Every week, my family looks forward to our Friday movie night. We snuggle up together, all five of us, and pick something to watch. It’s a routine that started before the pandemic, but became a lifeline for family togetherness during that time and has lasted well into 2023. As we flip through family-centered film choices each week, there’s one genre we’ve continued to be drawn to: wholesome, feel-good movies that leave all of us smiling at the end. These are the 12 movies that left us with enough warm and fuzzy feelings to want to watch them a second or even a third time as a family, and I have a strong feeling they’ll do the same for you.

Rescued by Ruby

This is one of those true gems that burned up the Netflix top 10 when it was released and once we watched it, we totally understood why. It’s the story of the charming and rowdy Ruby, an adorable Australian shepherd and border collie mix, who’s adopted from a shelter and turned into an unlikely search-and-rescue dog. It’s based on a true story and without giving too much away, my youngest daughter actually cried at the end while holding our own dog — one of the most heartwarming moments of my life as a father.

Rescued by Ruby

1h 33m   TV-G   2022

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Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness

This is one of those animated films that honestly surprised me. It’s the story of Chickenhare, the adoptive son of Peter, a proud king and treasure hunter, who’s part chicken and part hare and doesn’t feel like he fits in with either animal. The movie is loaded with warm feelings throughout and it has a number of fish-out-of-water moments that help kids understand that they’re not the only one who might not feel like they fit in (a common struggle for all kiddos, regardless of age). In short, it’s about how becoming comfortable with yourself is an ongoing process.

Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness

1h 31m   TV-Y7   2022

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Mixtape

If you grew up in the ’90s and you’re now raising kids, this is the movie for you. It’s set in 1999 (a very good year, if I do say so myself) right before the big Y2K scare, and centers on wonderfully charming teen Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen) who’s being raised by her grandmother because her awesomely punk rock parents died shortly after Beverly’s birth. I had a number of great conversations with my kids about the ’90s while watching this, and the story also helped them understand that yes, even all the way back in 1999, I faced a lot of the same challenges of coming of age that they’re going through now.

Mixtape

1h 37m   TV-PG   2021

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The Willoughbys

Talk about a movie that goes from wretched and despicable characters to warm and fuzzy feelings in 90 minutes flat. The Willoughbys are easily the worst parents ever seen in cinema (I stand by my assessment) and yet their children find themselves on an incredible adventure reminiscent of any Roald Dahl novel. It leaves you thinking, although there are awful people in the world, there are equally good and kindhearted humans too, and those are the lights we need to look for.

The Willoughbys

1h 32m   PG   2020

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Sing 2

Honest question, can you watch a Sing movie without singing along? The answer is a hard no. It’s just not possible. And while Sing 2 is awesome, wholesome and includes the epic casting choice of U2’s Bono, it’s the music that really hits the whole family. We watched this movie together and then ended up listening to the soundtrack for two solid months, all of us playing air guitar in the living room, all of us laughing, and frankly, my friends, this is where real family memories are made.

Sing 2

1h 49m   PG

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YES DAY

The entire premise of this movie is parents, for 24 hours, say “yes” to their children. Watching it as a family, all three of my kids just smiled the whole time, their eyes filled with wonder, all three of them living out a dream they’d always had vicariously, and by the end, each of them asked me if we could have a Yes Day. In true dad fashion, I considered it and gave them a firm and fatherly, “Maybe.”

YES DAY

1h 29m   PG   2021

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The Mitchells vs. The Machines

If you haven’t watched The Mitchells vs. the Machines with your kiddos yet, you should remedy that immediately. It’s the story of the quirky and complicated (but clearly in love with each other) Mitchell family as they live through the robot apocalypse. It’s easily one of the best family films streaming right now, and probably one of the funniest ones too. Everyone laughed, but it also does an amazing job of highlighting the struggles between parents and kids, and how they all love each other, but love, well... can be complicated to talk about. Changes are hard, and sometimes the best way to solve it all is fighting robots.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

1h 54m   PG   2021

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The Christmas Chronicles

During the summer of 2020, when things were really wild, and I felt like the world was totally coming to a close, we ended up watching Christmas movies as a family to cheer us up. And one of the best movies to watch wherever you’re down, or just need a smile, or really any reason to feel better about everything, is The Christmas Chronicles. Kurt Russell is one of the best movie Santas, in my opinion. I double dog dare you to watch it, regardless of the time of year, and not instantly feel merrier.

The Christmas Chronicles

1h 45m   TV-PG   2018

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Big Daddy

Few actors have the feel-good comedy so under their thumb as Adam Sandler, and Big Daddy is an amazing example of Sandler at the height of his powers. Watching Sonny Koufax (Sandler) struggle to be a fill-in father, and grow into a better and less self-centered human, is not only a surefire way to feel better, it’s also just hilarious for the whole family. And let’s be real, the young Dylan and Cole Sprouse absolutely nail the part of Julian McGrath. But the real power of this movie for me, as a dad, was watching my kids laugh at all the parts I loved when I first saw it back in 1999. It was a wholesome moment that made me feel a deeper connection with my kids.

Big Daddy

1h 33m   PG-13

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The Sea Beast

This is one of the best family films to come out in 2022, and it has an Oscar nomination to show for it. Kids of all ages will be engaged in this exciting, charming story of sea captains fighting sea beasts. To put this into perspective, my kids argue every Friday over what we should watch for family movie night. It never fails. And they have real opinions about movies. But The Sea Beast had every single family member enthralled in mouth-open wonder from start to finish.

The Sea Beast

1h 59m   PG   2022

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We Can Be Heroes

This is easily one of the warmest coming-of-age hero stories from a child’s point of view I’ve watched with my family. Everyone seemed to connect with a different super child in the film, and as we watched, I could see the gears turning in my kids’ heads, each of them letting their imaginations run wild trying to figure out exactly which superpower they’d long for, from super intelligence to body-stretching or “shark strength.” And honestly, this running of imagination was exactly what my kids needed to escape some of their real fears running wild right here and right now.

We Can Be Heroes

1h 40m   PG   2020

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Home

This is an adorable movie. The alien Oh is sweet and quirky, the music is wonderful, and as Oh and young human protagonist Tip (Rihanna) learn about one another’s cultures, they discover that regardless of where you’re from, you can still find common ground and learn to love each other. What could be a better message than that? We must’ve watched Home a dozen times as a family, and each time we’re left singing and smiling.

Home

1h 34m   PG   2015

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The Netflix Movies You Love Are on TudumFrom interviews with the stars to behind-the-scenes exclusive content, you’ll find it here.