8 Great Family Movies Under 100 Minutes. Bedtime Is Safe, Your Opinions Aren't.

Good scores, short runtimes, done before bedtime. Eight family movies that respect your Wednesday and your kid's alarm clock.

Number one beats a beloved classic, and the comments are going to riot.

1. 8
   Maleficent (2014)6.1

   Critics shrugged. Kids didn't. Angelina Jolie wins the argument.

   54% on Rotten Tomatoes, a CinemaScore A, and $759.9 million worldwide. The plot wobbles, the villain glows. My Guru's Take is 5.2, but the kids outvote me.
2. 7
   Light of the World (2025)7.8

   Audiences liked it way more than critics, and that's fair.

   CinemaScore A and 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 6.4 on IMDb from 955 votes. Earnest to a fault. My Guru's Take is 6.5.
3. 6
   My Penguin Friend (2024)7.4

   Jean Reno versus a penguin, and the penguin steals it.

   85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 70 Metacritic. Only $2.8 million domestic, so you probably skipped it. Slow in spots, very fixable with popcorn.
4. 5
   Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)7.4

   The best movie for ruining a Wednesday with happy tears.

   Critics gave it 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDb voters gave it an 8.1 across 349,825 votes. The audience is right here. Bring tissues, plural.
5. 4
   Elf (2003)7.2

   Yes, it's October. Elf works any month, fight me.

   $179.8 million domestic off a reported $33 million budget. Will Ferrell commits harder than anyone alive. The back half gets sappy, and my Guru's Take is still 7.7.
6. 3
   Sketch (2024)7.5

   The best family movie you've never heard of.

   95% on Rotten Tomatoes from a reported $3 million budget. Tony Hale is great. Audience scores lag way behind critics, and the audience is wrong.
7. 2
   The Princess Bride (1987)9.2

   A perfect movie that settles for second place today.

   CinemaScore A+, an 8.0 on IMDb from 492,695 votes, and a 9.2 movie.guru score. Only knock: the kissing parts, according to every kid ever.
8. 1
   Flow (2024)9.5

   Flow beats The Princess Bride. Put the pitchforks down.

   9.5 movie.guru score, 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 87 Metacritic. Only $4,844,117 domestic, so most of you never saw it. That's the real crime.

$47.29 says your kid asks for a second movie before the credits finish.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it