This article is updated frequently as titles leave and enter Max. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Is this one of those nights when the whole family wants to watch a movie together? Or maybe you want something to distract the littles one tonight? The deep catalog of Max (née HBO Max) draws from classic cinema, years of Warner Bros. history, and the Studio Ghibli library, allowing its family section to be one of the richest out there too. It offers a little something for everybody in just the 20 movies below. We will keep this list constantly updated, so come back often for new recommendations for the whole family on Max.
Belle
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 2m
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
The brilliant director of Mirai retold the Beauty and the Beast legend with a tech twist in this striking, gorgeously animated feature film. It may have barely made an impact in the States, but it was actually the third-highest grossing film of the year in its home country of Japan. It’s a truly excellent fantasy adventure that you should see.
The Boy and the Heron
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 4m
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
One of the most influential animators of all time is still with us, making this stunning Oscar winner last year, available exclusively on Max. Inspired by a book that he loved as a child called How Do You Live?, Miyazaki crafted his most autobiographical fable, telling a story of a boy who discovers a magical world parallel to our own. Grief is balanced by the power of creativity in one of the best animated films in years.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Year: 2001
Runtime: 2h 33m
Director: Chris Columbus
J.K. Rowling is horrible now, but the books and films that emerged from her work continue to maintain and even build an incredibly loyal audience. They have a habit of rolling on and off streaming sites, and they’re back on Max for now, waiting for the entire family to have a marathon of the story of the Boy Who Lived. Like any massive franchise, they’re a rollercoaster of quality, but Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire rule.
How to Train Your Dragon
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Dean Deblois, Chris Sanders
The movies based on the book by Cressida Cowell comprise one of the best trilogies of the 2010s. It all started with this DreamWorks adventure film about a boy (Jay Baruchel) who befriends a dragon named Toothless, despite his people’s fear of the flying creatures. A classic tale of never judging a book by its cover, this a beautiful adventure tale, a movie with equal amounts of heart and spirit.
The LEGO Batman Movie
Year: 2017
Runtime: 1h 44m
Director: Chris McKay
More than just a child’s version of a superhero movie or a spoof of the genre, this family flick is a legitimately clever and well-crafted action film. Will Arnett spins off his version of the Dark Knight that premiered in The LEGO Movie for a film that unpacks the clichés about Bruce Wayne and Batman in a manner that’s funny and very smart.
*Matilda
Year: 1996
Runtime: 1h 39m
Director: Danny DeVito
The musical version of the Roald Dahl classic made waves last summer on Netflix, but you really should stick to the clever and funny 1990s edition of this tale of a precocious kid with superpowers. Mara Wilson plays the title character and real-life couple Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito play her parents. DeVito also directed this charming flick that kinda bombed in theaters but developed a following on VHS and DVD.
*Mrs. Doubtfire
Year: 1993
Runtime: 2h 6m
Director: Chris Columbus
Remember when Robin Williams was one of the biggest stars in the world? Relive those days with one of his biggest flicks, this comedy about a man who dresses up like a housekeeper to spend more time with his children. The script is pretty mediocre, but Williams throws himself into every scene in a way that made it an instant hit. He always gave his all.
My Neighbor Totoro
Year: 1988
Runtime: 1h 29m
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
For the longest time, only Spirited Away served as the representative for Studio Ghibli on this list, but we’re expanding now to include the second-best film in the catalog, this gentle and beautiful kids movie from 1988 about an unforgettable friend to two little girls. After their mother is hospitalized, two girls move to an old house, and become friends with the spirits in the woods. That’s just the start of one of the best animated films of all time.
*Paddington
Year: 2014
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: Paul King
One of the sweetest family films ever made adapts the classic talking bear to modern London when Paddington (Ben Whishaw) finds his way there from “Darkest Peru,” looking for a new home. He finds one with an average family led by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins, but crosses paths with a nefarious taxidermist (a wonderful Nicole Kidman) who tries to take him down. This is such a gently funny and likable movie. You kind of have to be a jerk to hate it.
