If you would like to introduce the best movies for toddlers to your children, you are at the right place. Have you ever noticed how fascinated toddlers seem when they watch a funny animation movie? These movies give them visual stimulation and transport them to a world that’s far from reality. Animation movies have vivid graphics and bright colors that catch toddlers’ attention and delight them to bits. Moreover, movies are a great way to teach your children important values. So, check out our list of the best movies you could watch with your toddlers on a loop.
Christmas Movies For Toddlers
Christmas movies use the festive season as a backdrop or contain the festive season as the film’s central theme.
1. The Polar Express
The Polar Express is a story of a boy who travels to the North Pole in an imaginary train called the ‘Polar Express’. On his way, he makes new friends, learns the true essence of Christmas, and eventually meets Santa Claus himself. A heartwarming tale that should put your toddler in the mood of Christmas. Released in 2004
2. Home Alone
A family frantically leaving for their holiday at the last moment realizes that they forgot one member of their family – eight-year-old Kevin – at home. The film then goes to show the desperation of Kevin’s mother to return to her son and how Kevin, who is alone at home, fights off robbers right on Christmas Eve. Released in 1990
3. A Christmas Carol
The classic story by Charles Dickens tells the tale of a shrewd miser called Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge meets three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and the future. The meetings with the three spirits transform Scrooge from the grumpy old man to a cheerful, jolly person. Released in 2009
4. Jingle All The Way
A boy wants a superhero toy, which is available in limited numbers during the Christmas holiday season. The boy’s father tries everything he can to get the toy first for his son. But a series of events make the boy realize that he does not need a superhero toy for he already has a superhero called dad. Released in 1996
5. Elf
A baby boy accidentally crawls into Santa’s gift sack and is transported to the North Pole. There, the elves discover him and raise him as one of their own. Once the boy grows older, he learns that he is not an Elf, but a human. It marks the beginning of his quest to find his real family. Released in 2003
6. Miracle on 34th street
A young girl called Susan is raised to believe that Santa Claus does not exist. One day, she spots a man who looks just like Santa and also claims to be the real Santa Claus. The interaction with him changes Susan’s mindset entirely. Miracle on 34th street is considered an all-time classic and was titled in the UK as “The Big Heart.” Released in 1947
Best Disney Movies For Toddlers
Disney has entertained generations of children with family-friendly movies. Here are some of the Disney-Pixar films that your toddler will enjoy.
7. The Jungle Book
The classic story by Rudyard Kipling gets a live-action rendering in this version from Disney. The Jungle Book tells the story of a feral child called Mowgli who lives in the dense jungles of India. His life takes a new turn when he learns that a tiger called Sher Khan is after his life. Mowgli challenges Sher Khan and eventually, single-handedly defeats him. Released in 2016
8. Finding Nemo
Nemo is a baby clown fish that gets captured by fishermen. His father Marlin, along with an amnesiac tang fish called Dory, embarks on an adventure to find his son. Nemo and Marlin make new friends that help them in their quest to find one another. Released in 2003
9. Toy Story
Toy Story is a film about a group of sentient toys led by their leader Woody, who is a cowboy doll. Things change when Buzz Lightyear, a stylish new toy joins the toy group and becomes more popular than woody. The movie is heartwarming, and the sight of toys talking will surely delight the toddler. Released in 1995
10. Winnie the Pooh
This musical Disney film tells the story of a cuddly and friendly bear called Winnie the Pooh, and a child called Christopher Robin. In the movie, Pooh runs out of honey and sets out on an adventure with his friends to look for more. Released in 2011
11. Cars
Lightning Mcqueen, a race car finds himself stuck at a nondescript town called Radiator Springs. He has only a few days to escape and reach a racing event. But the inhabitants of the town, who are also all cars, do not let him go so easily. Lightning Mcqueen recognizes that the town folks are actually very kind people and makes a lasting friendship with them. Released in 2006
12. WALL-E
This is a story of an adorable robot called WALL-E who lives on earth while humans live on a spaceship. WALL-E meets a robot named EVE, and together they set out on a journey to the human spaceship to try and bring back humans and make earth habitable again. Released in 2008
13. The Good Dinosaur
The film shows a world where human beings and dinosaurs live together. Arlo, a dinosaur, is separated from his family and needs to find his way back home. On his journey back home, he makes an unlikely human friend. A pleasant and touching dinosaur movie for toddlers. Released in 2015
Best Animated Movies For Toddlers
Besides Disney, several other film production houses made interesting animated movies for children. Here are a few of them.
