The Best Kid & Family Movies of 2023

Premiering February 17, 2023 in theaters.

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are suiting up once again for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! This is the third Ant-Man movie, following 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, and details about its plot were released at San Diego Comic Con in July 2022. Scott Lang (Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Lilly) team up as Ant Man and the Wasp and join Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) on an exploration of the Quantum Realm. They interact with strange new creatures, “embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.”

At the event, Rudd told the crowd, “Scott is pretty pleased with himself in his role with saving the universe.” The movie also stars Bill Murray, Kathryn Newton, and Jonathan Majors.

Premiering March 3, 2023 in theaters.

Everyone’s favorite role-playing game is coming to the big screen, with tons of big names in the cast. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, and will also include Regé-Jean Page, Hugh Grant, Sophie Lillis, Daisy Head, Justice Smith, Jason Wong, Chloe Coleman, and others. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein wrote and directed the film. Paramount released the trailer at the San Diego Comic Con in July, per Variety, featuring Pine as a bard, Rodriguez as a barbarian, Smith as a sorcerer, and Lillis as a druid. They are a band of thieves trying to fix a mistake that unleashed a great evil on the land, but they must go on a mystical adventure filled with unique creatures first. Pine described the film as having “a Spielbergian energy to it,” and Hugh said it had a “Monty Python vibe.”

Premiering May 19, 2023 in theaters.

The Fast and The Furious was released more than two decades ago, and now the final story in the action-packed franchise is coming to theaters in May. Fast X, which will be split into two separate movies, stars Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Alan Ritchson, Sung Kang, Michelle Rodriguez, and others. Cardi B and Ludacris will also appear in the film. Justin Lin (director of five movies in the franchise) announced in April he is stepping down as director and remaining as a producer. Louis Leterrier will be directing Fast X.

Premiering May 5, 2023 in theaters.

Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, and others return to defeat baddies in outer space in the third installment of the Marvel Entertainment series starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Karen Gillan among others. Collider watched the not-yet-released trailer at Comic Con and reported that Gamora (Saldana) is from an alternate timeline and doesn’t know her Guardian crew members. The movie also features the “horrifying new villain” High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) and a grown-up version of Groot (Diesel). The outlet said Vol. 3 is “far darker and far more emotional” than fans expected, and includes the backstory of Rocket (Cooper).

Director James Gunn confirmed, “This is the end of that story” at San Diego Comic Con, per Variety. “I’m sorry. Some stories have an end. It doesn’t mean everybody dies.” Gunn also revealed that the movie received a Guinness World Record for most makeup appliances created for a single production — how cool is that?!

Premiering May 26, 2023 in theaters.

This live-action adaption of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, and more. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken are writing new songs for the film, and the Hamilton star is even rumored to play Chef Louis. It’s going to be amazing!

In an interview with Variety, Bailey admitted she grew up watching the animated version and could relate to Ariel. “Her sense of longing, her searching for herself, was something that I could resonate with,” Bailey said. “She knew where she wanted to go, and she wasn’t going to let anybody stop her.”

She also opened up about the importance of representation. “I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special, and that they should be a princess in every single way,” Bailey told Variety. “There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be. That reassurance was something that I needed.”

Premiering June 2, 2023 in theaters.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse released a first-look photo introducing The Spot: “Miles Morales’s most formidable foe yet,” who is voiced by Jason Schwartzman. This animated movie stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, Jake Johnson as Peter Parker, and more. This is the sequel to the 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which will see Miles Morales return for “an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered,” according to Sony Pictures.

Premiering June 9, 2023 in theaters.

Travel back to 1994 when the new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premieres! This movie, which will be produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and directed by Steven Caple Jr., won’t be related to the five Michael Bay Transformers movies; rather, set in the past like the Travis Knight’s 2018 Bumblebee, according to a statement made by Di Bonaventura and Caple, per Variety. The film will focus on Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) as he arrives on Earth for the first time. It will also star Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Ron Perlman, Luna Laruen Velez, Domenic Di Rosa, and more.

Premiering June 16, 2023 in theaters.

Pixar’s newest film, Elemental premiere June 16, 2023! The movie, directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, will take place in a new world — where fire, water, land, and air residents live together. According to the announcement, “A fiery young woman & a go-with-the-flow guy will discover something elemental: How much they have in common.” Concept art for this movie shows a fiery red girl and a cool-blue boy walking in a colorful city.

Premiering June 16, 2023 in theaters.