The Peanuts Movie
Year: 2015
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director: Steve Martino
Do kids today appreciate Charlie Brown and Snoopy like their parents used to do? A great gateway drug for the work of Charles M. Schulz for modern young people is this fun and heartfelt big-screen version of the most famous comic strip characters in history. It’s such a sweet movie, one that really gets the core of these characters, and the biggest shame is that a sequel seems impossible after the collapse of Blue Sky Studios and the Disney/Fox merger.
*Rio
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Remember Blue Sky? The company behind Ice Age tried for another hit franchise with a bunch of colorful Brazilian birds, and this first movie was successful enough to produce a reasonably entertaining sequel. Rio is all about bright colors, catchy music, and fun voice work from people like Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan, and many more. It’s just fun and sweet enough.
Spirited Away
Year: 2001
Runtime: 2h 4m
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Almost all of the Studio Ghibli films are on Max, the now-exclusive home to them when it comes to streaming. The truth is that we could devote about 10% of this list to Hayao Miyazaki and his colleagues, but we’ll give up some that space and just point you here to the ranking of the entire output of the most important modern animation studio in the world. Start with Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky. You won’t stop.
The Spongebob SquarePants Movie
Year: 2004
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director: Stephen Hillenburg
Relatively shortly into the pop culture run of Spongebob SquarePants, Paramount turned his underwater adventures into a feature film that starred most of the voice actors from the Nickelodeon show. Twenty years later, Spongebob has been in two more films with a third sequel coming out in 2025. While kids don’t watch cable TV like they used to, Spongebob has maintained his grip on animated culture for a quarter-century, and it shows no signs of decreasing.
Spy Kids
Year: 2001
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez may be best-known for his adult action movies but he’s mostly the guy behind Spy Kids for people who were just the right age in the 2000s. The breakthrough first film in 2001 led to three sequels, and they’re all on Max. A rare smash franchise with a Latinx influence, these movies are fun action-adventure flicks for the whole family.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Year: 2013
Runtime: 2h 17m
Director: Isao Takahata
We try to limit the inclusion of Studio Ghibli films on this list because it could dominate if we didn’t, but this feels like one of the more underrated gems from the studio, probably because it wasn’t directed by Master Miyazaki. It’s still a masterpiece, a gorgeous, moving fable based on the 10th century fable The Tale of the Bamboo Cuter. It’s a film that takes up residence in your heart and head, often returning in memory like a classic fairy tale.
Time Bandits
Year: 1981
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director: Terry Gilliam
Between his Monty Python era and the production of Brazil, Terry Gilliam got the financing for a fantasy family film that would end up like no other. Casting some of his Python buddies (Michael Palin, John Cleese) and legends like Sean Connery, Ian Holm, David Warner, and many more, Time Bandits is an imaginative fairy tale about a boy who travels through time with a group of rowdy thieves. It’s like nothing else.
*Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Year: 1971
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director: Mel Stuart
They can remake this story as many times as they want (and are again now with an upcoming series) but the most beloved version of the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will always be the one starring the legendary Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Joyous and a little dangerous at the same time, Wilder understood the Dahl sense of humor, one that doesn’t baby young viewers as it takes them on an unforgettable journey through pure imagination.
The Wizard of Oz
Year: 1939
Runtime: 1h 41m
Director: Victor Fleming
Maybe you’ve heard of it? Seriously, what could possibly be written if you’re on the fence about The Wizard of Oz? Maybe you haven’t seen it since you were a little kid? Revisit the journey of Dorothy over the rainbow if that’s the case and appreciate this wonderful fantasy on a new level.
Wonka
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 57m
Director: Paul King
The quick turnaround from theatrical Warner Bros. releases to Max has been impressive. This family feature was still playing in some theaters when it dropped on Max. An origin story for the character created by Roald Dahl (and defined by Gene Wilder), this Timothee Chalamet vehicle plays well at home, the kind of charmer that can be used as background noise for the little ones or watched more closely on a family movie night. It’s not perfect, but it’s sweet in all the right places.
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