Current:Home > Finance10 streaming movies that will keep your kids entertained during the August doldrums -RiskRadar
10 streaming movies that will keep your kids entertained during the August doldrums
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-10 09:01:29
So your kids have gone to see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." Now what?
Many young film fans are still a couple of weeks out from going back to school, but once you get past "Turtles," the choices at the local movie theater – especially for those who aren't yet ready for living dolls with existential crises or the history of the atomic bomb – are pretty slim in the doldrums of August. Fortunately, streaming services have you covered with fun cartoons, coming-of-age stories and other movies that will keep everyone entertained in between last-minute summer reading lists and back-to-school shopping.
Here are 10 recent at-home options (of the PG- and G-rated variety) streaming now or coming soon for kids to watch:
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'
The animated blockbuster made so much money ($1.4 billion worldwide!) that you may have already seen it. If you haven't, get in your go-kart and enjoy an action-packed outing with Mario (Chris Pratt), his bro Luigi (Charlie Day), new pal Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), bad guy Bowser (Jack Black) and more. Or watch it again and check out all the nifty Nintendo video game references sprinkled throughout the fantasy comedy you missed the first time.
Where to watch: Peacock
Game on!How Chris Pratt and 'Super Mario Bros.' freshen a Nintendo classic
'Nimona'
When knight Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed) is framed for the murder of his queen, he befriends the rebellious shapeshifting teen Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), they go on a wild mission to clear his name and Ballister discovers his new sidekick has quite the backstory. Gloriously subversive and featuring great queer characters, it's an inclusive alternative to the usual dull fantasy adventure.
Where to watch: Netflix
'The Slumber Party'
Your kids might not be old enough to watch "The Hangover" yet but they'll get the gist of it from this coming-of-age comedy. Three teens wake up from a birthday slumber party with their friend missing, so they head off on a chaotic mission to find her that involves an onion-eating contest, a gaggle of baby ducks, ticked-off marching band kids and a runaway hedgehog float.
Where to watch: Disney+
'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse'
Little cinephiles-in-training will appreciate this beautiful Oscar-winning animated short film about a boy (voiced by Jude Coward Nicoll) lost in the snow-covered wilderness. He first bonds with a cake-obsessed mole (Tom Hollander), who saves a hungry fox (Idris Elba) from a snare trap, and the unlikely trio meets an outcast white horse (Gabriel Byrne) in a thoughtful narrative about kindness, friendship and empathy.
Where to watch:Apple TV+
'The Amazing Maurice'
Go have some lasagna, Garfield, because Hugh Laurie's title feline is the new coolest cat in this animated comedy based on a Terry Pratchett children's novel. Maurice, his piper friend Keith (Himesh Patel) and a crew of rats take their cash-grabbing rodent infestation schemes on the road, and while stopped at a poverty-stricken town, they help the mayor's quirky daughter (Emilia Clarke) tackle rampant food thievery and a seriously creepy villain.
Where to watch:Hulu
'World’s Best'
Assigned to craft an equation that defines him, 12-year-old math genius Prem (Manny Magnus) decides to seek out more about the late father (Utkarsh Ambudkar) he never really knew. Discovering his dad was a talented rapper sparks Prem's imagination, with father and son performing together in hip-hop fantasies, but the kid ultimately has to find his own identity in the heartwarming musical comedy.
Where to watch: Disney+
'Mummies'
Here's something your adventurous kiddos might dig: In this flick, an ancient world of living mummies exists underneath our own! When a royal wedding ring is stolen from the kingdom by an ambitious archaeologist, a chariot racer (voiced by Joe Thomas), his princess fiancée (Eleanor Tomlinson), his younger brother (Santiago Winder) and their crocodile buddy venture into 21st-century London to retrieve the jewelry and get into all sorts of fish-out-of-water high jinks.
Where to watch: Hulu
'Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie'
If the superhero lovers in your household need something other than DC or Marvel, push play on this French action-adventure origin story. Given superpowers by magical baubles, Ladybug (voiced by Anouck Hautbois) and Cat Noir (Benjamin Bollen) are rival teen do-gooders in Paris who have to team up to defeat a mysterious supervillain and his creatures made of hate and evil. (And if the kids dig this, then check out five seasons of the "Ladybug & Cat Noir" cartoon streaming on Disney+.)
Where to watch: Netflix
'Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie'
While adults back in the day had to wait months to watch Charlie Brown specials on network TV – and we loved them! – youngsters can stream them to their hearts' content, including a new one spotlighting bespectacled introvert Marcie. Peppermint Patty's best friend and No. 1 caddie helpfully solves her peers' problems with school hallway traffic and pizza shortages, but Marcie gets thrown for a loop when she's unexpectedly elected class president.
Where to watch:Apple TV+ (premieres Aug. 18)
'The Monkey King'
In the animated action comedy inspired by an ancient Chinese tale, the extremely confident Monkey King (voiced by Jimmy O. Yang) has big dreams of glory but to accomplish that, he needs to defeat 100 demons. With his magical fighting stick and a young village girl sidekick, Monkey King goes on a quest of self-discovery that includes taking on the eccentric Dragon King (Bowen Yang).
Where to watch: Netflix (premieres Aug. 18)
From 'Evil Dead Rise' to 'Extraction 2':15 movies you need to stream right now
veryGood! (877)
Related
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Dec. 3, 2023
- Italian city of Bologna braces for collapse of leaning Garisenda Tower
- Rescuer raises hope of survivors at a Zambian mine where more than 30 have been buried for days
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Queen Bey's 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' reigns at the box office with $21M opening
- Peruvian rainforest defender killed returning from environmental workshop
- Economists predict US inflation will keep cooling and the economy can avoid a recession
- Sam Taylor
- Jim Leyland elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, becomes 23rd manager in Cooperstown
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Committee snubbing unbeaten Florida State makes a mockery of College Football Playoff
- Purdue Pharma, Sacklers' OxyContin settlement lands at the Supreme Court
- Right Here, Right Now Relive Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker’s Love Story
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Liz Cheney on why she believes Trump's reelection would mean the end of our republic
- Egg suppliers ordered to pay $17.7 million by federal jury for price gouging in 2000s
- Liz Cheney on why she believes Trump's reelection would mean the end of our republic
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
British research ship crosses paths with world’s largest iceberg as it drifts out of Antarctica
Taylor Swift Cheers on Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs Game Against Green Bay Packers
The trial of 4 Egyptian security officials in the slaying of an Italian student is set for February
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Jim Leyland elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, becomes 23rd manager in Cooperstown
Kate Spade Flash Deal: This $249 Tinsel Crossbody Is on Sale for Just $59 and It Comes in 4 Colors
Shooting at home in Washington state kills 5 including the suspected shooter, report says