Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for sensationally awesome Best Family Movies 2009 ? See our compilation of 30 marvelous, universally beloved Best Family Movies 2009 handpicked for your viewing pleasure. Critically celebrated by revered IMDB reviewers and widely adored by our own legion of savvy users, these world-class titles simply have no equal. Lend fellow viewers a hand by voting up the titles you feel are keepers. We appreciate your stellar contributions showcasing the finest entertainment available!
Up (2009)
Plot Summary:
Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: dog, loneliness, unlikely friendships, friendship, follow your dream, hopes, friends, animal life, journey, obsessive quest, aging, wilderness, talking animal, dream, children, talking dog, giant bird, balloon, cartoon dog, human dog relationship, adventurer, mischievous children, love, animal, sadness
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
Plot Summary:
A drama based on the true story of a college professor's bond with the abandoned dog he takes into his home
Duration: 93 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 305000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: dog, friendship, loyalty, pets, human animal relationship, life & death, animal, loss of friend, loneliness, loss, friends, death, human relationship, owner dog relationship, waiting, love, loss of family member, bonding, animal training, family drama, goodhearted, tragedy, grief, coincidence, dealing with death
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Fantastic Mr. Fox bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family
Duration: 87 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 262000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: stop motion, anthropomorphic animal, unlikely partners, anthropomorphism, fox, talking animal, furry, heroic mission, evil, danger, dishonesty, melancholy, village life, eccentricity, partner, disorder, rivals, daring rescue, farmer, vixen, trippy, slick, animal life, heist, dysfunctional family
Coraline (2009)
Plot Summary:
When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her
Duration: 100 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 257000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: stop motion, children, monster, parallel world, alternate reality, weirdo, doll, secret place, heroine, fantasy world, loneliness, imagination, danger, family relations, alternate world, young heroes, clue, parents and children, magic, nightmare, imaginary, save the day, distopia, dream, goth
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Plot Summary:
As Harry begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as 'Property of the Half-Blood Prince', and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past
Duration: 153 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 582000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: harry potter, witch, magic, magical, witchcraft, teenager, school, good versus evil, chosen one, wizards and magicians, young heroes, boarding school, boarding school life, danger, supernatural ability, prophecy, secret place, obsessive quest, mentor, curses spells and rituals, supernatural, death, boy hero, magic wand, spell
The Secret of Kells (2009)
Plot Summary:
Adventure awaits 12 year old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. In order to finish Brother Aiden's book, Brendan must overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him beyond the abbey walls and into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. Will Brendan succeed in his quest?
Duration: 71 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Country: Ireland, Belgium, France
Plot tags: good versus evil, magic, legends and myths, medieval, monastery, imaginary, self discovery, heroic mission, fairy, viking, children, art, obsessive quest, woods, pagan, secrets, folklore, mythology, nature, storytelling, childhood, forest, witch, teenager, women
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
Plot Summary:
Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. The parents' desperate decision raises both ethical and moral questions and rips away at the foundation of their relationship. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart, while revealing surprising truths that challenge everyone's perceptions of love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: cancer, terminal illness, family drama, sisters, lawyer, parenthood, mother daughter relationship, sick child, life is a bitch, family relations, family life, leukemia, relationships, childhood, family problems, couple relations, death, tragedy, moral dilemma, favoritism among siblings, hospital, doctor, nursing, fighting illness, children
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Plot Summary:
A waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, is set on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being, but she has to face the same problem after she kisses him
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: princess, jazz, good versus evil, prince, magical, disney princess, animal life, imaginary, cinderella story, love and romance, dream, fall in love, transformation, human becomes animal, restaurant, firefly, girl, enemies to lovers, happy ending, talking animal, frog, turned into an animal, curses spells and rituals, african american, interracial romance
Little Nicholas (2009)
Plot Summary:
Nicolas has a happy existence, parents who love him, a great group of friends with whom he has great fun, and all he wants is that nothing changes. However, one day, he overhears a conversation that leads him to believe that his life might change forever, his mother is pregnant! He panics and envisions the worst
Duration: 91 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: France, Belgium
Plot tags: mischievous children, children, friendship, school, family relations, plan gone awry, friends, parents and children, family life, school teacher, teacher student relationship, gangster, boy, child, teenager, lgbt teen, education, childhood, comic hero, child hero, adolescence, magic realism, boyhood, little boy, baby
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Plot Summary:
Inventor Flint Lockwood creates a machine that makes clouds rain food, enabling the down-and-out citizens of Chewandswallow to feed themselves. But when the falling food reaches gargantuan proportions, Flint must scramble to avert disaster. Can he regain control of the machine and put an end to the wild weather before the town is destroyed?
