Other considerations are for personal reference only, please do not include them on the website. (Some I haven’t seen or need to review again before I feel comfortable recommending them)
Also, please don’t include any lists that are incomplete as I’m still reviewing the options and will will likely still change them significantly.
YouTube:
- The Prince of Egypt
- Fiddler on the Roof
- The Ultimate Gift
- Pride and Prejudice
- A Walk to Remember
- Ramona and Beezus
- Castle in the Sky
- The Little Rascals
- Forever Strong
- We Bought a Zoo
Comments: Youtube is expanding their catalog of films available to stream and has some decent options to watch for free with ads (or without if you subscribe to YouTube Premium). For more accurate results about what movies are available, search for films on the platform, not on Google, as we found it to be inaccurate about what movies are available free (and legally) on this channel.
Watchers be warned: our biggest frustration with the experience of watching free movies on Youtube was the inconsistency in volume – we had to turn the volume all the way up to hear the movies and then scramble to mute quickly whenever ads came on as they, in comparison, were extremely loud and hurt our ears. While Youtube is a lower quality platform to watch films on, it can be a great way to watch a film once and decide if your family likes it before buying a higher quality version elsewhere.
Other Considerations:
Disney Plus:
- 2D Animated Films – Bambi, The Lion King, Cinderella, Tarzan, 101 Dalmations, Fantasia, Mulan, Pocahontas, Anastasia, Aladdin, The Emperor’s New Groove, Lilo and Stitch, Lady and the Tramp, The Fox and the Hound, the Jungle Book, The Black Cauldron, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Homeward Bound?, Moana, The Sword and the Stone?
- 3D Animated – Monster’s Inc, Coco, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Tangled, Toy Story, Wall-E, Meet the Robinsons, Inside Out 1&2, The Peanuts Movie, Turning Red?
- Based on Books (Younger kids) – Winnie the Pooh’s Grand Adventure, Piglet’s Big Movie, The Tigger Movie?, Horton Hears a Who
- Based on Books (Older Kids) – Narnia, Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, Oliver Twist, Where the Red Fern Grows?, Old Yeller?
- Muppet Movies – The Muppet Movie (2011), Muppets from Space, Muppets Treasure Island, The Muppets Christmas Carol
- Inspirational Dramas – Remember the Titans, The Kid, The Rookie, The Sandlot, McFarland USA, Newsies, Saving Mr. Banks, The Other Side of Heaven
- Adventure – The Princess Bride, National Treasure, Night at the Museum, Pirates of the Caribbean, Princess Diaries
- Remakes – Disney has been re-using a lot of their old content and we haven’t liked many of them, but we love the original Mary Poppins and thought the new sequel turned out lovely, and we also enjoy the Cinderella live-action remake
Comments: Excluding our local library, Disney Plus has the largest selection of great family films available to stream of any platform we could find. Although they haven’t released many new original hits in recent years, they still have an outstanding catalogue, largely due to their longstanding history, and acquisitions (incuding Pixar’s entire collection). We couldn’t narrow it down into a top 10 list, so instead we narrowed down the options into a few categories and listed some of our favorites in each!
Other Considerations:
HBO Max
- Studio Gibli – Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, Spirited Away, The Secret World of Arietty, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso
- Wonka
- Paddington
- Harry Potter Movies (we especially prefer the first 3)
- Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy (for older kids/teenagers)
- Miracle in Milan (substitles required)
- Babbette’s Feast
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Matilda
- The Peanuts Movie
Comments: If you like Miyusaki, HBO Max is a great option as they have a deal with Gibli. Some of these movies are not appropriate for younger audiences, so we always recommend checking content on the Parent’s Guide on IMDB before watching anything new with your littles.
Other Considerations: Shrek 3?
Amazon Prime:
- Away
- The Land Before Time
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- The Blue Angels
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- A Walk to Remember
- A Little Princess
- The Circus (Charlie Chaplin) and A Dog’s Life (30 min)
- Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
- Firehouse Dog
Comments: For a platform that comes free with Amazon’s online shopping and delivery service, there are some great options available to stream with your family. It’s also easy to purchase digital copies of films or order a Blu-ray of your favorite movies (our favorite option), many of which include bonus and BTS materials and, of course, a highest quality viewing experience. Amazon’s platform makes it pretty easy to subscribe to additional channels you may be interested in (we like PBS Kids for Saturday morning cartoons and I we put Mr Roger’s on every night while making dinner) or try a free trial of other channels, like HBO Max.
Other Considerations: The Secret Garden, Queen of Katwe, Return to Me, Fern Gully, Where the Red Fern Grows?, Dolphin Kick? Carrie’s War? IF?
Tubi:
- Fiddler on the Roof
- The Black Stallion
- Wonka
- A Walk to Remember
- A Cinderella Story
Hulu:
- Paddington
- The Sound of Music
- Ponyo
- Castle in the Sky
- Spiderman – Into the Spiderverse
- Napolean Dynamite
- A Walk to Remember
Peacock:
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- Twisters
- Shrek 2
- Harry Potter Movies (we prefer the first 3)
- A Walk to Remember
Pluto:
- The Black Stallion
- Nacho Libre
- Finding Neverland
- Fiddler on the Roof
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- A Walk to Remember
Starz:
- Ordinary Angels
- Akeelah and the Bee
Netflix:
- The Karate Kid (original)
- Despicable Me
- Barbie
- Peanut Butter Falcon
- Interstellar
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Sea Beast
- Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul
Apple TV:
Paramount Plus:
Comes with Walmart + Subscription
To Rent/Library
- Little Women
- Wonder
- The Wild Robot
- Tree of Life
- Radio
- E.T.