When the whole family finally gathers around the TV for a movie night, you don't want to spend 20 minutes thumbing through every streamer to decide on what to watch. To find the best and widest array of free family-friendly movies, we combed through Amazon Prime.
If your family likes action-packed adventures, we have a sci-fi franchise, a martial arts classic, and a dystopian favorite. One of the best coming-of-age romances of the year can be found on Amazon Prime. There are a number of options if you prefer animated comedies or emotional dramas. You can use the extra time to prep the snacks or double feature.
It's rare that an animated adventure can be rewatchable no matter how old you are. It doesn't have anything to say. Aardman Animations is the studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run.
When the beloved farmer is accidentally whisked away into the city, the plan to take a day off from farm labor goes awry. The farmer's loyal dog Bitzer gets wrapped up in a series of wacky mis adventures as they try to bring the farmer home safely. You realize you've been laughing and smiling at a film with no dialogue at all. Like the very best of early silent slapstick cinema, the film is a testament to the power of wordless comedy.
The movie is available on Amazon Prime.
Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate
The Hunger Games has a good mix of suspense, emotional stakes, and beloved teen characters. The first film in the Hunger Games series introduces us to the archer who volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister.
A brutal battle to the death is broadcasted each year in a society where the rich exercise power over the poor. As they train for the games with Haymitch, we follow the tribute team from their home of District 12. It's an excellent set up to an entertaining franchise full of thrilling action, romance, heroic female characters, and a surplus of extravagant costumes that's perfect for a family weekend movie marathon.
The Hunger Games can be watched on Amazon Prime.
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Rarely do we get a family drama that is grounded in reality. Todd Haynes' Wonderstruck captures the awe and curiosity of looking at the world through a child's eyes. Wonderstruck is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Brian Selznick, which tells the story of two young deafness children who travel to New York City to connect with an estranged parent.
Haynes jumps from a sequence shot in 1927 in black and white where Rose searches for her mother, and a sequence in 1977 in which Ben tries to locate his father. Wonderstruck is a film that will appeal to kids of all ages, and will show them museums and mysteries.
Wonderstruck is available on Amazon Prime.
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If teen romances are popular in your household, then you'll want to see Anything's Possible. Billy Porter's directorial debut is a sweet and joyful coming-of-age romance in the vein of To All the Boys I'veloved Before and Love, Simon. In a classic YA romance scenario, high school senior Kelsa starts to fall for the tenderhearted Khal, only to find that her best friend has a crush on him. A lot of high school drama ensues along with romance, heartbreak, and tough love conversations between parents and teens.
It's a love story with a trans girl as the lead in Anything's Possible, which is unlike any other coming of age genre. Porter's film shows Kelsa as an average 17-year-old girl with interests, dreams, and desires, rather than a character defined solely by her identity. Her transness is a part of her story, but never the main focus. Lecuona's script explores the topics of discrimination and harassment when her identity is folded into the narrative.
The film doesn't feel preachy and will likely help start conversations with families about trans women and trans identity. It's rare to see a Black trans woman being loved and getting to fall in love like any other hero of the genre, but that's what happens in Anything's Possible.
Anything's Possible can be watched on Amazon Prime.
Take the otherwordly adventures of Alice In Wonderland, cross it with the strange and dark mystery of '80s fantasy films, and top it off with gorgeous Japanese animation, and you have Little Nemo: adventures in slumberland. In the film based on McCay's comic strip, we meet a young boy with a vivid imagination and an adorable flying squirrel. In the dreamworld of Slumberland, the King and the Princess invite the squirrel and the boy to meet them. The King of Nightmare Land was unleashed soon after the arrival of the ever-curious Nemo. The visuals that follow are similar to the 2001 stargate sequence. There is a line of dazzling-yet-kinda-terrifying-visuals typical of '80s fantasy in this children's movie. Little Nemo is unlike anything we're used to seeing in modern day children's animation.
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Henry is a typical baseball-loving boy, but he is really bad at it. A super-powered arm that throws high-speed pitches is created after Henry broke his arm. He's so fast that the manager of the Chicago Cubs tries to get him to join the team. There are pure goofy antics that happen. It's incredibly silly, but it's fun for a young child or parent to watch a '90s movie.
You can watch rookies of the year on Amazon Prime.
If you want to get your family together and have a good time at the movies, then Star Trek Into Darkness is the movie for you. Chris Pine's Captain Kirk has his eyes set on a new foe in the second film of the rebooted franchise. The rest of the crew, including John Cho's Sulu, Karl Urban's McCoy, and Simon Pegg's Scotty, will also be back.
It's still packed with fast-paced action set pieces, impressive visual effects, tons of warp speed, and playful Enterprise crew banter, even though it isn't the highlight of the trilogy. It's not necessary to be a hardcore Trekkie to enjoy this space adventure.
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It's no wonder that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the top box office earner for a non-English language film. Ang Lee's wuxia drama has been around for 20 years. It has everything an audience could want from an absorbing historical epic, from a terrific narrative to its devastating romance and some of the most breathtaking martial arts fight sequence of its genre.
The love story between Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien is set in China in the 19th century. After a legendary sword is stolen by a thief, the two set out on a journey of epic and magical proportions, including soaring fights across tree tops, and an incredible head-to-head between the two. It's well worth the wait for the wire work fight scenes, even if it requires patience from some.
The movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is now available on Amazon Prime.
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It's not the Christmas season yet, but it's never too early to get into the spirit with it's a wonderful life. George Bailey is one of the most generous and kind men of New York and often to his own detriment. George saved his brother's life, but became partially blind from it. His dreams of traveling the world were put on hold when his father's bank went under. George contemplated ending it all after a lifetime of putting others first. Clarence, the guardian angel, will show George what his life would have been like if he were not born. Frank Capra's It's a wonderful life is a story about learning to not take life for granted and is an enduring classic.
You can find it on Amazon Prime.
Edward Scissorhands is a gothic love story about being the weird in a town of normies. In this Tim Burton-directed classic, a rumor wends its way inside the pastel colored homes of a sunny suburban neighborhood: Up in the ruinous castle on the hillside lies a secretive inventor and his invention, a human-like robot with hands for scissors. When a makeup saleswoman discovers Edward and takes him home to live with her, the fable is true. A romance soon blossoms between Edward and Kim, tension builds between him and a local housewife, and drama ensues as the unsocializedEdward struggles to adapt to an ordinary world. Edward Scissorhands is a welcome return to the vividly inspired world of early Burton films and will satisfy nostalgia for wacky mid-century vintage decor and brooding '90's angst.
EdwardScissorhands is now available on Amazon Prime.
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