Feeling down? Pop some popcorn and have a family movie night with one of our feel-good movie picks for children and adults alike. Steaming free on Kanopy now!

Zoo (2017) Rated PG

Based on a true story, Zoo follows a twelve-year-old boy and his friends as they try to save Buster the baby elephant amidst air raids on Northern Ireland during World War II. Penelope Wilton of Downton Abbey plays a lonely widow who finds new hope in helping the kids.

 

Miss Minoes (2001) Rated PG

The bonkers concept of this movie makes it immediately endearing: What would happen if a cat were turned into a human? In a Dutch town, a stray cat eats some magic garbage and is turned into a woman. In her newfound human form, she becomes a detective and spy, using her feline skills to fight crime.

 

Swallows and Amazons (2016) kids 7 & up

Based on the children’s novel by Arthur Ransome, this nostalgic summer vacation movie is set in the English Lake District and is beautifully filmed. The Walker siblings, bored and restless, set sail to camp out on a nearby island for the night. But soon enough, their pretend swashbuckling adventure becomes a real caper.

 

Storm Boy (2019) Rated PG

Based on the book by Colin Thiele, this is a timely story about how children’s kindness can prevail even in isolation. Storm Boy isn’t in lockdown, but growing up on the mostly uninhabited coast of Southern Australia. He rescues a pelican named Mr. Percival, and forms a bond that brings him closer to his reclusive father and his neighbors.

 

The Secret of Kells (2009) kids 7 & up

A classic in its own right, this beautifully animated film draws from Celtic mythology to tell the story of Brendan, a boy who must complete a series of magical tasks to save his family from a Viking raid. The New York Times described it as “Unlike anything else you’ve seen, and very much worth seeking out.”