Some of the best times with your family is sitting around the television with a great family movie and some popcorn (semi-burnt is the best!) Make it a date night so that everyone can get excited as the day approaches! Some of these may not entertain the younger children, but would be great movies to discuss with your older ones. Please don’t be too critical, as Disney/Pixar does have many movies in this list. Here are my top 20 favorite family adventure movies! Enjoy!
20. Rise Of The Guardians
19. The Adventures Of Milo And Otis
18. Wreck It Ralph
17. Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
16. Jumanji
15. Ice Age
14. Despicable Me
13. The Princess Bride
12. E.T.
11. The Wizard Of Oz
“The Truth" Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
10. The Goonies
This was one of the best movies made in the 1980’s. It starred a much younger Sean Astin (Rudy, Lord of the Rings) along with other wonderful actors/actresses. It is such a fun adventure, watching the kids look for the treasure of “One-Eyed-Willie”. Many great scenes, moments and quotes came from this movie. Who can ever forget “HEY YOU GUYS!” or “Ruth, Baby Ruth?”
9. Hook
This movie stars Peter Pan (Robin Williams) as an adult who travels back to Neverland to rescue his children. Many wonderful scenes come from this movie including: when the lost boys realize that Peter Pan has grown old, and the insults at dinner scene. All-in-all this movie will draw your younger kids in “hook”, line and sinker!
8. Harry Potter (The Whole Series)
These movies are awesome! So much imagination was put into them. The actors/actresses do an amazing job in their roles. Harry Potter is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of fiction! I wouldn’t recommend watching any movies after the 2nd one with your younger children because the themes get progressively darker as the end approaches. So many wonderful characters and moments happen in these films. One funny moment is when Harry tries to go through the train station platform at 9 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time. One intense moment is when Harry and Ron enter the cave of spiders to talk with Aragog, the huge spider. Of course there are epic moments of Harry and Voldemort battling each other too. These movies bring out imagination intensely and the story-line is awesome!
7. The Incredibles
This move is “incredible”! The pun is totally intended! This movie is great for the whole family. It is about the Parr family and their fight against Syndrome. Each member of the family has special powers that they use to help each other win the fight. Mr. Incredible has super-strength, Elasti-girl has the ability to stretch her body to immense proportions, Violet can create a shield to stop anything coming at her, Dash can run extremely fast, and Jack-Jack can get really mad (you’ll know it when you see it!). This movie teaches the value of sticking together as a family through thick and thin! This is an excellent topic to talk about with your kids after you watch the movie!
6. Star Wars (1st Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi)
Star Wars has become a household name. The battle for good and evil rages on as the Jedi must decide to use the “force” for good or evil. This parallels our own battle with sin. Should we let sin control us or should we choose to do good instead of evil? This science-fiction trilogy of movies has so many wonderful characters and moments. “It’s not wise to upset a Wookie.” (Han Solo) “But sir nobody worries about upsetting a droid.” (C-3PO) “That’s cuz a droid doesn’t pull peoples arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookies have been known to do that.” (Han Solo) “I see your point. I suggest a new strategy, R2. Let the Wookie win.” (C-3PO) These movies have humor, suspense, moments of sorrow, and victories! My 4 year old loves these movies!
5. Finding Nemo
This movie is so well thought out. The basis of this movie is a worried father, Marlin, desperately trying to find his lost son, Nemo. There are many wonderful characters in this movie including, Dory. She is so funny because she forgets things right after you tell her. This makes for some hilarious conversations throughout the show. This movie is great for the whole family and it will have you laughing for sure!
4. Toy Story (All of them)
What can I possibly say that hasn’t already been said about these movies? The characters are all memorable. The movies are full of adventure, comedy and suspense. Your children will fall in love with the toys in these movies, guaranteed! If you still haven’t watched these movies, please plan a date night with your family with some popcorn and enjoy them. They all have a different story-line and they all are worth watching!
3. Shrek
Can ogres fall in love? They sure can! Shrek is a hilarious adventure involving, Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey and Lord Farquaad. Shrek is on a mission to stop Fiona from marrying Lord Farquaad. Only a kiss from her true love can break the spell that is on her. The bantering between Donkey and Shrek will have you in tears! This movie is a must see!
2. Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
These movies are not for the younger children, but are a must see for the older ones. There is a very important lesson to be learned from these movies. The “ring” symbolizes “sin”. The longer one holds the ring, the weaker they become to it. The longer you continue in sin, the weaker you become as well. Join Frodo and Sam on their mission to destroy the ring once and for all. Many memorable characters and scenes are in all of these movies. Gandalf fighting the dragon is EPIC! There is a wonderful scene where Frodo gives up and Sam delivers a very powerful message to him as they are surrounded by destruction. You will need at least 2 to 3 hours to watch each one, so make some time to enjoy these!
1. Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
This is my favorite adventure movie of all-time! Four children (Lucy, Edmond, Susan and Peter) find their way into Narnia through a wardrobe and experience the journey of their lives. Narnia is described as “Always winter, never Christmas” by Mr. Tumnus, a fawn. This parallels life before Jesus died for us on the cross. Aslan, the lion, portrays Jesus in this movie. I won’t say more in case you haven’t watched it but the scene with the mice near the end is EPIC! This is a wonderful, fun movie for the whole family!
Check out this F&E title counting down the top family flicks of all time: 101 Best Family Movies of All Time
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this list of my 20 favorite family movies. Please let us know in the comments below what some of your favorites are! God bless you all!
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