2025 is shaping up to be a big year for children’s movies and family movie releases. Whether your child is a gamer looking forward to a major video game adaptation or following along with their favorite children’s book author, there is something for everyone.
With children ranging in age from two to 13, I’m particularly excited to see that there is at least one movie that will interest each of my kids. I’m also excited that several upcoming movies will return some of my favorite childhood movies to the big screen.
Here are the 2025 children and family movies I’m looking forward to experiencing with my four kiddos when they release in theaters.
Dog Man Will Bring Dav Pilkey’s Work To Life On The Big Screen
Release Date: January 31, 2024
My 10-year-old son has been reading Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man” books for years, and while he’s getting a bit older, he still has fond memories of the series, and he’s looking forward to seeing the beloved series come to life in theaters on January 31, 2024.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dog Man, the series follows a faithful police dog whose owner is injured while on the job. The man’s body and the dog’s head are fused, creating Dog Man.
The antics in Pilkey’s books are hilarious and imaginative, which gives me hope that the movie, with its unique animation style, will be fun for the whole family.
Paddington In Peru Offers Another Outing With My Movie Bear
Release Date: February 14, 2024
In the third installment of the now beloved Paddington Bear series, Padding discovers his beloved aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears and Paddington and the Brown family head to the jungles of Peru to find her. The second Paddington movie was a triumph among critics and fans, and my kids and I are all waiting patiently for its U.S. release.
Paddington was released overseas in late 2024, but U.S. audiences must wait until February 14th, 2024. If you’re going to spend Valentine’s Day with your kids, this is a great way to do it.
Disney’s Snow White
Release Date: March 21, 2025
“Disney’s Snow White” is a 2025 live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. Gal Gadot (Wonderman) co-stars as Snow White’s Stepmother Evil Queen) in this musical retelling of the popular Disney story.
I just took my son to see Moana 2, and the trailer for this new full-length feature excites me to see Snow White in an entirely new light, accompanied by Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
If you’ve seen the trailer for the 2025 version of Snow White, you know this isn’t just another copy-and-paste plotline from the original, and that alone makes it worth at least one viewing. It also feels like a movie that will play better on the big screen than during an at-home viewing experience.
Minecraft Movie
Release Date: April 4, 2025
My three oldest are all Minecraft players, and I sometimes join in on the fun for world builds and PvP action. I’m also a fan of almost every actor in the upcoming film, especially Jack Black, who plays Minecraft’s best-known character, Steve.
The movie is based around four misfits pulled through a mysterious portal into the “Overworld.” Those characters include Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks).
Admittedly, the trailer is weird, and I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the CGI, but I’m still super interested to see how a game, played by over 100 million gamers, translated onto the big screen.
Lilo & Stitch
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Lili & Stitch mesmerized fans when it was first released in 2002, and now, 23 years later, the movie is getting a live-action remake. The CGI for Stitch looks spot-on, giving me hope that it will remain faithful to the original film. I hope Disney keeps true to my favorite fugitive alien’s natural charm as they take him from a 2D feature into the live-action 3D realm where he will now exist.
My two-year-old gets excited when she sees the trailer, and my seven and 10-year-olds can’t wait for this movie to pop up in theaters on May 23, 2025.
How To Train Your Dragon
Release Date: June 13, 2025
How To Train Your Dragon is my favorite family-friendly animated series of all time, and now it’s following the recent live-action remake trend. The first trailer for the movie looks stellar, although a teaser is hardly enough to fully grasp what could be a huge success if done right.
I know that my children and I love the original movies, which have consisted of How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The movie also features a stellar cast, including Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, and others.
Can Hiccup and Toothless make the Viking world understand how they can become partners and even friends with Dragons? I guess we’ll find out on June 13, 2025.
Elio – An Animated Film By Pixar and Disney
Release Date: June 13, 2025
I hate to admit it, but Pixar films have been hit or miss since Disney acquired them. With that being said, Elio features one of my favorite types of cartoon characters, a child with an active imagination, which ends up getting him in trouble.
The original feature film introduces Elio, an underdog with an active imagination who is accidentally beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide.
After being mistaken for Earth’s ambassador, Elio must complete a series of trials and tribulations he was unprepared for.
With well-known names such as Zoe Zaldana and Brad Garrett attached to the film, I hope Pixar and Disney offer a better full-length film than some of their recent attempts.
The Bad Guys 2
Release Date: August 1, 2025
The Bad Guys is an illustrated children’s graphic novel series written by Australian author Aaron Blabey. My son loves the book series, and during our Moana 2 outing, the trailer played, and my son said he was excited to see this movie in theaters.
DreamWorks Animation brings back all of our favorite Bad Guys characters while adding a new high-stakes game of cat and mouse that includes the “Bad Girls,” which adds an entirely new element compared to the first film.
Freakier Friday
Release Date: August 8, 2025
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis have reunited for Freakier Friday, a follow-up to their hugely successful 2003 offering “Freaking Friday.”
Years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice.
I love introducing my kids to movies I watched growing up and heading out to the theater for a new installment. I will have multiple opportunities to do just that this year, between Freakier Friday, Lilo & Stitch, and How To Train Your Dragon.
