Yahoo Home 40 Tween Movies to Watch as a Family
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40 Tween Movies to Watch as a Family
When it comes time to sit down with the fam and watch movies for kids, the preteen audience can be the hardest to please. That's because they know they're too old for the toddler and kiddie movies and are ready for something more mature, but they're not yet prepared for the language, violence and gore that can be in some movies for teens.
But there are plenty of movies for tweens (and TV series for tweens!) out there that are perfectly aimed at that audience of 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds and 12-year-olds if you know where to look.
These are the best tween movies to watch in 2023. Some are classics that you may remember from your own preteen years, or extensions of franchises from your childhood that have been made fresh for younger audiences. Others are all-ages, whole-family affairs that you can even watch with younger and older siblings are in tow. And while there are animated movies, they all have something sophisticated about them, so they're more than just kid stuff. And, since preteens are often extra boisterous, there are so, so many musicals. Let them pick one of these for your next family movie night, and you'll all enjoy the family bonding time.
Looking for more great film suggestions? Check out the list of the best kids movies coming out in 2023.
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Wendell & Wild (2022)
This stop-motion animation movie combines two film giants — horror icon Jordan Peele, and stop-motion animation legend Henry Selick — into a film that combines the best of both sensibilities. Kat is a self-proclaimed outsider who starts at a new school. When a pair of scheming demons offer her what she wants most in exchange for help coming to the world of the living, she gives in — and winds up over her head.
Netflix - 3/41
13: The Musical (2022)
Rarely are musicals aimed so squarely at preteen concerns. This one follows a boy named Evan who moves from New York City to Indiana right before his bar mitzvah. There are songs about first kisses, being bored, trying to sneak into a rated-R horror movie and other things important to tweens, all written by Broadway vet Jason Robert Brown.
Alan Markfield/Netflix - 4/41
Belle (2022)
This is sort-of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, only with a digital twist: Suzu is a girl with stage fright in the real world, but in an online metaverse called the U, she's actually a popstar with loads of followers. When a user called "The Dragon" starts causing trouble, she vows to track him down and find out the source of her anger. But will they only connect in the U, or can they find each other in the real world? Show this to anyone who is a little too into social media.
GKids - 5/41
The King's Daughter (2022)
This is for all the pre-teens out there who love the mystical and magical. It follows Marie-Josèphe, daughter of King Louis XIV, who unexpectedly befriends a mermaid. When she discovers the King plans to use the mermaid to try and achieve eternal life, she feels she must intervene.
Gravitas Ventures - 6/41
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
This comes from Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater, partially based on his own space-loving childhood and done in his signature rotoscoping animation style, which looks like it's animated over live footage of real people. It follows the story of the 1969 moon landing through two points of view: the mission control running the landing, and an excited kid watching at home.
Netflix - 7/41
Cinderella (2021)
Your preteen may scoff at a cartoon adaptation of Cinderella, but this 2021 version ages up the story with a new, more feminist take on Cinderella's situation — does she even want to marry a prince? — and a soundtrack full of pop songs. Billy Porter even shows up as the fairy godperson.
RELATED: The Best Kids' Movies of All Time
Amazon Prime Video - 8/41
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Finally, after two movies and a reboot, we finally get some kids who get to wield a proton pack! Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows Phoebe and Trevor Spengler, grandkids of Egon, who move to Egon's old farmhouse and wind up taking after their grandad more than they anticipated.
Sony Pictures - 9/41
Enola Holmes (2020)
You've heard of Sherlock Holmes, but what about his kid sister? When their mom goes missing, Enola Holmes goes on an investigation of her own, leading her to unexpected places that men dare not dwell. A sequel came out in 2022, and both star Millie Bobby Brown, making them perfect for your Stranger Things-obsessed tween.
Netflix - 10/41
Safety (2020)
This inspirational sports movie tells the real story of brothers Ray and Fahmarr McElrathbey. Ray is accepted to Clemson University on a football scholarship, and learns his brother isn't being properly cared for after their mother relapsed. Ray decides to take care of Fahmarr, and has to learn how to balance school, football, and NCAA rules while surreptitiously taking care of his brother at the same time.
Disney - 11/41
Stargirl (2020)
Based on the beloved book series by Jerry Spinelli, this movie follows a blend-in-with-the-crowd boy named Leo who befriends a plays-by-her-own-rules girl who calls herself Stargirl. Can a friendship between such opposites survive?