14. Curious George
George is a curious little monkey who finds himself on a ship going from Africa to America. George meets a kind man called Ted, and the two become friends. Ted has adventures of his own, and soon the naughty, adorable, and curious little monkey becomes a part of Ted’s pursuits. Released in 2006
15. Shrek
Shrek, an Ogre (mythical creature), has his swamp taken over by fairy tale creatures. Shrek has to rescue a princess to regain ownership of the swamp. On his journey to find the princess, Shrek meets a donkey, and the two set out to find Princess Fiona. Released in 2001
16. Minions
Minions are these cute but peculiar creatures that seek out the ultimate master to serve and please. Three minions, Stuart, Kevin, and Bob, visit new lands to find their ideal master. They find a supervillain, who is not exactly the type of master they were expecting. The movie is filled with gags and tons of rib-tickling humor. Released in 2015
17. Ice Age
It is the ice ages. Three unlikely friends – a mammoth, saber-tooth cat, and giant ground sloth discover a human baby and decide to return it to his family. The group faces several dangers on their way, but manage to protect the baby and reach the human camp where they are not sure of the reception they will receive. Released in 2002
18. The Peanuts Movie
It is based on the popular newspaper comic strip called Peanuts. Snoopy is a beagle dog who sets out on his epic quest while his owner Charlie Brown is trying to impress a girl whom he considers the love of his life. The slick and colorful animations of the movie make it an enticing film for toddlers to watch. Released in 2015
19. The Lego Movie
The animated characters here are based on the real Lego toy blocks. The movie is a story about an ordinary construction worker hired to work with superheroes to defeat a supervillain. The average guy goes through a roller-coaster ride to discover the villain and defeat him. Released in 2014
Best Puppet Movies For Toddlers
These films incorporate the use of practical props like puppets and toys, which are then animated to make a full-length movie.
20. Shaun the Sheep Movie
The movie is made with stop-motion animation technology using small puppet-like models. It tells the story of Shaun, a sheep on a farm with a dog for friend. The comfortable life of the farm animals is thrown out of gear when their master, the farmer, suffers a blow and gets amnesia. The animals rush against time to bring their master’s memory back. Released in 2015
21. The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
The film features the popular puppet character called Elmo. Elmo’s blanket is lost in a faraway land called Grouchland. He reaches the place and finds it to be inhabited by strange creatures. While on his quest to find his blanket he learns several life lessons while also facing a villain. Released in 1999
22. Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas, the steam engine and the character Mr. Conductor use a magic railway track to cross their imaginary world and reach the real world. Here they face several unforeseen challenges. Thomas and other steam engines in the film are live-action toys moved using remote control. Overall, an exciting railroad-themed movie for toddlers. Released in 2000
Best Animal Movies For Toddlers
These movies have animals as the protagonists or significant characters in the film.
23. Kung-Fu Panda
Set in China, the film depicts the journey of Po from being an obese panda to becoming the dragon-warrior. Po saves the land from the wrath of the evil Tai Lung and restores peace to the valley. Released in 2008
24. Over the Hedge
A group of hibernating animals wakes up one spring to discover their forest has been transformed into a human residential community. A crafty raccoon takes advantage of the naive animals and turns them into thieves who loot humans for food. Released in 2006
25. Madagascar
A zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, and lion escape from the New York zoo and find themselves on the shores of Africa. The animals are raised in a zoo and thus have no idea what to expect from the thick forest of Madagascar. Released in 2005
26. Happy Feet
A population of emperor penguins uses their singing skills to find their partners. But one day a penguin that cannot sing is born to a pair of penguins. He is named Mumble, who grows up with the ridicule of his peers for his inability to sing. But Mumble has another talent – he is an excellent dancer. Released in 2006
27. Babe
Babe is a piglet raised by sheepdogs who rear sheep. Despite being a pig, Babe breaks stereotypes and becomes a sheep-pig. The journey to become a sheep-pig is not easy and fraught with challenges, but Babe comes out victorious with a little help from his friends. Released in 1995
How To Choose The Right Movies For Toddlers?
Here are a few points to consider while choosing movies for toddlers.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Vibha Navarathna, the author of this article, is a movie enthusiast with a deep interest in pregnancy, nursing, and baby health and development-related topics. Based on her years of experience in this field and a carefully conducted research of audience reviews and feedback online, she has created this exhaustive list of some of the best animated movies for your toddler’s entertainment.
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