celebration of nature and sisterhood, but little ones will fall in love with the film’s cast of fantastical creatures.

Sure, it’s a movie about monsters, but even the tiniest, scarediest tots will embrace James P ‘Sulley’ Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, the two beasts at the centre of this hilarious Pixar tale. In the land of Monstropolis, the screams of human children are harvested for energy – but when a young girl named Boo ends up in the Monsters Inc. factory, it threatens to upend both worlds. Clever enough for grown-ups, colourful and high-energy enough for kids, it’s the perfect family watch too. 

The inhabitants of Andy’s toybox have been part of our lives so long now that it feels like they were our playthings growing up. Likewise, it’s hard to imagine a time when Woody and Buzz weren’t friends, but that’s how they start in this Pixar classic, before coming together to defeat a common enemy: Sid, the toy-torturing miscreant neighbour boy.

This British musical will forever reign supreme on our list of best movies for kids. Truly Scrumptious can't resist Caractacus Potts and his two kids...or his family's wacky car, and we can't resist this classic.