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Cool Movies
Searching for fabulously cool movies for the family? I love a great story, but I have a strong conviction of keeping trashy media out of our home. It’s harder than ever to find quality shows to share with the family but I’ve put together the ultimate cool movies list for my wifey friends that I hope will knock your socks off!
We went without television for over a year and a half, but when my Father-in-Love had an extended stay with us, Superman asked me if I would turn the cable back on so that his Dad could watch Fox News and Westerns. I did, but now Pops isn’t here all the time, so I’ve been teasing that I’m about to pull the plug again.
I’m not really teasing, though. {Shhh!}
Whether we do cut the cable or not, we always need family-friendly cool movies for Friday nights, don’t you?
UPDATE 12/13/16:
I did pull the plug about a month ago, and oh my goodness, I could not be happier! We don’t have to deal with as many commercials anymore and the few that we do have are not raunchy. WooHoo! I wrote all about how we are watching sports without cable (and everything else we want to). I also created a family friendly TV shows list!!!
UPDATE 10/2/17:
Vidangel has made some changes since I wrote this article. After choosing a prospective movie, you can watch the movie’s trailer. If you are still interested, you can click on “filters” and see which things you can literally remove from the movies. The categories are language, immodesty, nudity, violence, gore, and alcohol or drug use. It goes into a lot of detail so you can make an informed decision. It’s wonderful! At that time, you can rent or buy!
Cool Movies to watch with the fam
Wholesome shows are hard to find but I’ve got an Ultimate Family Movies list below. I know you’ll appreciate that each link Amazon link is clickable so you can have a great summary, movie trailer, and all the info you need to make the decision of what movies are right for your Lil family. Movies that (I feel) need a little filtering were given a VidAngel link.
How does VidAngel work?
To get around the laws of altering movies, you must pay full price for each movie up front and then you’re able to filter out exactly what you want to while you “own” it. The filter is super simple and gives you so much control: language, immodesty, violence, crude remarks, inappropriate innuendos, anything!
These movies can be watched on Televisions, smartphones, devices, Roku, Wii, Apple TV, etc by streaming from Amazon,
Netflix, VidAngel, and other amazing companies that I will be partnering with in the future to “take back our TVs.“
If you have Amazon Prime, many of the movies below will be absolutely free.
I’m just beside myself with happiness, Y’all. Let’s get on with the good stuff, shall we?!
Ultimate Cool Movies List
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- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb – use link to filter mild profanity
- Little Women (1949)
– this is my favorite version - Eragon
- Love Comes Softly – 1st of a fabulous series
- The Parent Trap (1961) – the best version
- Felicity – An American Girl Adventure – my fave of the series of movies
– this is my favorite version
– 1st of a fabulous series
– my fave of the series of movies-
- Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Edition – fun movie
- National Treasure
- National Treasure: Book Of Secrets
- Lassie Come Home
- Nim’s Island
- The Little Princess – especially for those who’ve never watched Shirley Temple
- Indiana Jones & Raiders of the Lost Ark – I suggest filtering the profanities with this link
- Dolphin Tale (2011)
- Nancy Drew, Reporter
- Meet Me in St. Louis
- The Miracle On 34Th Street
- Princess Protection Program
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Yours, Mine & Ours – I like the modern version best (gasp!)
- Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Edition
– fun movie
– especially for those who’ve never watched Shirley Temple
– I like the modern version best (gasp!)Amazingly cool movies
- Annie
- National Velvet
- We Bought a Zoo – use the filter link for random language and crudeness
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
- Anne of Green Gables: 30th Anniversary
- Cinderella
- Little Rascals
- Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope – the original movie w/filter link for language
- Sue Thomas F.B.Eye Volume 1
- God’s Not Dead –
- Cheaper By The Dozen (1950) – the old version is better!
–
– the old version is better!-
- Ramona and Beezus
- The Secret Garden –
- Race To Witch Mountain
- The Lost Medallion
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
- The Shaggy Dog (1959)
- The Story Of Robin Hood And His Merrie Men
- War Room
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
- The Lost Valentine – the Best movie that made me cry more than any other!
