The 40 most popular japanese family movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Spirited Away
2001 · 2h 5m · JP
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.


Hot Wheels Let's Race: Attack of the T-Rex
2026 · 47m · US
When a giant T-Rex threatens Hot Wheels City, it's up to Coop and his friends to race to the rescue and save the day.


My Neighbor Totoro
1988 · 1h 26m · JP
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.


Kiki's Delivery Service
1989 · 1h 43m · JP
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.


Ponyo
2008 · 1h 40m · JP
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.


Castle in the Sky
1986 · 2h 5m · JP
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.


Whisper of the Heart
1995 · 1h 51m · JP
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."


Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil
2026 · 1h 42m · JP
Nobita and friends finds a secret underwater castle packed with mysteries and riches. With Doraemon's high-tech gadgets, they dive into an ocean adventure mixing humor, teamwork, and imagination in a breathtaking aquatic world.


The Cat Returns
2002 · 1h 15m · JP
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.


Arrietty
2010 · 1h 35m · FR
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.


Wolf Children
2012 · 1h 57m · JP
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.


Pokémon: The First Movie
1998 · 1h 36m · JP
Determined to prove its superiority, a bio-engineered Pokémon called Mewtwo lures Ash, Pikachu and others into a Pokémon match like none before.


When Marnie Was There
2014 · 1h 43m · JP
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.


Doraemon: Nobita's New Great Adventure Into the Underworld - The Seven Magic Users
2007 · 1h 52m · JP
Nobita wishes the world into a magic-reliant one with Doraemon's Moshimo-Box, and, along with his friends, must stop an asteroid from hitting the planet with help from a sorcerer-in-training.


The Boy and the Beast
2015 · 1h 59m · JP
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.


Pokémon the Movie 2000
1999 · 1h 24m · JP
When Lawrence III's scheme to capture the Legendary Pokémon Lugia upsets the balance of nature, it is up to Ash Ketchum and his friends to save the world.


Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
2016 · 1h 37m · JP
Ash meets the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion when it crashes down from the sky, creating a cloud of dust—and a mysterious force binds the two of them together! Volcanion despises humans and tries to get away, but it’s forced to drag Ash along as it continues its rescue mission. They arrive in a city of cogs and gears, where a corrupt official has stolen the ultimate invention: the Artificial Pokémon Magearna, created 500 years ago. He plans to use its mysterious power to take control of this mechanical kingdom! Can Ash and Volcanion work together to rescue Magearna? One of the greatest battles in Pokémon history is about to unfold!


Mary and The Witch's Flower
2017 · 1h 43m · JP
Mary Smith, a young girl who lives with her great-aunt in the countryside, follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest where she finds a strange flower and an old broom, none of which is as ordinary as it seems.


Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
2009 · 1h 35m · JP
When the creator of the world, Arceus, comes to pass judgement on humanity for the theft of the legendary Jewel of Life, Ash and his friends are sent back in time to possibly reverse the events that led to Arceus' vendetta.


Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island
2026 · 1h 39m · JP
Chiikawa and friends set off on a whimsical summer adventure to a mysterious island said to hide a long-lost mermaid secret. What starts as a fun getaway quickly turns into a heartwarming journey filled with surprises, gentle thrills, and adorable chaos. With sparkling seas, strange legends, and unforgettable encounters, the trio learns about courage, friendship, and the magic hidden in small moments.


Mirai
2018 · 1h 38m · JP
Four-year-old Kun struggles with jealousy after his newborn sister, Mirai, begins receiving most of his family’s attention. Retreating to the garden, he encounters Mirai as a teenager from the future and embarks on extraordinary journeys across his family’s past, gradually discovering new perspectives on love, belonging and what it means to become an older brother.


Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution
2019 · 1h 38m · JP
After accepting an invitation from a mysterious trainer, Ash, Misty and Brock meet Mewtwo, an artificially created Pokémon who wants to do battle.


Doraemon: Nobita's Treasure Island
2018 · 1h 48m · JP
Upon hearing about the story of Treasure Island, Nobita dreams of discovering and exploring his own treasure island, despite the fact all of the Earth has been mapped already.


Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us
2018 · 1h 38m · JP
A young athlete whose running days might be behind her, a compulsive liar, a shy researcher, a bitter old woman, and a little girl with a big secret—the only thing they have in common is the annual Wind Festival in Fula City. The festival celebrates the Legendary Pokémon Lugia, who brings the wind that powers this seaside city. When a series of threats endangers not just the festival, but all the people and Pokémon of Fula City, it’ll take more than just Satoshi and Pikachu to save the day! Can everyone put aside their differences and work together—or will it all end in destruction?


Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
2015 · 1h 13m · JP
Ash, Pikachu, and their friends come to a desert city by the sea. Here they meet the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa, which has the ability to summon things—including people and Pokémon—through its magic rings. After a scary incident, they learn of a story about a brave hero who stopped the rampage of a terrifying Pokémon long ago. Now, the threat that has been bottled up for years is in danger of breaking loose again.


My Neighbors the Yamadas
1999 · 1h 44m · JP
The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.


Pokémon 4Ever
2001 · 1h 20m · JP
In order to escape a greedy Pokémon hunter, Celebi must use the last of its energy to travel through time to the present day. Celebi brings along Sammy, a boy who had been trying to protect it. Along with Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of the gang, Sammy and Celebi must encounter an enemy far more advanced than the hunter, with the fate of the forest hanging in the balance.


Night on the Galactic Railroad
1985 · 1h 48m · JP
Lonely and awkward, Giovanni struggles with his sick mother, absent father, and an afterschool job that isolates him from his peers. But on the night of the Festival of Stars, he is magically transported onto a celestial train with his only friend, Campanella. Together, they embark on an extraordinary journey through the galaxy, encountering mysterious characters and grappling with life's deepest questions.


Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle
2020 · 1h 41m · JP
In the Forest of Okoya, Koko is a feral child who has been raised as a Pokémon by the Mythical Pokémon Zarude. Koko has grown up never doubting that he is a Pokémon even though he can't really use any sort of moves. Ash Ketchum and Pikachu meet Koko and help him protect the Great Tree from the crooked scientist Dr. Zed.


Stand by Me Doraemon
2014 · 1h 34m · JP
Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.


Pokémon 3: The Movie
2000 · 1h 13m · JP
When the sadness of her father's disappearance gets to Molly Hale, she unknowingly uses the Unown to create her own dream world along with Entei, who she believes to be her father. When Entei kidnaps Ash's mother, Ash — alongside Misty and Brock — invade the mansion looking for his mom and trying to stop the mysteries of Molly's Dream World and Entei!


Super Mario Bros.
1993 · 1h 45m · UK
Mario and Luigi, plumbers from Brooklyn, find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in hi-tech squalor. They're the only hope to save our universe from invasion by the dino dictator, Koopa.


Children Who Chase Lost Voices
2011 · 1h 56m · JP
The film centers on Asuna, a young girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her late father as a memento. One day while walking home she is attacked by a fearsome monster and saved by a mysterious boy named Shun. However, Shun disappears and Asuna embarks on a journey of adventure to the land of Agartha with her teacher Mr. Morisaki to meet a Shun again. Through her journey she comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.


Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
2017 · 1h 38m · JP
Ash Ketchum wakes up late one morning after having broken his alarm clock in his sleep. He eventually makes it to Professor Oak's lab, but is told that the three starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, have already been taken by Trainers who were on time. However, Oak reveals that he has one more Pokémon, an Electric-type named Pikachu. Despite its volatile and feisty personality, as well as its refusal to get inside a Poké Ball, Ash happily takes Pikachu for his journey.


Earwig and the Witch
2021 · 1h 23m · JP
A headstrong orphan discovers a world of spells and potions while living with a selfish witch.


Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
2004 · 1h 38m · JP
Deoxys, a Pokémon from outer space, terrorizes the high-tech city Ash Ketchum and his friends are visiting.


Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened
2013 · 1h 36m · JP
A group of five Genesect have invaded the big city and pose a threat to the supply of electricity, which attracts the attention of the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo. Satoshi, Pikachu and his friends must come to the rescue when the powerful leader, a red Genesect, faces Mewtwo.


Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops: Winged Angels
2011 · 1h 48m · JP
Nobita and Doraemon find a giant robot in pieces which they later assemble. It turns out to be a destructive weapon and the gang must save Earth from an imminent invasion.


Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Little Star Wars 2021
2022 · 1h 48m · JP
During summer vacation Nobita picks up a small rocket containing Papi, a palm-sized alien president escaping rebels on his home planet Pirika.


Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi
2017 · 1h 41m · JP
Doraemon and Nobita discover a mysterious golden ring far beneath the ice in Antarctica, leading them to uncover an ancient, ruined city.
Japanese cinema gave the world Kurosawa's samurai epics, Ozu's domestic dramas, Godzilla and the kaiju film, and the J-horror wave that Hollywood spent the 2000s remaking. It also sustains the most developed animation industry on earth.
Family films are made to work for two audiences at once, which is a harder brief than it sounds. The enduring ones layer real emotional stakes under the accessibility.