What do kids look for in movies?
Is it bright colors and fun animation? Maybe it’s cute characters and catchy one-liners. Perhaps it’s all about the story—something filled with adventure and fun. Or it might be all of that and more: Our kids can often be more perceptive than we give them credit for.
Older children may see a bit of themselves in Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s Greg Heffley. They might understand Judy Hopps’ desire to prove herself in Zootopia 2. And while younger kiddos may wind up mimicking some of the potty humor found in some movies, they might also imitate the polite behaviors demonstrated by Paddington Bear and the Brown family in Paddington in Peru.
So what should parents look for in movies?
At Plugged In, we’ve watched a lot of movies for kids and considered all their pros and cons, and we’ve nominated five films for the Best Movies for Kids category in our annual Plugged In Movie Awards.
These films, which are all rated PG, carry strong messages about familial love, friendship and kindness. They teach lessons in patience and self-control. They encourage us to conquer prejudices and celebrate our differences. And they cover themes dealing with grief, self-doubt and simply doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.
Of course, you’ll still want to read our full reviews of each of these titles to make sure they’re right for your family. But once you do, we’d love to hear your thoughts, too!
Vote for your favorite kids’ movies released in 2025 at this link. Voting closes March 1, and we’ll announce winners by March 11.
(Summaries written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose and Emily Tsiao.)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (PG)
Greg Heffley is not a role model. His decisions are mostly terrible. His attitude is mostly abysmal. And yet, in Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (and the corresponding movies), he often stumbles into a good life lesson or two—and so do we.
In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Greg is forced to spend time with (ugh) his dad as they try to earn badges for a scouting troop. Greg just knows he’s going to hate every single minute of it—until he realizes, much to his surprise, that his boring ol’ dad isn’t so boring after all.
If The Last Straw was itself part of a fictional scouting troop, it’d earn a few demerits for bathroom humor and crude behavior. But it earns a badge for offering surprisingly sweet moments that don’t feel treacly. It encourages parents and kids to spend time together—and reminds them that they both may have more in common than you think.
Dog Man (PG)
The movie Dog Man focuses on a stalwart pair of police partners: the athletic and brave Officer Knight and his bright and faithful dog, Greg.
One day, the duo gets caught up in a horrible accident. They’re rushed to the hospital, where the attending doc declares that Officer Knight’s head is just no good anymore. And Greg’s body is no good either. All is lost … until a nurse steps up to suggest that they simply sew Greg’s head onto Officer Knight’s body. Which, of course, is a brilliant idea! Greg’s smarts paired with Knight’s athleticism results in nothing less than Dog Man, a truly terrific super cop!
Dog Man is a fast-paced and goofy romp that’s all over the place with its zaniness. Parents will definitely roll their eyes at some of the punchlines (along with some of the potty humor). But the movie focuses on the life-transforming nature of familial love. And it takes the time to suggest that an earnest offer of friendship can go a long way toward melting bitter feelings of the past.
Paddington in Peru (PG)
When Paddington’s Aunt Lucy goes missing from her bear retirement home in Peru, Paddington travels from his home in England to find her. His adoptive family, the Browns, tag along for the trip, hoping to get in some quality family time on the trip.
There’s a little mysticism at play here, including some ghostly apparitions and vision-like dreams. It’s revealed that Aunt Lucy didn’t just go missing, she was essentially kidnapped (bear-napped?). And bad guys who tell lies cause much of the movie’s chaos and peril.
However, Paddington doesn’t let any of that get him down. He’s a persistent optimist. And even when other people do bad things, he doesn’t let himself sink to their level. Rather, he continues to look for the good in everyone.
But what really makes Paddington in Peru shine is that even when the going gets tough, Paddington and the Browns never stop being kind—to each other and to those around them. After all, just because others have forgotten their manners is no excuse to forget your own.
Sketch (PG)
In Angel’s Sketch, two siblings named Amber and Jack find themselves fighting against monsters when Amber’s drawings start magically coming to life.
Some early viewers of Sketch were shocked by just how scary this film is. And certainly, it qualifies as a horror film (albeit one made for kids). But Amber’s dark creatures match up with how the 10-year-old is feeling. She’s angry and sad over her mom’s recent death. Worse still, big brother Jack and dad Taylor have essentially told her she just needs to move on, to be normal.
But that’s what this film is really about. It’s about how Jack and Taylor realize they’ve been suppressing their own pain—that they’ve been trying to pretend mom’s death didn’t happen. But once they rally behind Amber, the family learns how to grieve and process all those complex, dark and painful feelings together, as a team.
Content-wise, there are the horror elements I mentioned. Sketch has some raw language, too, including a single use of the s-word. But the powerful messages about family—not to mention the fun adventure aspects and comedic bits—bring balance to this movie about moving on from tragedy and grief.
Zootopia 2 (PG)
Who would’ve thought that a wily fox and wholesome rabbit would make the perfect crime-fighting partners? Certainly not the leaders of Zootopia. As far as they were concerned, predators and prey simply couldn’t work together: They were just too different.
But Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde proved them wrong. The unlikely duo saved the city from disaster and stopped a maniacal sheep from taking over. Of course, now that it’s over, the friends have realized they still have some work to do—on themselves.
Zootopia 2 is filled with winking nods to the moms and dads in the crowd. But those content issues will likely go over the heads of younger viewers. Nick and Judy face some light peril and go up against a few dangerous animals. There’s a bit of betrayal and double-crossing. And parents will also want to note some potty humor and silly gags that they wouldn’t necessarily want their kids mimicking.
All in all, those problems are pretty navigable, though. Especially since Zootopia 2 continues to deliver nice messages about conquering prejudices and celebrating our differences.
Cast your vote for the Plugged In Movie Awards here!
Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments. And check out our nominees for Best Movies for Teens, Best Movies for Adults and Best Christian Movies.
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Source: Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movies for Kids (2026)
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