- Ramona and Beezus
Inspirational cool movies
-
- Saving Sarah Cain
- Emma
- Pendragon: Sword Of His Father
- Eloise At The Plaza
- Eloise At Christmastime
- Swiss Family Robinson
- One Night with the King – FAVORITE biblical movie!!!
- Saving Sarah Cain
More cool movies suggested by readers
- Courageous
- Finding Normal
- The Christmas Card
- Beyond The Mask
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
- Pride & Prejudice
- A Christmas Carol
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- The Sound of Music
- Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – sequel to ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’
I’ve tried my best to showcase the highest quality movies that your family (and mine) can enjoy. Certain movies may not be suitable for your young people. Be sure to do your research. Enjoy!
Will any of these cool movies be on YOUR movie list this week?
PIN FOR LATER!
Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.
☕️ It’s THE REAL DEAL around here ☕️
There are some here I haven’t thought about it quite awhile.
Great list! My kids adore most of these movies. They also love Blank Check and Heavyweights. We’re watching Voyage of the Dawn Treader right now.
WOW! Fantastic list! So many classics. My favorites- The Little Princess, Ramona and Beezus, Homeward Bound and It’s a Wonderful Life. Absolutely timeless. Sharing on Twitter, Pinterest and StumbleUpon.
Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium! This is me and my daughters favorite, definitely should be on the list. 🙂
What an awesome list! We also happen to love Dinotopia and Journey 2- The Mysterious Island. Thanks for the links. Visiting from the Family, Friendship, and Faith blog hop!
Author
Great suggestions! Thank you so much.
Meet me in Saint Louis is a personal favourite. All the musicals, Sound of Music, The Music Man, Hello Dolly, Pollyanna, those would be my favourites!
You should link up over at #bloggerspotlight!
Author
Thank you so much. Your suggestions are great. We love movie night!
blessings,
Shan
Author
Love it!
blessings,
Shan
We love movie night at our house. This is a great reference list. Some of our favorites include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Mummy trilogy, Star Wars. Thanks for sharing at Mom-to-Mom Mondays.
Author
Movie night is so fun for us too. Thanks for your suggestions – those are great!
blessings,
Shan
Thanks for the great list! There are definitely some to add to the list. I think Lemonade Mouth (which is also a book) would be fun for families with older kids. The soundtrack also has some wonderful songs kids will like.
We recently watched Night at the Museum (well, all of them!) The boys loved them. They’re currently living through some kind of Spongebob thing now, so looks like we might have to endure that for a while!
This is a helpful list! It’s getting harder and harder to find “safe” things to watch as a family.
Blessings, Leigh
Great list of movies. We have a family movie night every week so this list will definitely come in handy!
Author
That’s awesome, Khrista. I’m sure your family will remember the fun times for years to come. I’m so thankful that this was helpful. Check back because I’m adding new movies often from suggestions of readers.
blessings,
Shan
You have listed off a bunch of good movies to ensure we watch. I love War Room!
so many great films! I used to be so obsessed with Little Women and the Secret Garden! those were favorites of mine as a kid 😀 thanks for sharing these!
I love your roundup of movies! My girls and I have gone to our downtown old theater and watched Gone With the Wind on the BIG screen! It was amazing. They’re teens and it’s definitely for that age group and up, but what a great movie!
Great ideas!! Some we have watched and some of these are going on the list!!! Movie night every Friday night here!!! Also, we LOVE vidangel!!! We have used it a lot and are very pleased! Highly recommend it!! Thanks girl!
Author
Thanks, Raquel!!! Yay – so glad you’d already found it. It’s amazing! Thanks so much for adding your thoughts.
blessings,
Shan
Shan,
Thanks for the thorough list. We’ve really loved Vidangel too!
For a while we also tried Pure Flix.
Great list as we are transitioning out of cartoon movies but want to keep it appropriate for kids!
Great list! I’ll definitely use it now as the holiday season is approaching and it’s time to spend more time with the family! 🙂
This is perfect timing right before the holidays when we will have some time to watch movies together! Totally forgot about Indiana Jones – this was one of my faves!
