The best Max family movies: 15 great films to stream in June 2024
Note from the editor
Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
To book a place on this list, movies need to fulfil one of three demands: hold a Rotten Tomatoes (RT) critical and/or audience score above 60% (that's low, but there aren't many top-tier family films on Max, according to RT users), be a huge theatrical hit or have amassed a cult following since its initial release, or meet both criteria. As more acclaimed family films debut on Max, we'll increase the RT score threshold to ensure that we're delivering you the best of the best.
The best Max family movies are an eclectic selection of enchanting magic, big laughs, and plenty of fun-filled adventures. Most importantly, all the movies on our list share one thing in common - they’re great for the whole family to enjoy. So, if you’re looking to snuggle up on the couch for a family movie night, you might want to consider these titles for your watchlist.
In fact, it’s the wide variety available for movie fans of all ages that grants Max the title of one of the best streaming services around. And, it’s not done there. There’s plenty more to enjoy from our best Max movies list, although you might want to send the kids to bed first before watching them. For fun for all the family, read on for our best Max family movies below.
8-Bit Christmas
Director: Michael Dowse
Runtime: 97 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 84% (critics); 75% (audience)
Take Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hunt for Turbo Man in 1996’s Jingle all The Way, but switch it into a love of gaming and you’ve got yourself the festive comedy movie, 8-Bit Christmas. 10-year-old Jake Doyle is on an epic quest to secure the very greatest game system, a NES, for Christmas. For gaming lovers, what’s more nostalgic than thinking about one of your earliest consoles?
It’s a sweet, nostalgia-driven tale of friendship, the hope of fulfilling your present wishlist, and remembering the Christmas spirit. And, it’s Jake’s dad, John (Steve Zahn) that embodies this spirit with a wonderful performance that will have you pulling your family closer this Christmas, not your controller.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime: 119 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 87% (critics); 93% (audience)
With Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli movies, you’ll be utterly transfixed by the animated tales. For Howl’s Moving Castle, it’s the story of teenager Sophie who is cursed by a malicious witch who grows jealous of Sophie’s relationship with wizard, Howl. The curse transforms her into the body of an old woman and, on her quest to break the spell, she boards Howl’s mechanical, mysterious home on a journey of wonderment and magic.
Although within the magic the story intertwines with the conflict of war, pining for self-discovery, and a theme of love you might not expect. Howl’s Moving Castle joins other enchanting titles on our list, which are all available to stream on Max, including Ponyo, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro. Plus, we’ve rated every Studio Ghibli movie, if you’re not sure where to start.
Superman: The Movie
Director: Richard Donner
Runtime: 143 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 94% (critics); 86% (audience)
Superman and his luscious brown quiff and majestic red and blue suit has taken many iterations, with actors donning the mighty cape and becoming the Man of Steel. But, it’s Christopher Reeve’s performance - marking the first of the movie franchise - that ignited viewers’ love affair with the superhero on the big screen.
And if we’re talking about cast, he’s in exceptional company with Gene Hackman playing ego-centric villain, Lex Luthor and Marlon Brando as Kyrptonian scientist, Jor-El. While it could be considered a dated addition to the franchise now given its 1978 release date, it’s the no nonsense storytelling of the 70s and the nostalgia that comes along with it that makes it one of Superman’s best movies.
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
Director: Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail
Runtime: 84 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 91% (critics); 71% (audience)
If you’ve flicked on Cartoon Network at any point in the last decade, you may well have found yourself watching the bright, loud, action-packed series, Teen Titans Go!. Based on DC Comics’ fictional superhero team, Teen Titans, there’s been almost 400 episodes and, for what we’re here to talk about now, a feature film in 2018.
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies sees the teen superheroes ironically trying to find their own way onto the big screen and finding Hollywood fame, especially sidekick turned de facto leader, Robin. Unfortunately, on their quest for stardom, they’re sidetracked by a villain’s maniacal plan to take over the world. Which, once again ironically, makes a really good storyline for a movie. Plus, there’s Nicolas Cage as Superman to enjoy.
The LEGO Batman Movie
Director: Chris McKay
Runtime: 104 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 90% (critics); 80% (audience)
LEGO has always been and will continue to be fun for all the family. And it’s the LEGO movies that have excited movie fans spanning classic LEGO fun to Ninjago to this entry right here, The LEGO Batman Movie. For this action-packed and wonderfully fun animation, Batman (Will Arnett) fears he won’t ever connect with others following the death of his parents.
