Family Friendly Summer Movies & TV Series
Here are some perfect movies & tv series to watch for your last family movie nights of the summer! Make sure to pop some popcorn, grab your favorite candies, & maybe even make your own sundaes as a family!🍿🎥🍫🍭🎬🍨
There is something here to watch for all ages! Some of these movies are not all set in summer, but have an adventurous spirit that the whole family will enjoy.
* As always I recommend checking the Parents Guide on IMDb before watching anything. These are great movies and tv series which are more wholesome then a lot of shows around today, but we all have different ideas as to what is ok for our family. Some are more geared to teens while others are meant for younger viewers.
Moondance Alexander
Drama | Family | Western
Inspired by a true story, this uplifting adventure is a movie the whole family will enjoy. Life is a rough ride for awkward, friendless, 15-year-old Moondance. But when a Pinto pony named Checkers leaps into her life, Moondance pursues a dream she never knew she had. Convinced that Checkers has champion potential, she enters him in the Bow Valley Classic, and in the process learns only perseverance lands you in the winners circle.
(You can watch Moondance Alexander with an subscription on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, & Philo. You can also rent it on Apple TV)
The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
Adventure | Family | Drama
Best buddies Dustin, Albert, and Mark are twelve year old boys looking forward to a summer of fun in 1970. When Dustin mows the lawn of seventy-five year old Jonathan Sperry, a man he has seen at church, a unique friendship developes. What happens the rest of this summer is something Dustin and his friends will never forget!
(You can watch The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry for free on Pluto TV & Amazon Prime Video)
Summer of the Monkeys
Adventure | Drama
This is a coming-of-age story full of adventure and learning to do what’s right. Summer Of The Monkeys (set in 1910 on the prairies of Canada) follows the story of a young boy, Jay, who’s aspiration is to make enough money to buy his dream horse. One summer Jay finds four chimps on the prairie who have fallen off a circus cart, he later learns that there is a big reward for their return. Perhaps there will be enough money to buy his own horse?
(Summer of the Monkey’s available to buy on DVD Amazon, it is currently unavailable to stream anywhere at this time)
The Hardy Boys Season 1
Adventure | Drama | Family
When the Hardy boys, Frank and Joe and their father, Fenton arrive in Bridgeport they set out to uncover the truth behind the recent tragedy that has changed their lives, and in doing so, uncover something much more sinister.
This is my most recent tv series find. We loved it & binge watched it within a week! The first episode is kinda of boring but give it time.
(You can watch The Hardy Boys season 1 on Hulu)
(Sadly, I do not recommend season 2. There is swearing and other content that is not really family friendly, like the town celebrating Demon Day)
Nim’s Island
Adventure | Family | Comedy | Fantasy
Life is an adventure for a courageous girl named Nim, who lives on an exotic island with her father who is a marine-biologist and her animal friends. When Nim's father goes missing, she turns to the only person she knows who can help her: adventurer Alex Rover. But what she doesn't know is that Alex Rover is really Alexandra, a timid recluse. Though faint of heart, Alexandra must find the courage within herself to come to Nim's aid.
(You can rent Nim’s Island on Vudu & Apple TV)
Dolphin Tale
Family | Drama
Inspired by the amazing true story, Dolphin Tale is a family film about Winter, a young dolphin who loses her tail in a crab trap, and Sawyer, the introverted 11-year old boy who befriends her. After, first meeting the rescued dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Sawyer rallies his friends and family alike to save Winter.
(You can rent or buy Dolphin Tale on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, & Redbox)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Family | Romance | Drama
This is a very touching family story, and the casting is absolutely perfect. Glenn Close and Christopher Walken do a beautiful job at bringing this love story to life. These movies are heartfelt and full of rural scenery of the quiet, but rough life of Kansas in the early 1900s.
(Click on movie titles for synopsis)
2.Sarah Plain and Tall: Skylark
(You can buy these movies from Christian Books, Walmart, & Amazon)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Adventure | Family | Fantasy
During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy finds a wardrobe that transports her to a magical world called Narnia. After coming back, she soon returns to Narnia with her sister, Susan and her brothers, Peter and Edmund. There they join the magnificent lion, Aslan and fight against the evil White Witch.
(You can watch Narnia on Disney+ with a subscription or you can rent it on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, & Apple TV)
Ruby and the Well Season 1 & 2
Mystery | Family | Fantasy
When her father inherits an overgrown orchard, Ruby O'Reilly discovers a magic well. She's been designated its new "keeper," and now it's up to her and her friends Mina and Sam to turn unfulfilled wishes into reality.
(You can watch Ruby and the Well for free on BYUtv)
Swiss Family Robinson
Adventure | Family
A family on route to New Guinea is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. They are forced to remain on the island because of the damage to the ship and the pirates that are roaming the islands. They create a home on the island and explore the island and its wildlife. Plenty of adventure ensues as the family deals with issues of survival and pirates, and the brothers must learn how to live on the island with an uncertain future.
(You can watch Swiss Family Robinson Disney+ with subscription or rent it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, & YouTube)
Blue Miracle
Adventure | Drama | Family
To save their cash-strapped orphanage, a guardian and his kids partner with a washed-up boat captain for a chance to win a lucrative fishing competition.
(You can watch Blue Miracle on Netflix)
Anne of Green Gables
The Anne of Green Gables 1985 miniseries is my all-time favorite! This is by far the best adaption I have ever watched; the characters are so believable. Avonlea will capture your hearts. The music and acting are excellent. The series is a yearly watch for my family!
(Click on movie titles for synopsis)
2. Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel
(I recommend buying both movies from Sullivan Entertainment because they are so worth the investment, but you can also rent each movie from Gazebo TV for $8)
Letters to Juliet
Adventure | Comedy | Drama
Sophie dreams of becoming a writer and travels to Verona, Italy where she meets the "Secretaries of Juliet".
(You can watch Letters to Juliet for free on PlutoTV. You can also rent or buy it from Youtube, Amazon Prime Video, & Redbox)
UP
Family | Adventure
Determined to save his home and keep the promise he made to his wife, widower Carl Fredricksen embarks on a journey to the mysterious Paradise Falls in an airship of his own invention tying thousands of balloons to his house. Along the way he meets his childhood hero, forms a bond with a boy named Russell, an overeager 8-year old Wilderness Explorer who has an absent father, and realizes the preciousness of the life he lived as well as the one he now lives. Hilariously uplifting adventure is great for the whole family!
(You can watch Up on Disney+ with a subscripts or you can also rent it on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, & Apple TV.
The Boxcar Children
Adventure | Family
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny are four orphaned brothers and sisters who mysteriously appear in a small town on a warm summer night. No one knows who these young wanderers are or where they have come from. Frightened to live with a grandfather they have never met, the children make a home for themselves in an old abandoned red boxcar they discover in the woods. Henry, the oldest, goes to town to earn money and buy food and supplies while the other kids make a home in the boxcar finding old dishes and scraps in a junkyard. Ambitious and resourceful, the plucky children make a happy life for themselves.
(You can rent The Boxcar Children on Amazon Prime Video & Apple TV)
*All photo & synopsis credit goes to original owners, with partial edits by me.
Have Fun & happy end of summer!🍿🎥🎬
If you have any other wholesome summer movie suggestions please share them in the comments💛