Amazing list! There are so many movies on here that I’ve never seen, but I’ve heard so many people say they’re the best. I need to add these to my list!
oh man so many movies I grew up! Thanks for the reminder– perfect for today’s rainy day in!
This is a great list and perfect timing for all the cold weather we’ve been having!
I love this list! I often want to go back and watch movies from my childhood and can’t even remember them all! Lassie is a great one, especially because we have a collie!
These are great classics to keep in mind for family movie night! Thanks for the roundup! 🙂
xo Kathryn
We have Friday movie night, and it’s always interesting to find one that fits everyone. My youngest is 7, the oldest 17. This is a good list to look at. I’ve not tried VidAngel before. Thanks for explaining how it works.
there are quite a few good ones on here i have seen and would agree are great family mobies.
Wow! There are so many great movies on this list. I love how you’ve chosen such a nice combination of old and newer films. A great way to introduce little ones to the classics of the past!
I had no idea you could get movies free on Amazon Prime!!
This is such a great list!
Great List. We LOVE movies. Thanks for sharing!
What a great collection of movies for the family. The Sound of Music is one of my top 3 favorite movies. Congrats, you’re featured this week at the #ThisIsHowWeRoll Link Party.
Oh such a great list!! I will be coming back to this! Little Rascals just came on Netflix and I was so happy! My son loves it! & Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favourite move <3 So many good ones! Thank you for sharing!
I love this list – I can watch the Sound of Music over and over…
This is such a great list! I’ve seen some of them and love them! I’m bookmarking this for future use!
Belle |
What a great list! My kids just watched the original ‘Parent Trap’ (its on Netflix right now) and it brought back such wonderful memories for me. I love great movies that I can sit and watch with my family.
Great list! A lot of oldie but goodies.
This is a great list! We are watching the series When calls the Heart right. NOw- which I believe is part of the Love Comes Softly-verse
Some really good suggestions here, will come back to this list when we’re struggling to find things to watch!
We are always looking for good family friendly movies. We enjoy having family movie night, but get tired of the ones we already own. Thanks for the suggestion!
My daughter (who is soon 8) just told me this morning that she feels too old for the shows she is allowed to watch. So, I am looking for new content. This list has given me great ideas.
Great list! Thanks so much for sharing it. There are a few i haven’t seen and will add to our must watch list.
What a great list! We have seen and enjoy many of these such as Mary Poppins, Annie, and the American Girl movies.
Parent Trap is a all time favorite and yes the 1961 version is the best. Going to have to re-watch some of these we have forgotten about.
Many of my favorites on this list!
I always get stuck – I can’t remember movies. There’s some on there I have noted for future viewing pleasure. Thanks – great list!
These are some great movie suggestions. The Parent Trap is by far one of my favorites!
What an awesome list! I’m bookmarking this for whenever I can’t think of a good movie to watch!
This is such a great list of movies. I love how you’ve selected quite a few old classics too. It’s so important to introduce new generations to these wonderful old films!
Great list! I recently watched Freaky Friday with my 10 year old son. When it first started he groaned about it but ended up loving it. I enjoy re-watching movies I watched as a child with my own children.
What a great idea! There are so many movies from my childhood that I start to watch with my kiddos and then realize “OH NO!”, this will be a great tool for us to try 🙂
This is a great list!
I remember some of these movies and I agree with your choice of Parent Trap version 😀 I will bingewatch when I have free time!
oh I used to love Lassie come home as a kid!
These are great suggestions. I think I will have to make a tradition and set a movie night. I love some of the movies that you have stated and some I have never watched. I love the variety you have on this list.
Ive seen alot of these, but not all! Great list! We are so behind the times, I have no streaming, no netflix!
I love your list of family movies! We have a pretty large movie collection & while we don’t have children of our own yet, we have 11 nieces & nephews all under the age of 10. Although I should admit that I love kids movies! <3
ps. Thanks for your tips about VidAngel! I'm going to have to look into it! 🙂
Always a fun evening to pick out a classic movie we just watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Have to have some fun snacks.