With the city of Gotham to protect and keep him busy, he continues to fight crime while also fighting with his own emotions. In the most part instigated by accidentally adopting orphan Dick Grayson (aka Robin) as his sidekick, and somehow son. With Michael Cera as Robin and Zack Galifianakis as the Joker, you’re in good company and with a cast list like this, it’s - and we’ll say it again - fun for all the family.
Wonka
Director: Paul King
Runtime: 116 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 82% (critics); 91% (audience)
Wonka may have only hit theaters in 2023, but it's already on Max and a strong contender for the best new family movie to watch on the streaming platform. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, the movie tells the early story of Willy Wonka, exploring his origin story and explaining where his love for chocolate came from years before his antics in the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) movie.
Although it's not technically been referred to as a sequel, director Paul King once described it as a "companion piece" to the original film, so the stories make sense together and you can expect familiar parts of the story we all know and love, like som of the music and the Oompa Loompas. If you're looking for a warm and watchable fantasy movie, then Wonka is a silly ride for the whole family with catchy music and eye-popping production design.
Ponyo
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime: 101 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 91% (critics); 83% (audience)
If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli movies, there are several available to stream now on Max, including Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. But a slightly lesser-known Ghibli classic is Ponyo. This charming The Little Mermaid-esque story is about a goldfish princess called Ponyo who forms an unlikely bond with a boy called Sōsuke.
Directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, we think this enchanting film is a great watch for the whole family, exploring themes of friendship and the magic of childhood innocence. As you might expect, the visuals in Ponyo are stunning, showcasing Ghibli's signature hand-drawn animation that brings to life the beauty of the underwater world Ponyo comes from.
The Hobbit
Director: Peter Jackson
Runtime: 215 minutes to 263 minutes
Age rating: 12A
RT score: 64% (critics); 83% (audience)
If you’re ready to get cosy and indulge in an epic movie marathon, you’ll find all three of The Hobbit films are available to watch on Max. This trilogy of truly epic fantasy adventures is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit.
Set before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit follows the story of Frodo’s cousin (although he calls him “uncle”), Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, who is convinced by the wise wizard Gandalf, played by Ian McKellen, to accompany thirteen dwarves on a quest to reclaim their homeland, The Lonely Mountain, from a greedy dragon called Smaug. Along the way they encounter elves and trolls and orcs and all sorts of other magical creatures and tense challenges.
You’ll need a whole day to watch all three, or spread them out over a few nights. But they’re some of the best Max family movies available right now. And however you choose to enjoy them, The Hobbit saga is a delightful story filled with adventure, high stakes and truly stunning special effects.
Spirited Away
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime: 125 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 96% (critics); 96% (audience)
2001 Japanese fantasy film Spirited Away has a dreamy and timeless quality. That's likely because of its story about a young girl named Chihiro, who unknowingly enters a spirit realm and must survive there while finding her way back to the human world. It's a tale about childhood, growing up, and connection, with strong influences from Japanese folklore.
The animation and story are as compelling and beautiful as you'd expect from Studio Ghibli, and we have a feeling this is one of those movies parents will thoroughly enjoy introducing to their kids. If you're a fan, you'll be happy to know that several other Studio Ghibli classics are also available on Max now, like My Neighbor Totoro, which we've also included in this guide. And be sure to read our best anime article, too, which offers even more recommendations in the genre.
My Neighbor Totoro
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime: 86 minutes
Age rating: U
RT score: 93% (critics); 94% (audience)
A selection of Studio Ghibli classics has long been included among the best Max family movies (as you'll have seen above). Smash hit My Neighbor Totoro is widely adored for its stunning animation and close study of childhood – and the English dubbed version is now available on Max. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), it follows schoolgirl Satsuki (Dakota Fanning in the English language dub) and her younger sister Mei (Elle Fanning), whose mother is taken into hospital with an illness. The pair are taken to live in an old country house by their father (Tim Daly), and they spend their time befriending the playful spirits that live there.
The Japanese-language version was the winner of multiple awards. The film has also been adapted into a series of four books, a stage play, and has an anime short sequel (Mei and the Kittenbus). In short, it's a classic that should be on every child's watchlist.