Disney - 12/41
Hamilton (2020)
Lin-Manuel Miranda makes history feel fresh to contemporary audiences with his musical take on founding father Alexander Hamilton. And if your musical fan missed the Broadway version (which they most certainly did), they can see it all on Disney+. Sure, there are some bad words and adult situations in the play, but it's all in the sake of learning history, right?
Disney - 13/41
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
Instead of being a straightforward adaptation of the Dora the Explorer cartoon, this movie has an almost meta attitude about the character — the other characters can't believe she came from the jungle or is friends with a monkey. Your too-cool-for-it tween will feel right at home with them.
RELATED: The Best Teen Movies on Netflix
Paramout Pictures - 14/41
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
You know the basic outlines of the story: Boy finds sword, boy pulls sword from stone, boy becomes all-powerful and has to defeat an evil sorcerer with the help of his trusty knights. Only in this case, the boy is Alex, who lives in a present-day suburb of London, and he has to rally a group of his middle school friends to his side.
20th Century Fox - 15/41
Little Women (2019)
Even though it's set during the Civil War, there's plenty in Little Women that kids can still relate to today, like the bonds between siblings, finding resilience in setbacks that families face and the concept of having to make your own fun when adults are too busy to pay attention to you. This adaptation, which stars beloved actresses like Harry Potter's Emma Watson and Black Widow's Florence Pugh, might even get them to read the book.
Sony Pictures - 16/41
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Before they hit the PG-13 realm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, let them dip a toe in the PG Spider-Verse. Not only is the hero, Miles Morales, a teenager, he learns lesson about how heroism can come from anywhere. If they like it, a sequel is due out later this year.
RELATED: How to Watch the Spider-Man Movies in Order Before the Multiverse Changes the Timeline
Sony Pictures - 17/41
Wonder (2017)
If your tween needs some reminders in the old empathy department, show them this film, based on the blockbuster book by R.J. Palacio. The movie follows the struggles of a boy with a facial deformity, serving as a reminder to be kind. A sequel, White Bird: A Wonder Story, is due out later this year.
Lionsgate - 18/41
Hidden Figures (2016)
Hidden Figures tells the based-in-real-life story of three African American women mathematicians who worked at NASA in the run-up to the moon landing, making essential contributions while facing racism and sexism at work. Show this to any kid who thinks that math isn't exciting, and maybe they'll want to be the next Katherine Johnson.
20th Century Studios - 19/41
Your Name (2016)
This romantic anime has a body-swapping twist: Mitsuha, a girl who lives in a rural area, and Taki, a boy in Tokyo, start having vivid dreams where they experience each other's lives. They soon realize that they aren't having dreams at all — they're actually spending time in each other's bodies, and they start to communicate by leaving notes for each other. After its release, this film won a slew of awards at animation festivals.
RELATED: Animated Movies You Need to Watch With Your Kids Before They Grow Up
Toho - 20/41
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Queen's Gambit who? This film tells the based-in-real-life story of Phiona Mutesi, a girl growing up in Uganda who dreams of becoming a chess master. Directed by Monsoon Wedding's Mira Nair and starring Lupita Nyong'o, this one might inspire your tweens to pick up a chess set.
Disney - 21/41
Paddington (2014)
Paddington and its sequel, Paddington 2, are known to win over both kids and parents alike; Paddington 2 was famous for achieving that rare, perfect 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes when it was in theaters. There's no trick to it: It's just a heartwarming story about a bear coming to London to live with a family that oozes British charm.
Studiocanal - 22/41
Coraline (2009)
Most of Laika's stop-motion animation films — ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link and Coraline — are great for preteens; the studio knows how to latch on to the inherent creepiness of stop-motion to tell stories with sinister elements to them, making them a bit more mature than most cartoons. Coraline is the most appropriate, because it features a premise tweens can empathize with: When her parents are too busy to pay attention to her, Coraline is entranced by a hidden world where an "other mother" promises her everything she wants. But is the "other mother" all she's cracked up to be?
RELATED: Spooky Movies for Kids That Won't Scare the Daylights Out of Them
Laika - 23/41
Night at the Museum (2006)
At night, when the visitors have left the museum, the exhibits come to life, leaving a lone museum security guard to manage the chaos. Kids love the antics that the exhibits cause, while parents appreciate the performances by comedians like Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan. Two sequels and a new, animated movie follow the original film.
20th Century Studios - 24/41
Are We There Yet? (2005)
There's a long tradition of movies where kids just bother adults, much to the delight of other kids everywhere (and the chagrin of their parents). Are We There Yet? combines this with a road-trip comedy, making it sort of a Planes, Trains and Automobiles for families.
