Home Stream Max Best Family Movies on HBO Max to watch in 2023| with ratings!

Best Family Movies on HBO Max to watch in 2023| with ratings!

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Best Family Movies on HBO Max to watch in 2023

Nothing feels better than the whole family enjoying a movie night at home with excitement and laughter! However, picking the best movie that best suits everyone’s taste might be tricky, especially when there are a lot of options to choose from.

Here to help you in the selection process, as we’ve sorted out the best family-friendly movies on HBO Max that you can binge-watch with the whole family. HBO Max offers a rich array of kid’s & family movies, dramas, and documentaries in various genres, including comedy, action, adventure, anime, mystery, musical, etc.

Begin a fun-filled adventure ride with your family by streaming the fantastic collection of family flicks and documentaries on HBO Max from the list below!

1. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

  • Release Date: October 3, 2014
  • IMDB Rating: 8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
  • Blu-ray.com: 8.2/10
  • Directed By: Isao Takahata
  • Leading Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen

An old bamboo cutter and his wife found a tiny girl, Kaguya, inside a shining stalk of bamboo. The little girl soon turns into a beautiful and desirable young lady. Five wealthy men from elite families propose to Kaguya. Kaguya orders her suitors to prove their love by finding special wedding presents for her, but the five men are unable to fulfill her request. The Japanese Emperor then asks her to marry him.

2. When Marnie Was There (2015)

  • Release Date: May 22, 2015  
  • IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
  • Blu-ray.com: 7/10
  • Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
  • Leading Stars: Sara Takatsuki(voice), Kasumi Arimura(voice), Nanako Matsushima(voice)

The movie centers on Anna Sasaki, a 12 y.o teenage girl who is visiting her relatives in a Hokkaido town near the Kushiro marshes as she suffers from asthma. In a nearby abandoned mansion, Anna encounters Marnie, a mystery girl with long, flowing blonde hair. Marnie requests a vow from Anna to keep their adventures a secret from everyone.

3. Steven Universe: The Movie (2019)

  • Release Date: September 2, 2019  
  • IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
  • Blu-ray.com: 7.4/10
  • Directed By: Rebecca Sugar, Kat Morris, Joe Johnston
  • Leading Stars: Zach Callison(voice), Michaela Dietz(voice), Estelle(voice)

Steven Universe appears to have given Steven and the Crystal Gems the chance to live happily ever after by ending the ongoing battle between Earth and the Diamonds and bringing peace to the cosmos. However, Steven’s past returns to heckle him in the form of a mystery Gem hellbent on destroying him and all his precious ones, including the Earth itself. In order to truly deserve his happily ever after, Steven must now deal with the repercussions of Pink Diamond’s actions, save the Earth, and go once more on a path of self-discovery and growth.

4. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)

  • Release Date: January 1, 2022  
  • IMDB Rating: 8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
  • Metacritic: 65%
  • Directed By: Casey Patterson, Eran Creevy, Joe Pearlman, Giorgio Testi
  • Leading Stars: Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Radcliffe

This special documentary family film features Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who, along with Chris Columbus and other legendary cast members, travels to Hogwarts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first instalment, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone released in 2001. Fans can explore all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations about the story of the first series in this amazing family film.

5. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)

  • Release Date: January 30, 2021
  • IMDB Rating: 8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
  • Letterboxd: 3.9/5
  • Directed By: Marilyn Agrelo
  • Leading Stars: Frank Biondo, Linda Bove, Fran Brill

Discover the thoughts and feelings of the “Sesame Street” founders, performers, and educators who built one of the most enduring and important children’s television programs in history. Filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo introduces viewers to a group of visionaries who sought to entertain and educate young minds by utilizing the power of television with catchy melodies, funny & furry characters, and a diverse cast through exclusive behind-the-scenes videos and more than 20 original interviews.

6. Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)

  • Release Date: October 22, 2021
  • IMDB Rating: 7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
  • Blu-ray.com: 5/10
  • Directed By: Sarah Smith, J. P. Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez
  • Leading Stars: Jack Dylan Grazer(voice), Zach Galifianakis(voice), Ed Helms(voice)

Barney is a middle schooler who is gifted a personal robotic device called Ron. This device becomes his ‘Best Friend out of the Box’. Barney and Ron develop a friendship and make social media posts about their adventures. Things take a chaotic turn when Ron begins to malfunction and an executive from a failing company notices Ron online and wants to capture and use him to salvage his business.

