5 Underrated Family Movies on Netflix
The thing about Netflix is that there are so many movies to watch that you often miss out on a few hidden gems. Don’t worry, we all have.
After being recommended mainstream movies over and over, my family and I decided to switch things up and randomly choose some less popular movies for movie night.
Luckily, it worked, because while these family movies aren’t that popular, man, do they amaze you.
Since you might not have seen any of these movies, I’m not going to spoil them for you by mentioning the entire plot. Instead, I’m just going to give you a premise with each one. I’d also recommend making sure your internet connection is fast and reliable since you want movie night to be long, fun, and heartfelt, instead of short and frustrating.
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Now, here are five underrated movies you need to watch on a family night.
The Magician’s Elephant
- Released In: 2023
- Genre: Animated Adventure and Fantasy
- Runtime: 1h 40m
The Magician’s Elephant is a heartfelt journey of a young boy named Peter, who lives in a fictional town of Baltese, which has lost its magical effect after a war. Peter is an orphan raised by a soldier named Viena.
One day, Peter comes across a fortune teller who tells him that he has a long-lost sister, and later, a magician who creates an elephant that will lead him to her.
From there, we explore Peter’s heartfelt journey to find his sister. The movie also has a very unique and detailed style of animation, and the performances of the voice actors perfectly capture the intended emotions.
It beautifully packs elements of family, hope, courage, and determination in its plot, making it a must-watch on your next family movie night.
The Sea Beast
- Released In: 2022
- Genre: Adventure and Family
- Runtime: 1h 55m
The Sea Beast is about a young girl named Maisie, who lives in the fictional kingdom of The Three Bridges, and, like our previous character, Peter, also happens to be an orphan.
The kingdom has been attacked by vicious creatures that emerge from the sea for centuries, because of which crews go to hunt them. One day, Maisie accidentally joins a renowned local monster hunter, Captain Crow, and his crew, and they head off to where the creatures live, focused on hunting a particular one called Red Bluster.
The film explores Maisie’s journey with the crew and how she comes to terms with the evil that exists among humans, and how not everything is as it seems.
I feel that, especially in current times, the film’s message of challenging false propaganda and narratives, while standing up for the truth, is a highly valuable lesson for your children. Beyond that, I think that they’ll love the animation since it’s very detailed, making the city seem as real as possible.
Wendell & Wild
- Released In: 2022
- Genre: Animated Gothic Horror Comedy
- Runtime: 1h 45m
Wendell & Wild is another great creation from the minds behind Coraline, and focuses on a troubled orphan girl named Kat, whose parents have recently died in a car crash. One day, she comes across two demons who promise to bring her parents back, but may have some other plans which Kat has no idea about.
The movie explores Kat’s journey of coming to terms with reality and confronting her personal demons.
It creatively and engagingly blends real-life emotions like guilt and shame with a sinister, quirky, yet child-friendly atmosphere. The messages of courage, empathy, and teamwork are emphasized throughout the film to end things on a positive note.
Nightbooks
- Released In: 2021
- Genre: Dark Fantasy
- Runtime: 1h 43m
If a movie perfectly blends child-friendly elements with a few scares, it’s Nightbooks.
The movie is about a young boy named Alex, whose parents are worried about his obsession with writing scary stories and how he might react to a recent incident. Discouraged, he takes an elevator to his basement to burn his stories, and that’s when the scares start.
We see Alex’s journey of overcoming fear, self-acceptance, the importance of unique passions, and making friends along the way. The animation effects in the film are also great, because they perfectly create a creepy yet engaging atmosphere with spooky elements and monsters, without being bloody or scary.
There are also a lot of hilarious and playful moments that will keep you and your family entertained from start to end.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
- Released In: 2020
- Genre: Christmas Musical Fantasy
- Runtime: 2h 2m
This is not one of those cliché Christmas movies where the main character somehow magically finds their true love on Christmas. Instead, it’s an entertaining family ride that focuses on an inventor named Jeronicus Jangle, who is forced to create a design for a new Christmas toy after his most prized invention is stolen by his rival.
From there, you get taken on a wild ride along with Jeronicus, his daughter, and his granddaughter to use his previous creations to create an entirely new toy. The film, in addition to the positive messages of hope, creativity, and forgiveness, also has a lot of musical numbers, which your kids, and maybe even you, might find yourselves dancing to.
Family Movies – An Entertaining Way to Create Long-Lasting Memories
Movies are always a great way for families to share emotions, thoughts, learn about real-life situations, and show one another that they’re there for each other.
The movies I’ve shared above can fill your next family movie night with such moments, creating memories that I’m sure you and your family will remember forever.
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