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 252000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: food, inventor, nerd, natural disaster, father son relationship, mad scientist, greed, small town, parents and children, save the world, friendship, weatherman, goofy hero, fall in love, social misfits, inventions and discoveries, disorder, save the day, chaos, monkey, restaurant, cooking, scientist, mayor, technophobia
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Plot Summary:
Times are changing for Manny the moody mammoth, Sid the motor mouthed sloth and Diego the crafty saber-toothed tiger. Life heats up for our heroes when they meet some new and none-too-friendly neighbors – the mighty dinosaurs
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 260000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Plot tags: dinosaur, jungle, ice age, talking animal, fantasy world, friendship, parenthood, birth, rescue, animal life, iceberg, life philosophy, rescue team, baby, survival, youth, friends, love and romance, escapades, babies and infants, danger, dimwit, partner, silly humor, bonding
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Plot Summary:
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 126000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: christmas, holiday, ghost, scrooge, redemption, snow, time travel, christmas spirit, greed, christmas eve, regret, victorian england, life changing experience, christmas season, rich and poor, supernatural, human nature, coldhearted, afterlife, christmas carol, xmas, adaptation, winter, lesson, charles dickens
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Plot Summary:
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts -- Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander -- crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways
Duration: 101 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 108000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Germany, USA, Australia
Plot tags: childhood, creature, mischievous children, imaginary kingdom, fantasy world, imagination, loneliness, island, children, coming of age, youth, anger, surrealism, magical, child, unlikely friendships, boy, storytelling, journey, adventurer, imaginary, young heroes, friendship, forgiveness, family relations
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009)
Plot Summary:
A blue harvest moon will rise, allowing the fairies to use a precious moonstone to restore the Pixie Dust Tree, the source of all their magic. But when Tinker Bell accidentally puts all of Pixie Hollow in jeopardy, she must venture out across the sea on a secret quest to set things right
Duration: 81 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, India
Plot tags: fairy, friendship, imaginary kingdom, mischievous children, magic, supernatural, imaginary, tinkerbell, pirate, heroes, friends, family relations, escapades, danger, disorder, siblings relations, young heroes, good versus evil, curses spells and rituals, mission, female protagonist, peter pan, small town, love, teenager
Nativity! (2009)
Plot Summary:
Martin Freeman is lovelorn teacher Mr Maddens, a former am-dram star whose girlfriend (Ashley Jensen) dumped him over Christmas five years ago and upped sticks, inexplicably, to La-La Land. Yuletide cheer is not his forte, but he's forced to drum some up when Pam Ferris's headmistress earmarks him to direct the Nativity play
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: UK
Plot tags: christmas, holiday, youth, school, ambition, desire for fame, mischievous children, disorder, artists and showbiz, christmas season, nativity, rivalry, teacher, save the day, new year, xmas, contest, girl, thanksgiving, occupation, christmas spirit, student, paparazzi, little boy, donkey
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Plot Summary:
When Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches. The military jumps into action and captures Susan, secreting her away to a covert government compound. She is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 173000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: alien, alien invasion, giant, superhero, monster, robot, mad scientist, evil alien, giant robot, space and aliens, unlikely friendships, mutant, fantasy world, talking animal, save the world, good versus evil, heroic mission, heroes, invasion, escapades, team, rivalry, danger, imaginary, secret place
Bandslam (2009)
Plot Summary:
A high school social outcast and the popular girl bond through a shared love of music
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Plot tags: high school, teenager, music, teenage love, friends, ambition, love and romance, rock and roll, rock, hopes, lifestyle, artists and showbiz, adolescence, coming of age, teenage girl, school, rock music, rock band, college, subculture, girl, female protagonist, teenage sexuality, teen romance, heartbreak
