Have you noticed that people often confuse “family” with “made for kids”? I, for one, am single in my thirties, but nothing beats a light-hearted, cozy film. I often gravitate to family-friendly movies on Netflix, because they’re easy to enjoy and you don’t have to worry about them being too gory or violent.
Whether you have young kids you want to bond with, or, like me, you’re a fully fledged adult with an appreciation for the cleaner things in life, movie nights don’t have to be a pain. I’ve compiled a list of the best movies to watch on Netflix – with family, friends, or all by yourself – age irrelevant.
CyberGhost VPN works seamlessly with Netflix, allowing you to watch your favorite movies securely at home or when traveling abroad. A VPN also helps protect your (and your children’s) privacy when streaming online.
Quick Guide: How to Watch Netflix With CyberGhost VPN
- Download CyberGhost VPN.
- Connect to one of our streaming-optimized servers for Netflix.
- Sit back and enjoy the best movies on Netflix for families.
The 10 Best Family Movies on Netflix
10. The Adam Project
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 6.7 | 68% | 13+ |
To my surprise, The Adam Project didn’t receive critical acclaim, despite its winning formula: a spectacular cast, a heart-wrenching plot, and dazzling cinematography. Parental supervision is advised, but this tale of time travel, familial bonds, and past mistakes makes for a thrilling movie night. And it’s got Ryan Reynolds. You can’t go wrong with him!
9. Orion and the Dark
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 6.3 | 91% | 8+ |
11-year-old Orion is afraid of everything, but especially the dark. Sick and tired of Orion’s complaints (and terrified shrieks), Dark whisks Orion on a nighttime adventure to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of – and that darkness can be wonderful.
Met with critical acclaim, Orion and the Dark is a feel-good film that teaches us something we all tend to forget: fear is natural, but it doesn’t have to control you.
8. Enola Holmes
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 6.6 | 91% | 12+ |
In this Sherlock Holmes spin-off film, Enola’s mother has mysteriously disappeared, so the young sleuth commits to finding her. Her search leads her to a runaway lord, and the two uncover a mystery that could change the course of history – one she has to solve while hiding from Sherlock and Mycroft.
This charming girl power movie has an all-star cast you’ll love, including Millie Bobbie Brown as our titular Enola, Henry Cavill as Sherlock, Helena Bonham Carter, and Fiona Shaw.
7. The Willoughbys
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 6.4 | 91% | 8+ |
Based on the beloved children’s book by Lois Lowry, The Willoughbys follows the story of four siblings. Tired of their parents’ neglect, the children send them on a deadly vacation in the hope they’ll be orphaned. But finding a new family is easier said than done. First, the siblings must shake off Orphan Services, who’ll stop at nothing to capture them.
Although the story has grim undertones (parents of younger children might need to discuss neglect and abuse), it’s served with humor reminiscent of Roald Dahl.
6. My Octopus Teacher
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 8.1 | 93% | 8+ |
Sit back on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy this heartwarming, award-winning documentary about a jaded filmmaker, Craig Foster, who heads for South African shores to get away from it all. Diving in the kelp forest, he befriends an octopus. The two spend nearly a year together, exploring the mysteries of the octopus’s underwater world.
5. Matilda the Musical
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 7.0 | 93% | 8+ |
This feast for the eyes (and ears), breathes new life into Roald Dahl’s classic novel. Matilda, neglected by her cruel parents, discovers she has psychokinetic abilities. Far ahead of her years, she uses her power to stand up to Mrs. Trunchbull, the nasty principal of her school.
4. Klaus
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 8.2 | 95% | 6+ |
Who says Christmas movies are only for December? Klaus, an alternate origins story of Santa Claus, is a beautifully told and touching tale. In it, an entitled young postmaster and a reclusive toymaker dash through the snow delivering toys to an arctic town desperately in need of cheering up. In the process, they remedy an age-old feud.
3. The Secret World of Arrietty
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 7.6 | 94% | 7+ |
An anime rendition of The Borrowers by Mary Norton, The Secret World of Arrietty answers the question of where all the little bits and bobs we lose disappear to. Hidden under the floorboards of a country house live a family of Borrowers, a race of miniature people. 14-year-old Arrietty is eager for adventure, but her curiosity puts her family in danger when she befriends a human boy.
