I'm a Parenting Editor, and These Are My Most Anticipated Kids' Movies of 2026

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I'm a parenting editor (and cinephile) married to a film critic, so my daughter never really had a choice about whether or not to become a connoisseur of movies for kids. As a family, we're out in the theaters all the time, watching everything from animated movies to live-action family films, even old revivals. (I have fond memories of taking her to see The Karate Kid on the big screen—it holds up!)

Since we're a cinema-going family, I always have my eye on the future release schedule, and this year is packed with movies for the whole family. After scanning the year ahead, these are the best kids' movies coming out in 2026—or at least the ones I'm looking forward to the most. (Ahem, Wildwood!) From the Mario Bros. to the Toy Story crew, there are definitely lots of sequels that'll reunite kids with their favorite characters. But there are also plenty of new tales to get excited about, along with some big-screen adaptations of beloved books. (Note: I tried to keep it to G and PG movies—sorry, Mando!—but movies slated to come out later in the year haven't been rated yet, so I may have to adjust as the year goes on.) Take a look—they're listed by release date—bookmark the family's faves, and enjoy the upcoming year of films.

After—what else?—an alien invasion, a pup named Charlie discovers he has super powers, including the ability to speak. He puts his newfound skills to work helping people, but then he realizes super powers alone may not be enough. Owen Wilson is the voice of Charlie. MPAA Rating: PG

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This animated tale recounts the story of a 10-year-old boy who accidentally travels from the year 2932 to 2075, then teams up with a girl to try and figure out how to get back to his own time. But did fate have a bigger reason for stranding him to his past? This film has been nominated for a slew of animation awards, including the Academy Award, and won the Best Feature Film prize at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. MPAA Rating: PG

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Release Date: February 13, 2026

In a true underdog—or make that under-goat—story, this movie follows a goat who dreams of playing roarball, a sports dominated by the fiercest animals around. Stranger Things's Caleb McLaughlin is the voice of the goat in question, though eagle-eared sports fans might also recognize the voice of one of the film's producers, Stephen Curry, as one of the other players. It's from Sony Pictures Animation, the same studio that did KPop Demon Hunters and Across the Spiderverse, and it's done in the same kind of animation style. MPAA Rating: PG

Think of it like Avatar but fuzzier and cuter: In Pixar's newest, an animal lover named Mabel uses a new technology to "hop" into a robotic beaver body, which gives her the ability to communicate with animals. But can she get the animals to band together to fight a human threat? The voice cast is full of comedians, including Bobby Moynihan, Aparna Nancherla, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villaseñor, Ego Nwodim, and Vanessa Bayer, so expect some big laughs. MPAA Rating: PG

Parents might have already heard of the Pout-Pout Fish—and the "dreary-wearies" he spreads all over the place—if their kids are fans of his eponymous picture-book series. Now he's going on his first big-screen adventure. In this film, the Pout-Pout Fish (Nick Offerman) teams up with an opposite-in-vibes sea dragon (Nina Oyama) to see if they can track down a legendary fish that can grant wishes. (But will he "blub blub blub" like in the books?) MPAA Rating: PG

A sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie—and put out on the heels of the re-release of the Super Mario Galaxy collection for the Switch 2—this movie is sure to be huge among gamers. But kids who've never played Nintendo might still be taken in by the adventure, which features our heroes traveling into outer space to face off against the son of Bowser. Benny Safdie provides the voice of the Bowser, Jr., and Brie Larson is the voice of another video-game fave, Rosalina. MPAA Rating: PG

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Bebefinn Sing-Along Movie: Into the Pinkfong World

Parents of "Baby Shark" fans can expand their Pinkfong repertoire with this hourlong special. In it, a child named Finn is pulled into his tablet, where he has to team up with characters like Pinkfong and Baby Shark (and a couple human kids, too) to try and make it back out into the real world. Rating: TV-Y