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009)
Plot Summary:
Powerful magic cast by Alex spells trouble for the Russo's. The kids must go on an adventure to save their family and their existence
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Plot tags: magic, supernatural ability, wizards and magicians, witch, changing the past or future, family vacation, teenager, magic wand, wizard, youth, parents and children, curses spells and rituals, family holiday, hereditary gift of witchcraft, teenage girl, teenage life, imaginary, halloween, children, college, witchcraft, blonde, sorcerer, child, sibling relationship
Astro Boy (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set in the futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy (Atom) is a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he had lost. Unable to fulfill his creator's expectations, Astro embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before returning to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who rejected him
Duration: 94 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Hong Kong, USA, Japan
Plot tags: robot, androids and robots, androids, transformation, hi-tech, children, superhero, family in danger, evil force, goodhearted, giant, good versus evil, heroes, escapades, identity crisis, longing, family relations, imaginary, save the day, cyborgs, dystopia, artificial intelligence, warrior, giant monster, rescue
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
Plot Summary:
Hapless museum night watchman Larry Daley must help his living, breathing exhibit friends out of a pickle now that they've been transferred to the archives at the Smithsonian Institution. Larry's (mis)adventures this time include close encounters with Amelia Earhart, Abe Lincoln and Ivan the Terrible
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 6.0/10
IMDB Votes: 209000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: chase, objects come to life, magic, dinosaur, museum, curses spells and rituals, goofy hero, monkey, magical, kids and family, escapades, imaginary, imagination, medieval, artifact, wilhelm scream, al capone, manic pixie dream girl, teenager, supernatural, art, witchcraft, paranormal, mathematics, teenage girl
Planet 51 (2009)
Plot Summary:
When Earth astronaut Capt. Chuck Baker arrives on Planet 51 -- a world reminiscent of American suburbia circa 1950 -- he tries to avoid capture, recover his spaceship and make it home safely, all with the help of an empathetic little green being
Duration: 91 min
IMDB Rating: 6.0/10
IMDB Votes: 58000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Spain, UK, USA, Canada
Plot tags: alien, benign alien, space and aliens, alien planet, fish out of water, small town, mysterious planet, space travel, imaginary, astronaut, monster, alien invasion, fantasy world, space program, mad scientist, talking animal, robot, happy ending, chase, creativity, distant planet, spacecraft, space, friendship, friends
Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
Plot Summary:
A taxi driver gets more than he bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways. Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they're also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: alien, ufo, benign alien, spacecraft, children, teleportation, desert, supernatural ability, young heroes, space, witch, space and aliens, redemption, fight scenes, race, technology, justice, racing, bounty hunter, escapades, fantasy world, taxi, chase, magical power, soldier
Princess Protection Program (2009)
Plot Summary:
When an evil dictator threatens to take over the kingdom, Princess Rosalinda gets put into the Princess Protection Program. She is taken under the wing of General Joe Mason, an agent from the agency, and his daughter, Carter, who works after school at a nearby bait shop. Rosalinda goes undercover as a regular teen named, Rosie with the help of Carter. In turn, Rosalinda helps Carter overcome insecurities with herself and her crush on Donny who also likes her but can't tell or get shy
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: teenager, princess, high school, friendship, youth, teenage life, best friend, school, teenage girl, parents and children, royal family, father daughter relationship, teenage love, friends, secret identity, island, hidden identity, jealousy, college, family relations, girl, small town, fictional country, royalty, disney princess
Imagine That (2009)
Plot Summary:
A financial executive who can't stop his career downspiral is invited into his daughter's imaginary world, where solutions to his problems await
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Germany, UK
