Looking for an enjoyable time on the sofa with your family and some snacks? Movie nights can be a great way to gather the entire family, and with the many movies available, even some free family movies out there, you are bound to be able to find something everyone will enjoy.
Family films often aim to convey positive messages and values, such as the importance of friendship, teamwork, and following your dreams. These themes can help to inspire and uplift viewers of all ages, and are thus great and safe for both young and old alike, and even help you learn a new language.
Below we have described some of our favorite top picks, as well as listed some sources where you can find completely free family movies. So enjoy!
Our Top 4 Awesome Family Movies
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone is a Christmas classic, but it can be enjoyed all year round. Macaulay Culkin is iconic as the lead actor in the movie, but Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are also performing wonderfully as the two criminals that are more funny than scary.
Everybody in your family will appreciate the cheeky young kid who is left behind when his family flies on holiday, and then has to protect his family home from two would-be robbers
Wonder (2017)
This movie stars Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Jacob Tremblay, and Izabela Vidovic. The movie is based on a popular book and is a loving and encouraging story about a young boy.
Having been previously homeschooled, he enrolls in public school for the first time for fifth grade. His face is not like all the other children, and he has a hard time adjusting to the new life at first, but slowly wins over the hearts of everyone he meets.
The incredibles (2004)
If you are feeling up for an animated movie, The Incredibles is a wholesome family movie that provides countless of funny lines, plenty of parental advice along the way, and is about a superhero family that has to band together, in order to fight an evil overlord.
With voices from Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson and Jason Lee, the voice acting is on point, and adds another dimension to this lovely animation.
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
This heartwarming story about a single parent and widow by the name of Benjamin, who ends up buying a zoo. Benjamin believes it to be easy at first, but quickly learns that the animals all have special needs, and the zoo staff also needs some convincing. The movie is suited for all ages, and promises beautiful imagery and plenty of exciting animals.
The film stars Matt Damon as Benjamin, Scarlett Johansson as the zoo’s head veterinarian, and Thomas Haden Church as the zoo’s financial advisor. It is based on the true story of Benjamin Mee, who wrote a memoir about his experiences of buying and running a zoo.
Where you can watch free family movies
If you prefer not to spend money on entertainment such as movies, you will be pleased to know there are several ways in which you can watch family movies for free. While the selection and quality might vary significantly, it can be worth it to know it was free of charge.
Publicly funded TV networks
In Europe there are many public TV networks that can be a great source of movies that are both free and of a high quality. These publicly funded TV networks are required by law to be free to access for everyone, since they are often financed via taxpayer money.
Many of these channels also have digital streaming services that are available for you to watch on demand, meaning you do not have to keep track of broadcasting schedules. Unfortunately, many TV networks are geographically restricted to their own area, so if you wish to watch content from outside your own country, you will need to use a VPN to bypass this restriction.
Libraries
Many libraries offer a selection of DVDs and Blu-Rays that can be borrowed for free. These will almost certainly include a number of family movies that can be watched at home.
Sometimes libraries will also have a digital streaming service included in their options. This can either be a special deal they have with major providers, such as Netflix or Disney+, or it can be their own content that they themselves have made freely available for anyone with a library card.
By planning ahead, you can watch free movies as you like, and perhaps also stimulate your children to read some books when visiting the library together.
YouTube
There are many different family movies freely available on YouTube, even without paying for their subscription service. Simply visit the app or website, and search for free family movies, you will then be able to browse through the large selection of content. Be aware that this method offers the most diverse results in terms of quality. Some movies are not well made, while others are made with full production teams. But, since they are all free, it should not be an issue to spend a few minutes checking the different movies available.