LOVE this list! Always looking for good movies for my 3 boys!
Oh my goodness I love so many of these! My husband is from the UK, though, and has not seen a lot fo them. When I was on maternity leave I made him suffer through The Parent Trap, lol. I do not think that one will make his favorites list. Luckily, though, Meet Me in St Louis has!
Oh man, I think about getting rid of cable sometimes! It’s always good to hear about people who did it and are having no problems adjusting/ This is also a really great list – saw some of my favorites on there, for sure! 🙂
This is a pretty extensive list! I’m all over sci-fi and action/adventure but who can resist Mary Poppins and Sound of Music? Julie Andrews!
What a list! We are always searching for a great Friday family movie…will be using your list! Thanks!
This list gave me a chuckle! I haven’t watched some of these movies in ages! I guess it is time for family movie night 🙂
Awesome list of movie ideas! I watched all the Homeward Bound movies so many times as a kid that I can still remember everything that happens. Another great one is Daddy Day Care. Thanks for sharing!!
First hear of VidAngel, will check it out, great movie list!
Thank you so much for sharing this vidangel service!! We have a four year old who is obsessed with superheroes and transformers and I’ve always wanted something that would help me to filter those movies to accommodate his age and maturity level!
This is a great list! I am always needing movie suggestions for our family nights, and there are some great ones that I hadn’t thought of here. Thank you 🙂
A great list!! lots of movies I haven’t seen in a long time and that i’m sure my kids would LOVE!!
such a great list! My kid is still little but i’m sure he’ll love these in a bit.
Such great ideas! I love the original parent trap and would love to watch it soon!
Wow! That is a great list of movies! I’ve heard of Vidangel, but haven’t used it yet. I may need to check it out.
So many great movies! Always looking for new ones to check out!
Great list! A lot of my faves are listed
Mary Poppins is a favorite in our house and pretty much any Disney movie. Lately, we have all been pretty obsessed with Moana. Even my husband is into it. LOL
xoxo Barb
This is a great list of movies! We’ve watched several of these at my house. I’ve never heard of VidAngel. That sounds like an interesting service.
This is such an awesome list!! I’m so glad I came across this because everytime we want to do a family movie night, we end up spending at least an hour looking for a good movie to watch haha. Plus, so many of my favourites are already on this list!
Connecting from Christian Blogger Community Linkup. I absolutely love this post. You compiled a great list. There’s so much stuff out there that is very unwholesome. God bless you!
Author
Edith! You made my week. I appreciate your kind words! Unnecessary trash in media is a conviction for me and honestly, a thorn in my side. I thought a list might be needed for other families besides ours! 😉
The parent trap is one of my favorite movies and cheaper by the dozen is a super cute movie as well. This is a great list of movies.
Thanks for a great list of movies! My cousin writes about movies on my blog as well and I haven’t found too many other women who have blogs about movies — it’s fun to find another. 🙂 I love your list. We love our family movie nights and we watched SING the other night. It’s not on Netflix yet but it’s definitely a great family movie.
Love this list!! Friday night is movie night and we are always looking for new ideas for movies!
I came here for the movie list but was pleased to find your rave review of asking TV! We pay entirely too much for cable that we don’t watch and our plan only includes maybe 10 channels! I’ve been wanting to rewatch some classic Disney movies! Saving this list for later as we will be having more date nights in!
looking for good movies to watch with the kids this summer on rainy days – i forgot about Mary Poppins -that one is so perfect!
I love your thorough list, you have some of my favorites listed. 🙂
GET OUT!!! This is an amazing list!! We don’t have satellite TV either. We do Netflix, HULU, and Amazon Video. We love it!
Author
thank you!!!
Always a fan of the Indiana Jones movies! I wouldn’t mind sitting the kids down and making them watch Mary Poppins. Think the world needs more good wholesome musicals.
Cheers
Such a good list! I forgot that some of these movies existed! Eragon used to be my favourite film. I absolutely loooooved the books as well!
Fabulous list and perfect for our summer family movie nights. Thank you