Finally, a movie all about The Fastest Man Alive. He may not be the first superhero to wear a skin-tight red suit, but The Flash’s powers of speed are unmatched. That’s why it’s so exciting that he’s finally getting a standalone movie! The Flash stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, Ben Affleck as Batman, Michael Keaton as Batman — yes, two Batmans will be in this film, so that alone is worth seeing it for — Michael Shannon as General Zod, Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry, and many others. In May, DC displayed the new Flash costume at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, per Collider. Hopefully more details about the story will be released soon.

Premiering June 30, 2023 in theaters.

Armed by a purple crayon and his active imagination, a little boy named Harold is creating amazing make-believe worlds in his bedroom. Now, the 1955 children’s book of the same name by Crockett Johnson is coming to the big screen starring Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Camille Guaty, Ravi Patel, and others. Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) was the most recent cast member to sign on, per Deadline. More details about this magical movie will hopefully be released soon.

Premiering June 30, 2023 in theaters.

Harrison Ford is back with his iconic hat and trusty bag of tools for Indiana Jones 5. Lucasfilm hasn’t yet announced an official title or movie description, but we know that Ford has returned at the titular character. Also appearing in the movie include Antonio Banderas, Pheobe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Boyd Holbook, Toby Jones, and others. James Mangold is directing, with Steven Spielberg (who directed the first four films) on board as producer. This is the first new Indiana Jones movie since 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The series first three movies, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were all released in the 1980s. All four films are available on Paramount+ if you need a refresher!

Premiering July 21, 2023 in theaters.

Barbie is coming to life! Margot Robbie is starring as the iconic doll and co-producing the new movie featuring Barbie in a collaboration between Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures. Tyra Banks came alive in 2000’s Life-Size and its 2018 sequel, but no official live-action Barbie movie has ever been made before. The story follows a doll living in “Barbieland” until she is expelled for not being perfect enough — so she sets off for an adventure in the real world. Barbie is packed with stars, including Ryan Gosling as Ken, Emma Mackey, Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Issa Rae, and more.

Premiering July 28, 2023 in theaters.

Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau are teaming up in The Marvels, an action-packed sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel. The film will see Brie Larson return as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Samuel L. Jackson will also return as Nick Fury.

Premiering Aug. 4, 2023 in theaters.

They love pizza and hate bad guys, and they are returning to the big screen! Seth Rogen is producing a CG-animated feature film based on the ‘90s superhero turtles Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael. No details have been released about a storyline or casting yet.

Premiering Aug. 11, 2023 in theaters.

Twenty years after The Haunted Mansion was released, starring Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason, a new Haunted Mansion is coming out. This movie is based on the Disneyland theme park ride and will star Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, and LaKeith Stanfield. When single mom Gabbie (Dawson) buys a new mansion, she is surprised to discover her family members aren’t the only spirits who live there. So, she hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest (Wilson), and a historian to help exorcise the ghosts inside. Fans of grim, grinning ghosts and spooky surprises will love this one!

Premiering Oct. 13, 2023 in theaters.

A magical meteor crashes into Adventure City, turning Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Skye, and Liberty into Mighty Pups! Everything is fun and games until the pups learn something terrible: Mayor Humdinger has broken out of jail and is teaming up with a mad scientist to steal the Mighty Pups’ superpowers. Can the Mighty Pups work together to stop these evil super-villains? PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is the sequel to 2021’s Paw Patrol: The Movie, which introduced Liberty. This movie will focus more on Skye, who has to learn to overcome her self-consciousness about being the smallest pup in order to help her friends save Adventure City. Dax Shepard, Taraji P. Henson, Kim Kardashian, Tyler Perry, Yara Shahidi, and others lend their voices to this animated film.

Premiering Nov. 3, 2023 in theaters.

After the success of 2021’s Dune, based on the science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, fans have high expectations for Dune: Part Two. Stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and others are returning for the sequel, and it should be just as action-packed as the first. Some new faces will appear in Part Two, including Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV. This movie focused on Duke Paul Atreides (Chalamet), who joins the Fremen and begins a spiritual and martial journey to become Maud’dib while trying to prevent his terrible vision of a Holy War throughout the universe from happening.

Premiering Nov. 17, 2023 in theaters.

The prequel to The Hunger Games franchise, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is coming to theaters! This movie, based on the 2020 book by Suzanne Collins of the same name, takes place before the four Jennifer Lawrence-, Josh Hutcherson-, and Liam Hemsworth-led movies. According to the official logline: “Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.”

Premiering Nov. 17, 2023 in theaters.

Poppy, Branch, and all their friends are back for the third installment of Trolls! Not a lot has been revealed about Trolls 3 yet — Universal Pictures hasn’t confirmed its plot or if main stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake will be returning. But after the success of 2016’s Trolls, 2020’s Trolls 2: World Tour, 2018’s TV series Dreamworks Trolls: The Beat Goes On! And 2020’s Trolls: TrollsTopia, we know it’ll be good. We can’t wait to hear the amazing soundtrack this animated musical is sure to have!