The Wizard of Oz
Director: Victor Fleming
Runtime: 101 minutes
Age rating: G
RT score: 98% (critics); 89% (audience)
Not just one of the best Max family movies, The Wizard of Oz is one of the best movies ever created. An adaptation of L. Frank Baum genre-bending novel, The Wizard of Oz follows Judy Garland's Dorothy, who is whisked away from Kansas by a tornado to Munchkin City, where she accidentally squashes the Wicked Witch of the East. Her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West vows revenge, leaving Dorothy in a race against time to get home. She sets off on that legendary yellow brick road to see the Wizard of Oz, hoping he can tell her how to get home, making friends and enemies along the way.
It's an iconic, tender, and truly timeless classic, and one that the whole family can enjoy. It's a bit dated these days but you'll laugh, cry, and cheer as Dorothy and company bravely face the odds stacked against them. It's also a worthy inclusion in our best Max movies list.
DC League of Super-Pets
Director: Jared Stern
Runtime: 105 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 72% (critics); 88% (audience)
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is undergoing a radical reset right now, with co-studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran effectively rebooting Warner Bros' superhero movie slate – read our guide to what they have in store for the new-look DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).
While DC's movie output has always been a mixed bag, Warner's DC League of Super-Pets is one of its few cinematic offerings that's both ripe for kids/families, and also actually half-decent. The movie begins with Krypto, Superman's pooch, enjoying time with his owner. However, the duo's recreational time is rudely interrupted when Superman is kidnapped by Lex Luthor. To get him back, Krypto unites a rag-tag group of household pets and sets out to free the Justice League.
A-listers such as Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Keanu Reeves, plus Andor's Diego Luna, Russian Doll's Natasha Lyonne and Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Ben Schwartz, lend their voices to an impressively stacked cast. Kids will love the humor, animation fans will appreciate the, well, animation, and parents will get around 100 minutes of peace.
Shazam!
Director: David F. Sandberg
Runtime: 132 minutes
Age rating: PG-13
RT score: 90% (critics); 82% (audience)
Effectively Big in spandex and a cape, Shazam! is childhood wish fulfillment in the form of a DC superhero movie and one of the best Max family movies to watch right now if you love superheroes. Teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is granted Superman-like abilities when a wizard gifts him the power of the gods, and all he has to do to transform into his grown-up, musclebound alter-ego (played by Chuck's Zachary Levi) is say his magic word. Conveniently, it's also the name of the movie.
While the plot is by-the-numbers stuff – embittered Dr Sivana (Mark Strong) wants Billy's powers for himself – Shazam! has heart and charm in spades, particularly when Billy's interacting with his foster family. Unfortunately, 2023 sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods struggled to recapture the same magic, but you can also check it out now on Max.
Want to know how Shazam! fits into the DC continuity? Read our guide to watching the DC movies in order.
The Harry Potter movie collection
Director: Chris Columbus (1–2); Alfonso Cuarón (3); Mike Newell (4); David Yates (5–8)
Runtime: 130 to 164 minutes
Age rating: PG (1-3, 6); PG-13 (4-5, 7-8)
RT score: 77% to 96% (critics); 74% to 89% (audience)
Warner Bros is so enamored with the magical world of Harry Potter that it's announced a new TV show based on the phenomenally successful book series. The eight films have also long been a big part of the best Max family movies roster -making this the ideal place to enjoy the phenomenally successful saga again and again and again.
Faithful almost to a fault, the eight movies capture the magic of the novels with the help of blockbuster visual effects, and a stellar cast of top British acting talent. Like the books, the adaptations vary massively in quality, but with the entire series available on Max – along with all three Fantastic Beasts movies – a trip to Hogwarts is never far away. Not sure which of the saga is worth your time? Read our guides on the best Harry Potter movies, or find out how to watch the Harry Potter movies in order.
Time Bandits
Director: Terry Gilliam
Runtime: 113 minutes
Age rating: PG
RT score: 91% (critics); 77% (audience)
You wouldn't expect Monty Python veteran Terry Gilliam to make a conventional family movie, and Time Bandits is anything but. Bankrolled by Beatle George Harrison (who also stepped into finance Monty Python's Life of Brian), this deliciously weird tale centers on an 11-year-old boy who winds up on a time-hopping adventure with a gang of dwarfs with grand larceny on their minds.
While the this and inventive family movie features plenty of the director's trademark flights of fantasy, it's also anchored to a more solid and engaging story than many of his subsequent films. Gilliam also managed to rope in a few major stars to cameo as famous figures from history, including Sean Connery as King Agamemnon and his old Python sidekick John Cleese as Robin Hood.
For more Max-based coverage, check out our best Max shows and new Max movies articles. Alternatively, read our guides on The Last of Us season 2 and Euphoria season 3.
