by Family movie night is always fun … unless you can’t agree on what to watch. Scrolling endlessly through a streaming app is a waste of the evening. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, however, we’ve already done the hard work for you. Prime Video has a massive collection of family-friendly movies, and we’ve scoured the list to recommend the latest top titles. Here are the best family movies on Amazon Prime Video this month.
Looking for even more family films? We’ve also put together a list of the best family movies on Netflix, the best family movies on Hulu, and the best family movies on Disney+.
Hook (1991)
Steven Speilberg’s take on J.M. Barrie’s classic character wasn’t well-received by critics, but it was a beloved movie for ’80s and ’90s kids alike. Middle-aged lawyer Peter Banning (Robin Williams) has no memory of being Peter Pan, but when his children are abducted by Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), he has to dig deep to rediscover his roots as he returns to Neverland to save his children. Unfortunately, those he left behind, including Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, are not exactly happy to see him.
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Stars: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG
Runtime: 144 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Annie (1982)
The original movie adaptation of the Broadway musical made Annie a classic for new generations. Aileen Quinn stars as the titular orphan who believes her parents left her at the orphanage by mistake. When the wealthy Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (Albert Finney) decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is chosen and whisked away to live in Warbucks’ mansion. But while she likes this rich new life, she still wants to meet her real parents. So when Warbucks announces a reward to find them, the frauds start coming out of the woodworks.
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Stars: Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett
Director: John Huston
Rating: PG
Runtime: 130 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Pinocchio (2019)
This is far from your grandfather’s Pinocchio – the PG-13 remake is beautiful, dramatic, and thoroughly enchanting for older kids and parents who are looking for a movie that the whole family can sit down and enjoy. The classic and familiar beats are here, from the wooden boy trying to become real and a growing nose, but there’s also a lot of new story elements to appreciate (some derived from the original 1883 book and excellent performances. Fun fact: Most of the special effects are made with prosthetic make-up instead of CGI!
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Stars:Roberto Benigni, Federico Ielapi, Rocco Papaleo
Director: Matteo Garrone
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 125 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
An original movie from Amazon, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a young adult comedy reminiscent of Netflix’s Russian Doll show — but much more friendly for teens and tweens. Mark (Kyle Allen) is coming to terms with his life living the same day over and over again, when he finds another teen, Margaret (Kathryn Newton) who is experiencing the same event. Love, humor, and mystery all ensue, creating a highly watched teen time-loop romp that’s a great pick if no one knows what to watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Stars: Kathyrn Newton, Kyle Allen, Al Madrigal
Director: Ian Samuels
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 99 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Cats (2020)
No, not that Cats! This Cats is, thankfully, a fully animated fun time about a family of cats living in a high-rise apartment. Blanket, the father of the house, must overcome his fear and distrust of all things outdoors to help rescue his son, Cape. The ensuing adventures are perfect for families with a wide variety of age groups, and the search for the legendary cat town of “Peachtopia” spans a variety of quirky characters and quests.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Stars: Dermot Mulroney, Nicole Tompkins, Nick Guerra
Director: Gary Wang
Rating: PG
Runtime: 87 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Storm Boy (2019)
In Storm Boy, Geoffrey Rush stars as Michael Kingley, a retired businessman that begins experiencing fleeting visions of his past. As the film unfolds, we learn that in his youth, Michael spent his days on a largely uninhabited part of the Southern Australian coastline. It was here that he rescued and formed a close bond with an extraordinary pelican he deemed Mr. Percival. A rather faithful adaptation of a novella by Colin Thiele and the second film adaptation of the source material, Storm Boy is a loving and heartwarming film that’ll charm the whole family.
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Stars: Jai Courtney, Geoffrey Rush, Finn Little
Director: Shawn Seet
Rating: PG
Runtime: 98 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Troop Zero (2020)
In rural Georgia in 1977, a misfit little girl (McKenna Grace) dreams of one day going to outer space. So when a national competition offers her a chance to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she jumps at the chance. The only problem is that she has to be a part of the Birdie Scouts to compete. In a rush to enter the competition, she assembles a ragtag crew of misfits like her, only to unwittingly forge friendships that will last a lifetime.
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Stars: Viola Davis, McKenna Grace, Jim Gaffigan
Director: Bert & Bertie
Rating: PG
Runtime: 97 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Benji (1974)
Benji is a stray dog that doesn’t need an owner. He likes to roam freely in his friendly Texas town where people give him treats and he can hector the local cat as much as he wants. But when two children that Benji loves are kidnapped and held for ransom, Benji takes it upon himself to save the day. Who needs Lassie when Benji is around?
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Stars: Frances Bavier, Edgar Buchanan, Peter Breck
Directors: Joe Camp
Rating: G
Runtime: 86 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Belle and Sebastian (2015)
Adapted from the 1965 novel Belle et Sébastien by Cécile Aubry, our story follows Sebastian (Félix Bosseut), an orphan boy living with an adoptive grandfather and his niece in the German-occupied French Alps in 1943. With dreams of reuniting with his mother, who he believes is just beyond the mighty mountain range, Sebastian spends his days in the shadows of the vistas. Returning home from one such excursion, he encounters a towering stray dog who he names Belle. The two take to each other right away, but just as trouble strikes. A Nazi patrol strolls into Sebastian’s villa, with intentions of cutting off the local French Resistance that has been transporting Jews into Switzerland. Nicolas Vanier’s film weaves a beautiful tale of companionship, humanity, and authentic depiction of a hardship-laced era.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stars: Félix Bosseut, Tchéky Karyo, Margaux Châtelier
Directors: Nicholas Varnier
Rating: G
Runtime: 99 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Heidi (2017)
Alain Gsponer’s Heidi is the most recent adaptation of Johanna Spyri’s 1881 Swiss novel about an orphaned girl named Heidi that spends her days roaming the valleys of the Swiss Alps with her grandfather. The child’s way of life is totally uprooted when she’s forced into the care of a bourgeoisie Frankfurt family, where she pines for her days of carefree country living. This is perhaps the closest to the original text as an adaptation has ever neared, with Anuk Steffen delivering an earnest and emotional portrayal of the titular character. Rounding out the talented cast are a host of other great German actors, including the late Bruno Ganz and Anna Schinz. If you and the little ones are OK with subtitles, this is an incredible foreign language entry for the entire family.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stars: Anuk Steffen, Bruno Ganz, Anna Schinz
Directors: Alain Gsponer
Rating: G
Runtime: 111 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
Explorers (1985)
Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke), a San Francisco youth, keeps having dreams about flying through the sky on some kind of manufactured spacecraft that resembles a circuit board. Ben eventually reports his dream-visions to wunderkind school-friend Wolfgang (River Phoenix). With the help of a third friend, Darren (Jason Presson), the three boys actually construct the circuit board, using the device to create an electromagnetic field around an old Tilt-a-Whirl car that they’ve fashioned for their flight vehicle. Explorers is a fun film that was quickly relegated to cult status upon its release. According to director Joe Dante, the production was infamously rushed by studio executives and released only a week after Back to the Future, the year’s mega box-office hit.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Stars: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson
Director: Joe Dante
Rating: PG
Runtime: 109 minutes
Watch on Amazon Prime
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