Feel-Good Family Movies
This is a list of light-hearted comedies and dramas that are great for the whole family to enjoy. I created this list to focus on films that are upbeat, positive and kid friendly, but still entertaining for adults. Also, I have confined my list to only live action, claymation, and stop-motion films to keep it brief. As I am a new parent myself, I would greatly appreciate any recommended additions-new or old-to this list. Hope you enjoy!-AJC
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- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsRobin WilliamsSally FieldPierce BrosnanAfter a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsBill MurrayRichard DreyfussJulie HagertyA successful psychotherapist loses his mind after one of his most dependent patients, an obsessive-compulsive neurotic, tracks him down during his family vacation.
- DirectorSteve BarronStarsJudith HoagElias KoteasJosh PaisFour teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydCon artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydThe Addams Family try to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold-digging new love, a black widow named Debbie.
- DirectorDanny DeVitoStarsDanny DeVitoRhea PerlmanMara WilsonA girl gifted with a keen intellect and psychic powers uses both to get even with her callous family and free her kindly schoolteacher from the tyrannical grip of a sadistic headmistress.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsAnjelica HustonMai ZetterlingJasen FisherA young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsJohn CandyMacaulay CulkinJean Louisa KellyLaid back commitment-phobe Buck babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her cute younger brother and sister.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsPaul TerryJoanna LumleyPete PostlethwaiteAn orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.
- DirectorPeter FaimanStarsEd O'NeillEthan EmbryJoBeth WilliamsTo get to know his girlfriend's son, a working-class good guy volunteers to pick him up from his prep school, only to learn that he isn't the nicest young man.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternAn eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternOne year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City - and the same criminals are not far behind.
- DirectorMel StuartStarsGene WilderJack AlbertsonPeter OstrumA poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.
- DirectorStan DragotiStarsMichael KeatonTeri GarrFrederick KoehlerAfter he's suddenly laid off, a husband switches roles with his wife. She returns to the workforce, and he becomes a stay-at-home dad, and he has to take care of three young children, a job he has no clue how to do.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
- DirectorBrian LevantStarsCharles GrodinBonnie HuntDean JonesA slobbering St. Bernard becomes the center of attention for a loving family, but must contend with a dog-napping veterinarian and his henchmen.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsDan AykroydJohn CandyStephanie FaracyA Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRichard DreyfussHolly HunterBrad JohnsonThe spirit of a recently deceased expert pilot mentors a newer pilot while watching him fall in love with the girlfriend that he left behind.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsBilly CampbellJennifer ConnellyAlan ArkinA young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero.
- DirectorSyd MacartneyStarsPatrick StewartNeve CampbellJoan SimsWhen an American family moves into a haunted mansion in England, the family's teenage daughter could be the key in fulfilling a prophecy and finally set the house's ghost free.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsSpencer TracyJoan BennettElizabeth TaylorThe father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married, along with the financial and organizational trouble of arranging the wedding.
- DirectorCharles ShyerStarsSteve MartinDiane KeatonMartin ShortWith his oldest daughter's wedding approaching, a father finds himself reluctant to let go.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsErnest BorgnineBetsy BlairEsther MinciottiA middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.
- DirectorSteve MinerStarsMel GibsonJamie Lee CurtisElijah WoodDuring a cryogenics test, a pilot frozen in 1939 awakes in 1992 but time is running out, as his body starts to age rapidly.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsBruce WillisSpencer BreslinEmily MortimerAn unhappy, disliked image consultant gets a second shot at life when he is mysteriously confronted by an eight-year-old version of himself.
- DirectorKenny OrtegaStarsBette MidlerSarah Jessica ParkerKathy NajimyA teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
- DirectorJim HensonFrank OzStarsJim HensonKathryn MullenFrank OzOn another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and to restore order to his world.
- DirectorDavid SwiftStarsHayley MillsMaureen O'HaraBrian KeithTeenage twin sisters swap places and scheme to reunite their divorced parents.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsRalph MacchioPat MoritaElisabeth ShueA martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
- DirectorWill VintonStarsJames WhitmoreMichele MarianaGary KrugTom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn join Mark Twain on his airship to meet Halley's Comet.
- DirectorBrad SilberlingStarsBill PullmanChristina RicciCathy MoriartyAn afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsGoldie HawnKurt RussellEdward HerrmannA cruel but beautiful heiress mocks and cheats a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her that they're husband and wife.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsMichael J. FoxJulie WarnerBarnard HughesA young doctor on his way across the country to a job interview crashes his car in a small town and is sentenced to work for several days at the town hospital.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNathan LaneLee EvansVicki LewisTwo stumblebum inheritors are determined to rid their antique house of a mouse who is equally determined to stay where he is.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsVal KilmerJoanne WhalleyWarwick DavisA young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsFred MacMurrayNancy OlsonKeenan WynnA college professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a corrupt businessman wants for himself.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsPeter UstinovDean JonesSuzanne PleshetteAn unassuming track coach accidentally invokes the spirit of a notorious pirate long believed dead, and who must now team up to lay the pirate to rest, and save a local hotel from a mobster.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsHayley MillsDean JonesDorothy ProvineAfter a kidnapped bank teller uses a neighbor's wandering cat to send an S.O.S., the F.B.I. assigns a cat-allergic Agent to the case.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsRobin WilliamsShelley DuvallRay WalstonThe adventures of the famous sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven.
- DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
- DirectorBronwen HughesStarsMichelle TrachtenbergRosie O'DonnellGregory SmithHarriet M. Welsch is a spy. But when her friends find her secret notebook, the tables are turned on her. Can she win them back and still keep on going with the spy business?
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsDarren McGavinFlorence HendersonJake RichardsonPeter Hatcher and his family are going on vacation in Maine. Only problem: Peter's nemesis Sheila Tubman will also be there along with her family! And as if that wasn't bad enough, Peter's 5 year-old brother Fudge wreaks havoc with a little girl who lives next door to them at their vacation house. Based on the popular book of the same name by Judy Blume, it recaps all the exciting moments, from when Dad falls off the boat, Peter meets his baseball idol, and even the climatic moment when Peter's grandmother and Sheila's grandfather get married!
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonAn orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonHarry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of courage.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintWith their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsTom CruiseMia SaraTim CurryA young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
- DirectorZoltan KordaStarsSabuJoseph CalleiaJohn QualenA boy raised by wild animals tries to adapt to human village life.
- DirectorStephen SommersStarsJason Scott LeeCary ElwesLena HeadeyRudyard Kipling's classic tale of Mowgli, the orphaned jungle boy raised by wild animals, and how he becomes king of the jungle.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsKate MaberlyMaggie SmithHeydon ProwseA young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
- DirectorGillian ArmstrongStarsSusan SarandonWinona RyderKirsten DunstThe March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsAileen QuinnAlbert FinneyCarol BurnettA spunky young orphan is taken in by a rich eccentric, much to the chagrin of the cantankerous woman who runs the orphanage.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsSean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenA group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsNicolas CageHolly HunterTrey WilsonWhen a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.
- DirectorBrett RatnerStarsNicolas CageTéa LeoniDon CheadleA fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsEvan Rachel WoodJim SturgessJoe AndersonThe music of The Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDakota FanningTeri HatcherJohn HodgmanWandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
- DirectorJim HensonStarsJim HensonFrank OzDave GoelzKermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsPaul ReubensElizabeth DailyMark HoltonWhen eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.
- DirectorJohn PasquinStarsTim AllenJudge ReinholdWendy CrewsonWhen a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.
- DirectorHenning SchellerupStarsJeff GoldblumPaul SandMeg FosterAngered that Katrina has grown fond of schoolmaster Crane, Brom Bones determines to scare off the interloper by filling his head with spooky tales of a Headless Horseman. Crane disparages the legends, until one fateful ride home in the dark of night.
- StarsMegan FollowsColleen DewhurstRichard FarnsworthAn orphan girl, sent to an elderly brother and sister by mistake, charms her new home and community with her fiery spirit and imagination.
- DirectorTom ShadyacStarsEddie MurphyJada Pinkett SmithJames CoburnGrossly overweight yet good-hearted professor Sherman Klump takes a special chemical that turns him into the slim but obnoxious Buddy Love.
- DirectorLes MayfieldStarsRobin WilliamsMarcia Gay HardenChristopher McDonaldAn absent-minded professor discovers "flubber," a rubber-like super-bouncy substance.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerPenelope Ann MillerPamela ReedA tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsRex HarrisonSamantha EggarAnthony NewleyAfter the animal communicating veterinarian goes too far for his clientele, he and his friends escape their hometown to the sea in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.
- DirectorBetty ThomasStarsEddie MurphyPeter BoyleOssie DavisA doctor discovers that he can communicate with animals.
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsMary Grace CanfieldRichard DavalosJake DengelIn a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBob HoskinsChristopher LloydJoanna CassidyWhen a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsRick MoranisMatt FrewerMarcia StrassmanThe scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsRobin WilliamsCheryl HinesKristin ChenowethBob Munro and his dysfunctional family rent an RV for a road trip to the Colorado Rockies, where they must ultimately contend with a bizarre community of campers.
- DirectorGary GoddardStarsDolph LundgrenFrank LangellaMeg FosterThe heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsSteve MartinChevy ChaseMartin ShortThree actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to perform their onscreen bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing.
- DirectorSam WeismanStarsBrendan FraserLeslie MannThomas Haden ChurchA man raised in the jungle by apes falls in love with a wealthy American heiress.
- DirectorEric BrevigStarsDan AykroydJustin TimberlakeAnna FarisA documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear, his sidekick Boo-Boo and Ranger Smith.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsSean ConneryShelley DuvallJohn CleeseA young boy accidentally joins a band of time travelling dwarves, as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJohn NevilleEric IdleSarah PolleyAn account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences across late 18th-century Europe with his band of misfits.
- DirectorWilliam DearStarsJohn LithgowMelinda DillonMargaret LangrickThe Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch but have a hard time trying to keep the legend of 'Bigfoot' a secret.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksElizabeth PerkinsRobert LoggiaAfter wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.