7. Paddington 2 (2017)

  • Release Date: January 12, 2018
  • IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 99%
  • Blu-ray.com: 8/10
  • Directed By: Paul King
  • Leading Stars: Ben Whishaw(voice), Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville

Paddington the bear, who lives with the Brown family, is a well-liked local resident who brings happiness and marmalade with him wherever he goes. He discovers a pop-up book one fine day at an antique store, the ideal gift for his cherished aunt’s 100th birthday. When the priceless book is stolen, Paddington sets out on a heroic adventure to find the burglar in time for Aunt Lucy’s grand celebration.

8. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

  • Release Date:  December 6, 2012
  • IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 64%
  • Letterboxd: 3.4/5
  • Directed By: Peter Jackson
  • Leading Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage

Bilbo and his companion hobbits were living a simple life in the shrine before the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrived and persuades Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to join a company of dwarves on a mission to regain the realm of Erebor. The adventure leads Bilbo through perilous realms filled with orcs, goblins, and other perils, not the least of which is a run-in with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and a simple gold ring that is connected to the fate of Middle Earth in ways that Bilbo cannot even begin to comprehend.

9. Walking With Dinosaurs 3D (2013)

  • Release Date: December 20, 2013
  • IMDB Rating: 5.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 23%
  • TV Guide: 37%
  • Directed By: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale
  • Leading Stars: Charlie Rowe, Karl Urban, Angourie Rice

Patchi (Neil Nightingale), a dinosaur, hatches among a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus during the Cretaceous Period. Due to his runt status, Patchi must compete for food with his bigger siblings, especially Scowler, by using his cunning as opposed to his physical power. The rivalry between the brothers reaches a frightening level after a horrific fire isolates Patchi, Scowler, and a woman named Juniper. In order to become the leader he was meant to be, Patchi must find the guts and fortitude within himself.

10. The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)

  • Release Date: February 17, 2012
  • IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
  • Deep Focus Review: 3.5/4
  • Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
  • Leading Stars: Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida(voice)

Unbeknownst to the homeowner and staff, Arrietty, an inches-tall teenager, lives with her parents behind the walls of a suburban house. Like other members of her species, Arrietty hides from her human hosts but periodically emerges from beneath the floorboards to borrow necessary items from the house’s human inhabitants. A 12-year-old visitor to the house named Shawn meets Arrietty, and they develop a secret friendship, but their relationship may be dangerous for Arrietty’s family.

11. Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017)

  • Release Date: April 7, 2017
  • IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
  • MyAnimeList.net: 8.2/10
  • Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa
  • Leading Stars: Gen Hoshino(voice), Kana Hanazawa(voice), Hiroshi Kamiya(voice)

A sophomore known only as “The Girl with Black Hair” goes out with a group of teenagers for a long party night on the town and has a series of bizarre encounters with the local nightlife. She is unaware of Senpai, a classmate who has been fabricating increasingly unbelievable and improbable reasons to run into her in an effort to win her heart.

12. Weathering with You (2020)

  • Release Date: Jul 30, 2020
  • IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
  • Vudu: 4.7/5
  • Directed By: Makoto Shinkai
  • Leading Stars: Kotaro Daigo(voice), Nana Mori(voice), Tsubasa Honda(voice)

Hodaka leaves his isolated island home during the summer of his first year of high school and moves to Tokyo, where he soon finds himself stretched to his financial and personal limits. Every day is unusually rainy and dreary, as though predicting his future. He spends his days alone but eventually secures a job as a writer for an obscure esoteric magazine. Then, on a crowded street corner, Hodaka meets Hina. This intelligent and determined girl has a peculiar and great talent: she can clear the sky and stop the rain.

13. Hugo (2011)

  • Release Date: November 23, 2011
  • IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
  • Letterboxd: 3.5/5
  • Directed By: Martin Scorsese
  • Leading Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris, orphaned and all by himself, with the exception of an uncle. Hugo’s job is to oil and repairs the station’s clocks, but to him, protecting a broken automaton and notepad that his late father left for him is more crucial. Hugo sets out on a mission to unravel the mystery of the automaton and locate a place he can call home.

14. Regular Show: The Movie (2015)

  • Release Date: November 25, 2015
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
  • Letterboxd: 3.7/5
  • Blu-ray.com: 7/10
  • Directed By: J. G. Quintel
  • Leading Stars: J.G. Quintel(voice), William Salyers(voice), Sam Marin(voice)

Regular Show: The Movie is an American animated sci-fi comedy film that features the story about Mordecai and Rigby, who, along with their groundskeeping co-workers, set on a mission to save the universe, and their friendship, from evil and crazy volleyball coach.

15. DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

  • Release Date: July 29, 2022 
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
  • Fandango: 88%
  • Directed By: Jared Stern
  • Leading Stars: Dwayne Johnson(voice), Kevin Hart(voice), Kate McKinnon(voice)

A team of adorable animals and a superman with superpowers are featured in the CGI-animated comedy film DC League of Super-Pets. Together, Superman and Krypto, the Super-Dog, fight crime in Metropolis. They are inseparable best friends. But when the Man of Steel and the other Justice League members are kidnapped, Krypto has to convince a diverse group of animals to use their own recently discovered skills to carry out a rescue mission.

16. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience (2022)

  • Release Date: Jun 30, 2022
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
  • Common Sense Media: 5/5
  • Martin Cid Magazine: 6/10
  • Directed By: Guy Moore
  • Leading Stars: Kevin Michael Richardson(voice), Kate Micucci(voice), Yvette Nicole Brown(voice)

A lighthearted story about Wilbur, a compassionate, inquisitive, and rockin’ Naked Mole Rat who discover the passion and love to dress up and wear clothes. Learn what happens when Wilbur’s recently found love of rocking clothing shakes the foundations of the Naked Mole Rat society.

17. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

  • Release Date: March 15, 2013  
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
  • Letterboxd: 3.7/5
  • Directed By: Goro Miyazaki
  • Leading Stars: Sarah Bolger, Chris Noth, Anton Yelchin

Yokohama students fight to keep their school’s clubhouse from being demolished as Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games preparations get underway. Umi and Shun progressively become attracted to one another while working there, but a surprising obstacle arises. They yet continue on without trying to escape reality’s challenges.

18. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

  • Release Date: February 10, 2017
  • IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
  • Filmaffinity: 3.7/5
  • Directed By: Chris McKay
  • Leading Stars: Will Arnett(voice), Michael Cera(voice), Rosario Dawson(voice)

There are significant changes taking place in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) is to prevent the Joker’s (Zach Galifianakis) hostile takeover of the city, he may have to give up being a lone vigilante, try to collaborate with others, and perhaps, just perhaps, learn to lighten up. Maybe his devoted butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) and superhero sidekick Robin (Michael Cera) can teach him a thing or two.

19. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

  • Release Date: October 26, 2011
  • IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
  • Blu-ray.com: 7/10
  • Directed By: Steven Spielberg
  • Leading Stars: Jamie Bell(voice), Andy Serkis(voice), Daniel Craig(voice)

Young reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell), along with his devoted dog Snowy, purchases an antique ship called the Unicorn while shopping at an outdoor market. Tintin is approached to sell the model by two nefarious characters: Sakharine (Daniel Craig) and Barnaby (Joe Starr), but he declines. Before the boy can find the treasure, Tintin is taken away and given over to the custody of the ship’s inebriated Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis).

20. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

  • Release Date: 10 November 2016
  • IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
  • Directed By: David Yates
  • Leading Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol

Professor Albus Dumbledore is aware that Gellert Grindelwald, a strong and evil wizard, is attempting to seize control of the wizarding community. He assigns magizoologist Newt Scamander to head an intrepid group of wizards and witches because he is unable to stop him alone. They quickly come into conflict with Grindelwald’s expanding legion of supporters and come across a variety of both ancient and new animals.

21. Lean on Pete (2018)

  • Release Date: Jul 3, 2018
  • IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
  • Directed By: Andrew Haigh
  • Leading Stars: Charlie Plummer, Amy Seimetz, Travis Fimmel

Charley Thompson, 15, is the main character in the movie. He wants a place to live, food on the table, and access to a high school for the majority of the year. Stability is difficult to come by for the kid of a single parent who works in warehouses throughout the Pacific Northwest. In an effort to start over, they relocate to Portland, Oregon, where Charley accepts a summer job with a failed horse trainer and befriends Lean on Pete, a failing racehorse.

22. Rango (2011)

  • Release Date: March 4, 2011
  • IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
  • Letterboxd: 3.6/5
  • Directed By: Gore Verbinski
  • Leading Stars: Johnny Depp(voice), Isla Fisher(voice), Timothy Olyphant(voice)

Johnny Depp voices the character of a chameleon who has spent his entire life as a protected family pet and is currently experiencing an identity crisis. Rango is naturally a blend-in guy; therefore, he wonders how to stand out. He embarks on a transformative journey as the town’s new sheriff when he unintentionally finds himself in the frontier town of Dirt. Rango initially pretends to be a hero, but as a result of a number of exciting events and outrageous encounters, he is forced to take on the role of a real hero.