Just in time for Earth Day (and in the wake of the popularity of Punch the monkey), this documentary follows an adolescent orangutan named Indah. The documentary is narrated by Josh Gad, who Disney fans know as the voice of Olaf in Frozen. It's headed straight for streaming, debuting on Disney+. MPAA Rating: G

A body-switching comedy, but make it cute: This Netflix film stars Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple as the voices of a furry woodland creature and a majestic bird. But when they accidentally swap bodies, they have to experience the ecosystem through another animal's eyes. It's from director Nathan Greno, who also directed Tangled. MPAA Rating: PG

We've all been assigned George Orwell's novella in school, and some may have even seen the old animated adaptation from 1954. But now Andy Serkis, famous for his stop-motion performances of characters like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, is spearheading a new adaptation. Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, and Kieran Culkin provide the voice of the a trio of pigs who spearhead the movement to take over the farm for themselves. MPAA Rating: PG

In this film, Hugh Jackman plays a shepherd who entertains himself by reading mystery books out loud to his sheep every night. What he doesn't know is that the sheep actually understand what he's saying, and when the shepherd is tragically murdered, the flock decides to solve the case themselves using what they've learned from his books. Talk about a cozy mystery! MPAA Rating: PG

The film follows a young whale named Vincent who doesn't always do what he's told—anybody know any kids that can relate? When the ocean is in danger, though, Vincent has to learn to find his voice and his place in the ecosystem, so it's good for families who want a film with an underlying message about conservation. MPAA Rating: PG

The toys from Toy Story have faced obsessed collectors. They've dealt with being accidentally thrown into the trash. They've endured daycare kids, and being passed to new owners. But can they handle the newest threat to playtime—a tablet? Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the gang return to see if toys can triumph over technology. Not yet rated

It seems the only constants in life are death, taxes, and more Minions movies. This time, the Minions have their hearts set on Hollywood and want to become stars on the big screen. Only when they want to make a monster movie, they decide to summon real monsters to be in it, and have to save the world from the chaos they created. MPAA Rating: PG

Disney's live-action remake train continues to head down its track, and after last year's Lilo & Stitch, we have another island-and-ocean adventure: Moana. (Hey, maybe 2016 really is making a comeback.) Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as the demigod Maui, with Catherine Laga'aia as his Moana. It's directed by Thomas Kail, who's best known for directing a different project full of songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda songs—the Hamilton musical on Broadway! MPAA Rating: PG

The PAW Patrol and dinosaurs: a match made in preschooler heaven. This is a follow-up to 2023's PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, only instead of becoming super heroes, this adventure has a pre-historic spin. Not yet rated

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Jonas Brothers fans old and new can gather together and re-visit the Camp Rock franchise together.. Along with the Jonases, Maria Canals-Barrera is reprising her role in Camp Rock 3, with Demi Lovato signed on as executive producer. It will be released both on the Disney Channel and on Disney+. Not yet rated

This is the Looney Tunes movie we almost didn't get to see: Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelved the film as a tax write-off, but after public outcry it was saved by an independent distributor. In it, Wile E. Coyote decides to team up with a cheap billboard lawyer (Will Forte) to sue the Acme corporation for having all its products backfire on him. John Cena plays the lawyer for Acme. MPAA Rating: PG

Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass

Release Date: September 9, 2026

What's interesting about this movie is that, even though it's about the classic Tom and Jerry characters, this movie actually came out in China first and is coming to the states thanks to Viva Kids. In it, when Tom and Jerry get up to their usual antics in a museum, they run afoul of an artifact that hurls them through time and space. MPAA Rating: PG

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Release Date: September 18, 2026

Fans of the summery Shaun the Sheep Movie and the sci-fi tinged A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon will thrill to the fact that they're adding a Halloween movie to the franchise. And even if little viewers haven't seen the other two, this one can be a starting point: When the sheep enlist a mad scientist to help them save a smushed pumpkin, a beast is unleashed instead! But, coming from the makers of Wallace and Gromit, it's sure to be funnier than it is scary.

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