Sony Pictures - 25/41
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
When this movie came out, it became such a cult hit among college kids, it's almost hard to remember that it's totally appropriate for tweens: There's no bad language, and it's not about kids dating (which is unusual for a movie set in a high school). Instead, it's about kids who feel like they're misfits (and who doesn't?) learning to find friendship with people who like them for who they are.
Fox Searchlight - 27/41
Spy Kids (2001)
In this movie, Carmen and Juni find out their parents are spies who have been captured, and they have to go on an adventure to save them. But with lots of silly gadgets and exaggerated characters, the peril never really gets too scary. If this is a hit in your household, there's a whole Spy Kids franchise, including an animated TV series on Netflix.
Dimension Films - 28/41
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Based on a book by Meg Cabot, this move follows the teenage Mia, who learns that she's heir to royalty in the kingdom of Genovia. She learns the perks of royal life also come with responsibilities (and paparazzi), and has to learn how to handle them while staying true to her friends at home.
Disney - 29/41
Millions (2004)
This film is so poignant, you might have to break out the tissues. The premise is pure fantasy: A young boy, still grieving the death of his mother, finds a duffel bag full of cash and has to spend it before England undergoes a (fictional) currency change and the money is useless. The boy's brother wants to spend the money on flashy items, but he wants to find ways to honor their mother's memory and use it for good. But who does the money really belong to?
Pathé Distribution - 30/41
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Tweens may have dipped into the Harry Potter books and movies earlier, but the series hits different when the young witches and wizards are the same age as the kids watching them. Plus, with eight movies to work through, it'll keep them occupied for a long time.
Warner Bros. - 31/41
Princess Mononoke (1997)
This movie comes from animation legend Hayao Miyazaki and his famed Studio Ghibli. But while other Ghibli movies, like My Neighbor Totoro, are better suited for the younger kids, Princess Mononoke is better saved for the older ones. It takes place in a world where some people live in harmony with nature and some set out to destroy it, and a young prince sets off into the forest to learn more about the spirits guarding the nature around them. And even though it's for families, film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the most visually inventive films I have ever seen."
Studio Ghibli - 32/41
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Jumanji (1995)
The two most recent Jumanji movies starring The Rock —Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level — are both rated PG-13. To bring it down to tween level, you have to go old-school with this Robin Williams classic. The elements are still there: Playing a family game transports unexpected players into an animal-filled world they didn't expect.
Sony Pictures - 34/41
The Sandlot (1993)
A coming-of-age movie and an underdog sports movie all rolled into one, The Sandlot follows a kid, Scotty Smalls, who gets recruited to a rag-tag baseball team after moving to a new neighborhood. What follows — friendships, first loves — is all the stuff good kid movies are made of.
20th Century Fox - 35/41
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Newsies (1992)
In this movie, Christian Bale stars as a paperboy who leads the newsboy strike of 1899. But best of all, it's a musical, with songs by The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast composer Alan Menkin. With its Disney bonafides, this one is appropriate for even younger ones.
Disney - 37/41
My Girl (1991)
First kisses, fast friendships and even loss and grief — My Girl has everything you can want in a movie about growing up. This movie might be just what you need to start some tough conversations you've been putting off.
Columbia Pictures - 38/41
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Despite some saucy humor, this movie is, at its core, a story about struggling to complete a homework assignment. What kid doesn't understand that feeling? Bill and Ted travel through time to learn about history, and lots of antics happen when they gather some famous figures together, but there are some historical facts to be gleaned, too.
Orion Pictures - 39/41
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
There will never be another movie like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, both in terms of the seamless blend of live-action and cartoons without the help of CGI, and how characters from different companies all come together for fun cameos. But most likely your kids won't even notice any of that — Daffy Duck and Donald Duck together?! — because they'll be too engrossed in the noir-ish, Chinatown-inspired mystery to care.
Buena Vista Pictures - 40/41
Back to the Future (1985)
Okay, so the "present" in this movie is our past, and the "future" in Back to the Future Part II is ... also our past. But kids will still get a kick out of puzzling out the time-travel paradoxes in this year-jumping franchise series.
Universal - 41/41
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones set the tone for all adventure movies that followed, so why not show them the OG? This goes double if you plan on taking them to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny this summer. Afterward, you can make a game of spotting every character they've ever seen sporting an Indiana Jones-style hat since they were little kids, starting with "Kansas City Mickey" in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Ridley Jones on Netflix.
RELATED: How to Watch the Indiana Jones Movies in Order Before the Fifth Movie Comes Out
Paramount Pictures
