All the family movies coming out in 2025 to look out for

A cop and his K9 are fused together after an accident, creating the greatest half-human crime fighter since RoboCop, in this spinoff of the popular Captain Underpants series. His first assignment: take down ‘the world’s most evilest cat’, an orange tabby named Petey (voiced by Pete Davidson). If you don’t mind exposing your kids to some light copaganda, the animation looks lively, and it seems like there will be enough winking jokes to keep parents entertained.

In cinemas worldwide Jan 31

Who would have guessed the most controversial film of the year would be a live-action reimagining of a nearly century-old animated classic? If you followed the freakouts over 2023’s The Little Mermaid, it was probably easy to see coming, but in this case, the backlash has come from all sides. Of course, none of that will matter to the demographic the movie’s actually aimed at, who are coming to see a princess (West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler) take on an evil queen (Gal Gadot), interact with forest animals and sing with her CG dwarf buddies, and will surely leave enchanted.

In cinemas worldwide Mar 21

Leave it to A24 to provide an antidote to the deluge of remakes and grating preschool fare hitting theatres this year. In this welcome throwback to the live-action fables of the 1980s from debuting writer-director Isaiah Saxon, a young girl (Helena Zengel) living in a remote island village befriends a mystical creature she’s been taught to fear, and embarks on a journey to reunite it with its family. It looks gorgeous, and the titular critter might be the cutest cinematic cryptid since Gizmo.

In US theaters Feb 28

Can’t get enough of Disney’s live-action remakes of its own animated classics? Well, that’s weird, but hey, good news for you, because Snow White isn’t the only property getting the humans-and-CG treatment this year. As in the 2002 charmer, Lilo is a lonely orphan living in Hawaii whose life gets exponentially more exciting when she befriends a blue alien puppy thing she names Stitch. Original voice actors Tia Carrere, Amy Hill and Jason Scott Lee reprise their roles, while Zach Galifianakis, Hannah Waddingham and Courtney B Vance join the cast. 

In cinemas worldwide May 23

With Cobra Kai winding down on Netflix, you’d think there’d be nothing else for the so-called ‘Miyagi-verse’ to explore, but successful IP doesn’t sleep so easily. Ralph Macchio is back as Daniel LaRusso, this time pairing up with Jackie Chan, who trained Jaden Smith in the franchise’s pretty good 2010 reboot, to mentor yet another aspiring martial artist (Ben Wang). Will William Zabka factor in? How about Hilary Swank, the original ‘next Karate Kid’? Unclear. But fingers crossed.

In cinemas worldwide May 30, 2025

Inside Out 2 proved Pixar’s existing IP is still strong, but can they make a fresh hit? They’ll try with this story of an alien-obsessed boy whose dream of being sucked up into a UFO comes true, leading him on a cosmic adventure and journey of self-discovery. It sounds a bit like Coco meets Flight of the Navigator, which is a fusion we never knew we needed. 

In cinemas worldwide Jun 13

DreamWorks is getting into the live-action remake biz, starting with its second most popular animated franchise. (Jumping in with Shrek would be… a little much.) The Black Phone’s Mason Thames is Hiccup, the young Viking who must convince his clan – which includes Gerard Butler and Nick Frost – that dragons aren’t as bad as they’ve all been led to believe. Sadly, the studio wouldn’t spring for real dragons, but CG Toothless is still pretty cute.

In cinemas worldwide Nov 21

Millennials have long held space for the 2003 version of the body-swap comedy that first originated in the 1970s, and with co-star Lindsay Lohan experiencing a career resurgence – at least as a Netflix Christmas vixen – it seemed obvious that we’d eventually get a legacy sequel. This time around, Anna (Lohan) is a mother herself, and about to blend families with her fiance, Jake (Chad Michael Murray). Sounds like a familiar situation, but c’mon: what are the chances someone could experience a consciousness exchange twice in a lifetime?

In cinemas worldwide Aug 23

Ozians reassemble! The concluding part of Jon M Chu’s epic movie musical hardly needs an introduction. This one has Cynthia Erivo’s witch Elphaba on the run in Oz and falling in deep with Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), while the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) hunts her down. The songs will sparkle – look out for the blockbuster No Good Deed – and everyone will go home very happy indeed. Apart from Munchkins purists, who will grumble about their height again. 

In cinemas worldwide Nov 21

The first Zootropolis was an uncommonly clever and slyly subversive kiddie flick with a potent anti-xenophobic message. Maybe it’s just coincidence that the sequel is coming out now, when that message could bear repeating, but it’s welcome regardless. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are back voicing the mismatched bunny and fox cop duo, this time tracking a villainous snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) through a swampy bayou.

In cinemas worldwide Nov 27