True to Studio Ghibli form, this beautifully animated film is an underrated gem, likely to stay with you for a long time. It’s not currently on Netflix US, but it’s one of the best family movies on Netflix UK.
2. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 7.6 | 97% | 8+ |
One of the best new family movies on Netflix, this animated comedy features a goofy, road-tripping family who defend Earth from a robot uprising. It’s about navigating the strained relationships between the generations and discovering how your weirdness is your superpower.
This fun, relatable flick has made its mark as one of the best family-friendly movies on Netflix. It also speaks of our dependence on technology and gives us a wholesome look at family dysfunction.
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
| IMDb Score | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Common Sense Media Age Rating |
| 8.4 | 97% | 9+ |
Believed by many to be the greatest superhero movie of all time, Into the Spider-Verse is so much more than a Spider-Man film. When young Miles Morales is bitten by a radioactive spider, he becomes his world’s defender. Under the tutelage of Peter Parker, Miles learns to be Spider-Man, but more importantly, he learns to be himself.
Why Watch Netflix With a VPN?
Netflix has to abide by distribution licenses, so its content library varies from country to country. When you travel abroad, you may not be able to access the shows and movies you watch at home. A VPN can change your IP address and virtual location to a country of your choosing. Connect to a VPN server in your home country and you can retain access to your favorite content while you travel.
A VPN also hides your activity with strong encryption, so no one will know what you or your kids are doing online. This helps you stay safe on public networks and means you don’t have to worry about compromising your data when you watch the latest family movie on Netflix from your hotel room, local cafe, or the airport.
You might find your office or school network restricts streaming services. A VPN lets you unblock Netflix on any network, so you can watch a movie to relax during your lunch break. It also helps you bypass content-based throttling by hiding your online activity from your ISP.
Why CyberGhost is the Best VPN for Streaming
Most VPNs don’t work with Netflix, but CyberGhost has streaming-optimized servers that work smoothly with the service. These servers are available in many countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Japan. All our servers give you fast VPN speeds, so you’ll never have to worry about buffering or poor picture quality.
When your family can’t agree on what to watch, CyberGhost VPN lets you stream securely on up to 7 devices simultaneously. We have native apps for all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can also watch Netflix with CyberGhost on your smart TV and Amazon Fire Stick. Our 24/7 customer support team is happy to assist if you need help choosing the right server.
Sounds good? Get all this risk-free with our 45-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
Into the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and The Secret World of Arrietty are our top 3 choices. They’re critically acclaimed and contain everything a family movie night needs – laughter, action, and wholesome takeaways.
The best family movies on Netflix include classic titles such as Shrek and Spirited Away, and recent original titles, like Orion and the Dark, Enola Holmes, and Next Gen. You can also watch top-rated superhero movies, including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is an excellent animated series for older kids. Anne with an E, though it met an untimely cancellation, is sorely underrated. You can also find cartoon classics like The Powerpuff Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants on Netflix.
You can’t go wrong with Harry Potter. Music fans will enjoy Go! Live Your Way, and mature teens might enjoy dramas like Riverdale, The Chilling Tales of Sabrina, Wednesday, or Shadow and Bone — though parental supervision is advised. Some streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ have maturity ratings you can refer to, to make sure your teen’s picks are appropriate.
Stranger Things is often described as a family-friendly show, but it includes profanity, depictions of drugs and alcohol, and a lot of violence and gore, particularly in later series. It addresses mature themes and contains dark imagery that could frighten younger children. The suggested age rating depends on the season, but we’d advise you leave this one for ages 16 and up.
You’ll need a VPN to access your usual Netflix library when traveling abroad. To do this, simply connect to a CyberGhost VPN server in your home country. A VPN also encrypts your data, so you can dodge ISP throttling and unblock Netflix at work and school.
CyberGhost VPN has streaming-optimized servers that give you secure, reliable access to popular streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. Our native apps are easy to use and you can connect up to 7 devices simultaneously with one account. You’ll get fast VPN speeds for smooth, buffer-free streaming, and unlimited bandwidth, so you can stream as much as you like.
Can I use a VPN to access a different country’s content library?
Some streaming fans may connect to a VPN server in a different country in order to access different content on a certain streaming platform. While we don’t snoop on our users’ online activity, this is against our terms of service and is not acceptable.
Rest assured that CyberGhost VPN never logs your browsing data and your activity is always private, but you should always comply with all relevant terms and applicable law, including copyright.
Leave a comment