Premiering Dec. 15, 2023 in theaters.

The latest take on the 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book by Roald Dahl premieres in theaters just in time for the holiday season. But this time when we enter a world of pure imagination, we’re going all the way back to the beginning — before Willy Wonka had his famed chocolate factory. This musical stars Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka and features a star-studded cast including Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Mathew Baynton, and others. Wonka will be a fantastical journey of a young chocolatier, as he meets the Oompa-Loompas and comes up with his delectable candy recipes.

Premiering Dec. 20, 2023 in theaters.

It’s hard to believe anything could be better than Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie, The Color Purple, starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Danny Glover, but Blitz Bazawule’s version will certainly give it a run for its money as it’s packed with stars, too. The movie is based on the Tony-winning musical, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. It follows the life-long struggles of Black women in the south in the early 1900s. Taraji P. Henson plays Shug Avery, Danielle Brooks plays Sofia, Elizabeth Marvel plays Miss Millie, Aunjanue Ellis plays Mama, Colman Domingo plays Mister, Halle Bailey plays Nettie, Ciara plays adult Nettie, H.E.R. plays Squeak, and Fantasia Barrino plays Celie, among others. Oprah visited the set in May 2022, and said, “I can tell you for sure this version ain’t your mama’s Color Purple. But I bet you, your mama, and the whole family are gonna love it. It’s full of magical realism and visual surprises. It is beautiful and joyful. It’s hopeful and proud. And it carries iconic depth and meaning.”

Premiering Dec. 25, 2023 in theaters.

Jason Momoa returns as Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. This is DC Films’ sequel to 2018’s Aquaman. The film should be worth the wait, especially with its celebrity-filled cast including Nicole Kidman at Atlanna, Patrick Wilson as King Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yaha Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry among others. Momoa posted pictures of his new suit on Instagram in September 2021, and he also spilled the beans that his friend Ben Affleck will be appearing as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film.

Premiering 2023 in theaters.

It’s a big moment for Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins: she is the first woman to direct a feature-length Star Wars project with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. This movie is an original story, which will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots in a thrilling adventure. Details about the exact plot and cast have been kept quiet, and the movie production has been delayed. In May 2022, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Vanity Fair that Rogue Squadron has been “kind of pushed off to the side for the moment,” adding that Jenkins is working on “developing the script further.” Hopefully we will know more soon!

Premiering 2023 in theaters.

Almost nothing is known about the upcoming Disney remake of the 1942 animated feature, Bambi. What we do know is the film will use the same realistic CGI used on the remakes of The Jungle Book in 2016 and The Lion King in 2019, according to Variety. As a refresher, the classic Disney animated film takes place in spring, when a buck fawn named Bambi makes friends (like the rabbit kit, Thumper, and the skunk kit, Flower) and learns lessons about life and growing up. However, when his mom is shot by hunters, Bambi discovers that dangers await in the forest.

Premiering 2023 on Paramount+.

If “Baby Shark doo doo, doo doo doo” has been stuck in your head since the song premiered on YouTube in 2015, then you’re going to love/hate this: Nickelodeon Animation and the Pinkfong Company are working together to create a feature-length Baby Shark film! Nickelodeon has already developed an animated series geared toward preschoolers called “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”, which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, so this movie is sure to be good, too.

Premiering 2023 on Netflix.

Based on the New York Times bestselling graphic novel by ND Stevenson, Nimona is an animated movie coming to Netflix sometime this year. When a knight is framed for a crime, Nimona is the only person who can prove his innocence. She is a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster the knight has sworn to kill! This movie is set in a techno-medieval world “unlike anything animation has tackled before,” according to a synopsis. It will make you think about labels and assumptions we tend to make of people that aren’t always deserved. Nimona stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Nimona, Riz Ahmed as Ballister Boldheart, and Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin.

Premiering 2023 on Disney+.

This Disney+ original rom-com stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee (who currently leads Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. on Disney+) and Milo Manheim (Zombies). It’s prom season, and Mandy (Lee) and best friend Ben (Manheim) are ignoring the elaborate promposals happening all around them. Mandy is a feminist who resists the idea of falling in love (especially heteronormative love). But when Mandy’s dream of getting into Harvard doesn’t come true, she seeks help from the popular jock Graham Lansing, whose father went to Harvard. Along the way, she discovers she may have been so focused on her future that she is missing what’s really important. It sounds similar to 10 Things I Hate About You, which is a classic teen romance starring a feminist main character, which means it’s sure to be a hit.