The Best Family Movies of All Time, According to Critics
Based on their Metacritic scores, these are the greatest family films ever made.
Whether you have kids or not, watching a beloved family movie can be one of the best ways to put your mind at ease. And in turbulent times like these, that's probably exactly what you need. Picking a favorite family film is obviously subjective, and has a lot to do with the movies you grew up with. Were you raised on Disney, or black-and-white classics? To determine the best family movies ever made, we decided to turn to the critics. These are the greatest of all time, at least based on the reviews.
For this ranking, we focused on the scores from review aggregator site Metacritic. We narrowed things down to movies that the whole family can enjoy—though there might be some tears and scares along the way. Did your favorite make the cut? Read on to find out. And to see what the critics thought about more of your childhood faves, check out our Ranking of Every Disney Animated Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
50
Shrek (2001)
Metascore: 84
And for more movies the critics loved, These Are the Top-Rated Movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
49
Lassie (2006)
Metascore: 84
48
Old Yeller (1957)
Metascore: 84
47
The Bad News Bears (1976)
Metascore: 84
And to see how less family-friendly comedies stacked up, these are The Best Comedies of All Time, According to Critics.
46
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Metascore: 84
45
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Metascore: 84
And if you're a Pixar fan, you'll enjoy our Ranking of Every Pixar Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
44
The Black Stallion (1979)
Metascore: 84
43
The Iron Giant (1999)
Metascore: 85
42
The Three Caballeros (1945)
Metascore: 85
And for even more Disney rankings, here's our Ranking of Every Disney Live-Action Remake, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
41
Cinderella (1950)
Metascore: 85
40
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Metascore: 85
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39
Song of the Sea (2014)
Metascore: 85
38
Ernest & Celestine (2014)
Metascore: 86
37
Ponyo (2009)
Metascore: 86
36
Aladdin (1992)
Metascore: 86
35
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Metascore: 86
34
The King and the Mockingbird (2014)
Metascore: 87
33
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Metascore: 87
32
The Incredible Journey (1963)
Metascore: 87
31
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Metascore: 87
30
Little Women (1994)
Metascore: 87
29
Mary Poppins (1964)
Metascore: 88
28
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Metascore: 88
27
Up (2009)
Metascore: 88
26
Chicken Run (2000)
Metascore: 88
25
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Metascore: 88
24
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Metascore: 88
23
Paddington 2 (2018)
Metascore: 88
22
The Lion King (1994)
Metascore: 88
21
It's a Wonderful Life (1947)
Metascore: 89
20
The Yearling (1947)
Metascore: 89
19
Treasure Island (1950)
Metascore: 89
18
The Incredibles (2004)
Metascore: 90
17
Finding Nemo (2003)
Metascore: 90
16
Bambi (1942)
Metascore: 91
15
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Metascore: 91
14
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Metascore: 92
13
Little Women (1933)
Metascore: 92
12
Inside Out (2015)
Metascore: 94
11
WALL-E (2008)
Metascore: 95
10
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
Metascore: 95
9
My Fair Lady (1964)
Metascore: 95
8
Toy Story (1995)
Metascore: 95
7
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Metascore: 95
6
Spirited Away (2002)
Metascore: 96
5
Fantasia (1940)
Metascore: 96
4
Ratatouille (2007)
Metascore: 96
3
Dumbo (1941)
Metascore: 96
2
Pinocchio (1940)
Metascore: 99
1
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Metascore: 100