23. Brillo Box (3¢ off) (2016)

  • Release Date: June 13, 2016
  • IMDB Rating: 7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
  • Letterboxd: 3.3/5
  • Directed By: Lisanne Skyler
  • Leading Stars: Keenan Larson, Andy Warhol(archive footage), Martin Skyler

2016’s documentary short film– Brillo Box (3¢ off) shows Andy Warhol’s iconic sculpture ‘Brillo Box (3¢ Off)’ charting its path from a simple family living lounge all the way to a record-breaking auction at Christie’s.

24. Batkid Begins (2015)

  • Release Date: January 24, 2015 
  • IMDB Rating: 7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
  • Vudu: 4.3/5
  • Directed By: Dana Nachman
  • Leading Stars: Miles Scott, Eric Johnston, Nick Scott

November 15, 2013, marks history when the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the city of San Francisco join forces with the mission to grant a five-year-old leukemia patient his wish to become Batman for a day.

25. 8-Bit Christmas (2021)

  • Release Date: November 24, 2021 
  • IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83%
  • Blu-ray.com: 6.9/10
  • Directed By: Michael Dowse
  • Leading Stars: Winslow Fegley, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Zahn

A passionate and hilarious look back on the experiences of youth. The narrative, which takes place in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, is focused on ten-year-old Jake Doyle’s (Winslow Fegley) arduous quest to receive the best video game system for Christmas.

26. Rio 2 (2014)

  • Release Date: April 11, 2014
  • IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 48%
  • Blu-ray.com: 5/10
  • Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
  • Leading Stars: Jesse Eisenberg(voice), Anne Hathaway(voice), Jemaine Clement(voice)

Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), Jewel (Anne Hathaway), and their three children are blue macaws who have made a comfortable — perhaps too comfortable — home in the city. Jewel worries that the kids start resembling more like humans than birds. Jewel determines that their small family should travel to the Amazon jungle after finding that she and Blu might not actually be the last blue macaws. There, Blu meets his imposing father-in-law (Andy Garcia) and engages in a beak-to-beak battle with Nigel (Jemaine Clement).

27. Real Steel (2021)

  • Release Date: October 2, 2011
  • IMDB Rating: 7/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 60%
  • Blu-ray.com: 4/10
  • Directed By: Shawn Levy
  • Leading Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo

Hugh Jackman’s character, Charlie Kenton, was a prizefighter who missed out on a championship when massive, towering robots invaded the boxing arena. Charlie now makes low-end fighters out of scrap metal while working as a part-time promoter, barely making enough money to move from one subterranean location to the next. After reaching his lowest point, Charlie reluctantly joins forces with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to construct and train a championship robot in an effort to salvage his situation.

28. Tom and Jerry: Cowboy Up! (2022)

  • Release Date: January 25, 2022
  • IMDB Rating: 5.1/10
  • eBay: 5/5
  • Best Buy: 5/5
  • Directed By: Darrell Van Citters
  • Leading Stars: George Ackles(voice), Sean Burgos(voice), Trevor Devall(voice)

Everyone’s favorite cartoon, Tom and Jerry, is back in action on the screens in this animated adventure comedy movie that premiered on January 25, 2022. This time the duo is seen in the Wild West with the motive to protect a ranch from the hands of a voracious villain. Tom and Jerry team up against a greedy land-grabber and help a cowgirl and her brother save their homestead.

29. Don’t Let The Pigeon Do Storytime (2020)

  • Release Date: September 17, 2020
  • IMDB Rating: 7/10
  • Common Sense Media: 4/5
  • Directed By: Bobcat Goldthwait
  • Leading Stars: Mo Willems, Anthony Anderson, Yvette Nicole Brown

Inspired by Mo Willems’ series of Pigeon books, this family TV special includes a vast collection of live readings and sketch comedy by Anthony Anderson, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Dratch, Cameron Esposito, Tony Hale, Greta Lee, Tom Lennon, and others.

30. I Can’t Do This, But I CAN Do That: A Film for Families about Learning Differences (2010)

  • Release Date: October 26, 2010
  • IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
  • JustWatch: 74%
  • La Vanguardia: 10/10
  • Directed By: Ellen Goosenberg Kent
  • Leading Stars: Michael Hall D’Addario

A classic family documentary that exhibits how eight young children deal with their learning disabilities. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder, and auditory processing disorder made these children experience what it truly means to struggle and overcome learning differences and challenges.

Wrapping up!

There you have it, the definitive list of the best family movies and documentaries perfect for family movie time for many different age groups. Now just go through the HBO Max website and hit the play button to watch the full story of your favorite family movie from the titles listed above. We keep updating titles so do check back for new suggestions.

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