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There's no question that when it comes to movies for kids, families are spoiled for choice. And with all the great films on the horizon for 2024, the choice is only going to get harder. There are so many family-friendly films already on the schedule, which will only get more and more packed as new movies are announced and released.
When we look at what's been slated so far, these are the best kids' movies coming out in 2024, listed in order of their release. As usual, we have a bunch of sequels — and even a couple of part-fours! — that return to check in with some favorite characters. There are a few exciting book adaptions, set to transform the works of classic kids' book authors like Crockett Johnson or Barbara Robinson. Most of these are coming to theaters for a fun, big-screen outing, but a few are slated to go straight to streaming services (and those are the ones that are usually announced at the last minute, so there's sure to be more in the future). Check the list, put your favorites in the calendar, and then get ready for some fun movie outings.
Soul
Release Date: January 12, 2024
Wait a minute, didn't this one come out already? Sure it did, and you can watch it on Disney+, but Disney is re-releasing into theaters three Pixar movies that went straight-to-streaming during the worst of the pandemic. If you dig the visuals of the Great Before, you can see them on the big screen.
Orion and the Dark
Release Date: February 2, 2024
Orion has a great many fears — but he's especially afraid of the dark. So you can imagine his surprise when an embodiment of the dark shows up to take him on an adventure to show him there's nothing to be afraid of. The Netflix movie is based on a book by Emma Yarlett, but the script was written by someone who knows a thing or two about writing movies about anxieties: Being John Malkovich and Adaptation writer Charlie Kaufman.
The Tiger's Apprentice
Release Date: February 2, 2024
A Chinese-American teenager named Tom unexpectedly learns that he's part of a force called The Guardians — and he must train to take on an evil entity that's bent on destroying humanity. (No pressure, right?) This Paramount+ animated original features performances by Henry Golding, Brandon Soo Hoo, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh.
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Peppa's Cinema Party
Release Date: February 9, 2024
Everyone's favorite pig from across the pond is headed for the big screen! The Peppa Pig cinema experience includes some never-before-seen episodes, five new songs and interactive moments that encourage kids to get up and dance or sing.
Turning Red
Release Date: February 9, 2024
You haven't seen a giant red panda until you've seen it on the big screen. For its second Pixar re-release, Disney has chosen Turning Red, about a 13-year-old who turns into a furry creature whenever she feels extreme emotions. Now, how often does that happen to a new teenager?
Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin
Release Date: February 12, 2024
Not a full feature, but Peanuts fans will delight in a brand-new special on Apple TV+. This one focuses on Franklin, who, as part of a military family, moves around a lot. When he finds letters from his grandfather, he gets advice about making friends.
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Kung Fu Panda 4
Release Date: March 8, 2024
Jack Black (aka the voice of Bowser in 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie) returns for another go-round as Po, the unlikely "Dragon Warrior." When he faces a villain that can absorb powers of enemies past, Po will be challenged like never before.
Luca
Release Date: March 22, 2024
Before there was "We Don't Talk About Bruno," there was Luca's "Silencio, Bruno!" The third Pixar re-release of the year follows a couple of normal-seeming boys in Italy who just want to get a Vespa of their own. But one of them is hiding a big secret.
The Casagrandes Movie
Release Date: March 22, 2024
This is a feature length movie based on Nickelodeon's The Casagrandes, a spin-off of The Loud House. This time, 12-year-old Ronnie Anne causes mayhem on a family vacation to Mexico when she accidentally frees a demigod.
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Powder Pup
Release Date: March 26, 2024
A teenager has a rough time moving from sunny southern California to snowy Montana — until he adopts a dog that can snowboard. This one is going direct to streaming.
Chicken for Linda!
Release Date: April 5, 2024
In French with subtitles and with a heavy emotional core, Chicken for Linda might not be for every family, but Variety said it, "gets mother-daughter bonds better than most live-action movies." In it, a daughter, grieving the death of her father, tells her mom she wants to eat his famous chicken dish. The mom promises to make it for her, but circ*mstances make it harder than it should be (they can't buy chicken during a strike, for example), which sends them off on a wild adventure.
Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp
Release Date: April 12, 2024
This Netflix movie follows Woody Woodpecker as he gets kicked out of the forest and finds a new home in Camp Woo Woo. So when an inspector threatens to shut down the camp, Woody vows to save it.
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The Barkers: Mind the Cats
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Kid Barker feels lonely and left out when his two older siblings are too busy to play with him. When two mischievous cats steal the family's jet pack, though, they'll need Kid's help to get it back. The movie is based on the characters from the 2011 The Barkers TV series, and will go straight to streaming
Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace
Release Date: May 3, 2024
In honor of the film's 25th anniversary, The Phantom Menace will see a theatrical re-release just in time for May the Fourth. Kids who were too little or not born in time to see Jar Jar on the big screen will finally have their shot.
IF
Release Date: May 17, 2024
When they realize a tween named Bea has the power to see imaginary friends that have been forgotten by their children, Calvin (played by Ryan Reynolds), Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Blue (Steve Carrell) team up with her to see if they can find IFs new children. The Office and A Quiet Place's John Krasinski directs.
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Thelma the Unicorn
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Thelma the Pony has always dreamed of stardom, and her wish is granted when she is transformed into Thelma the Unicorn — but is fame all it's cracked up to be? Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard provides the voice of Thelma in a Netflix film based on the book by Bad Guys author Aaron Blabey. It's also directed by a pair who knows a thing or two about lovable outsiders and/or outsize fabulousness: Jared Hess (director of Napoleon Dynamite) and Lynn Wang (of Unikitty).
The Garfield Movie
Release Date: May 24, 2024
We know of Garfield as a lazy, pampered, lasagna-eating cat who mostly sits around the house. In this movie, things change when Garfield is reunited with his father, a scruffy outdoor cat, and goes on an adventure. Chris Pratt is the voice of Garfield, and Samuel L. Jackson plays the father.
Robot Dreams
Release Date: May 31, 2024
This film, based on the comic by Sara Varon, is just coming off its Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. (It lost to The Boy and the Heron.) It's about an anthropomorphic dog who, suffering from loneliness, orders a robot to be his friend. The near wordlessness and pervasive melancholy gives the impression that it's not exactly aimed at kids, but the older ones might get into it.
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Too Old for Fairy Tales 2
Release Date: June 1, 2024
The sequel to Netflix's Too Old for Fairy Tales, this Polish film follows the travails of a 10-year-old esports player and the two other members on his team. This time, our hero journeys to find the father he's never met.
Inside Out 2
Release Date: June 14, 2024
Pixar returns to the life of the mind with a sequel t0 2015's Inside Out. Only this time, some new emotions are joining the crew — including Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment and Envy — who threaten to upend the equilibrium. Amy Poehler returns as the voice of Joy.