Plot tags: father daughter relationship, family relations, imaginary, parents and children, supernatural ability, workaholic, single parent, workplace, relationship vs career, black, imaginary friend, employer employee relationship, imagination, teenager, gambling, competition, waking up, african, prejudice, black man, griffin, father, daughter, ambition, workplace intrigue
Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Plot Summary:
Placed in a foster home that doesn't allow pets, 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, turn an abandoned hotel into a home for their dog. Soon other strays arrive, and the hotel becomes a haven for every orphaned canine in town. But the kids have to do some quick thinking to keep the cops off their tails
Duration: 100 min
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Germany, USA
Plot tags: dog, pets, orphan, mischievous children, siblings relations, husky dog, animal, young heroes, hotel, pitbull, friends, child, youth, family relations, teenager, animal lover, teenage girl, happy ending, puppy, stupid kid, fall in love, in love, child protagonist, animal protagonist, foster home
Aliens in the Attic (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of kids must protect their vacation home from invading aliens
Duration: 86 min
IMDB Rating: 5.4/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: alien, supernatural, teenager, buddies, space and aliens, friends, young heroes, youth, alien encounter, teenage life, mind control, father son relationship, alien contact, extraterrestrial, human alien relationship, alien creature, group of friends, alien race, showdown, evil alien, apocalypse, post apocalypse, distopia, epidemic, paranormal
Old Dogs (2009)
Plot Summary:
Charlie and Dan have been best friends and business partners for thirty years; their Manhattan public relations firm is on the verge of a huge business deal with a Japanese company. With two weeks to sew up the contract, Dan gets a surprise: a woman he married on a drunken impulse nearly nine years before (annulled the next day) shows up to tell him he's the father of her twins, now seven, and she'll be in jail for 14 days for a political protest. Dan volunteers to keep the tykes, although he's up tight and clueless. With Charlie's help is there any way they can be dad and uncle, meet the kids' expectations, and still land the account?
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 5.3/10
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: father son relationship, camp, fish out of water, family relations, childhood, best friend, competition, nothing goes right, zoo, father daughter relationship, bachelor, friendship between men, business partner, parents and children, disorder, twins, golf, brother sister relationship, superhero, business, profanity, bike, dog, prison, gorilla
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Plot Summary:
Mild-mannered Paul Blart (Kevin James) has always had huge dreams of becoming a State Trooper. Until then, he patrols the local mall as a security guard. With his closely cropped moustache, personal transporter and gung-ho attitude, only Blart seems to take his job seriously. All that changes when a team of thugs raids the mall and takes hostages. Untrained, unarmed and a super-size target, Blart has to become a real cop to save the day
Duration: 91 min
IMDB Rating: 5.3/10
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: fall in love, father daughter relationship, shopping mall, security guard, goofy hero, heist, workplace situations, disorder, unlikely hero, single parent, law enforcement, die hard, single father, business, army, police, twins, conspiracy, teenage girl, holiday, in love, migration, satire, name calling, cop
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009)
Plot Summary:
Arthur answers a distress call from Princess Selenia, who is menaced by the nefarious Maltazard
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 5.2/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Country: France
Plot tags: fairy, imaginary kingdom, young heroes, youth, good versus evil, daring rescue, save the day, escapades, rivalry, danger, rite of passage, magical creature, insect, myth, underground, creature, animal, heroes, vengeance, imaginary, dog, wolf, elf, spider, bear
G-Force (2009)
Plot Summary:
A team of trained secret agent animals, guinea pigs Darwin, Juarez, Blaster, mole Speckles, and fly Mooch takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances. But the government shuts them down and they are sentenced to a pet shop. Can they escape to defeat the villain and save the world?
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 5.1/10
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: talking animal, guinea pig, hamster, animal, good versus evil, partner, heroic mission, chases and races, government agency, animal protagonist, battles, pets, profanity, child, animal actor, animal lover, secret agent, stupid kid, anthropomorphic animal, heroes, undercover, chaos, danger, animal training, master villain