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


Spirited Away
2001 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
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.


My Neighbor Totoro
1988 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
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.


Whisper of the Heart
1995 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
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."


Kiki's Delivery Service
1989 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
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.


Castle in the Sky
1986 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
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.


Arrietty
2010 · 1h 35m
country: France
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.


Ponyo
2008 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
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.


Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil
2026 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
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
country: Japan
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.


When Marnie Was There
2014 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
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.


The Boy and the Beast
2015 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
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.


Wolf Children
2012 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
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.


Doraemon: Nobita's New Great Adventure Into the Underworld - The Seven Magic Users
2007 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
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.


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


Super Mario Bros.
1993 · 1h 45m
country: United Kingdom
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.


Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island
2026 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
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.


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


Ultraman: Rising
2024 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
A star athlete reluctantly returns home to take over his father's duties as Ultraman, shielding Tokyo from giant monsters as he becomes a legendary hero.


Pokémon 3: The Movie
2000 · 1h 13m
country: Japan
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!


Pokémon the Movie 2000
1999 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
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: Mewtwo Returns
2001 · 1h 3m
country: Japan
The Team Rocket leader, Giovanni, has found Mewtwo in a remote area of the Johto region. As Giovanni tries to re-capture Mewtwo, Ash and his friends are kidnapped by Domino, a new Team Rocket member, while trying to rescue Pikachu from Jessie and James. The Clone Pokemon are also captured and are then used as bait for Mewtwo. The situation then becomes a battle between the wills of Mewtwo and Giovanni; and Mewtwo also tries to discover if it and the clones have a purpose in life, even though they are products of science.


Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
2015 · 1h 13m
country: Japan
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.


Mary and The Witch's Flower
2017 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
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 the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
2014 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
In the underground Diamond Domain, where many Carbink live, the Mythical Pokémon Diancie serves as ruler. The Heart Diamond that sustains the land is beginning to fall apart, and Diancie is not yet strong enough to create a new one. While seeking help from the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas, Diancie encounters a group of thieves who want to take control of its diamond-producing power–and who awaken the Legendary Pokémon Yveltal from its cocoon in the process! Can Ash and his friends help Diancie discover its true power, stop Yveltal’s rampage, and save the Diamond Domain?


Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur
2006 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
After bringing a fossilized egg back to life with the Time Cloth, Nobita finds himself the owner of a baby dinosaur. Everything is fine until it grows up. Nobita and friends use Doraemon's time machine to return it back to its own time.


Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
2016 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
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!


Stand by Me Doraemon
2014 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
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 the Movie: I Choose You!
2017 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
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.


Doraemon: New Nobita's Great Demon - Peko and the Exploration Party of Five
2014 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Nobita is followed by a stray dog on his way home and decides to help it find its original owner with the help of Doraemon. They find out that the dog is actually a prince in its homeland in Africa.


Doraemon: Nobita and the Winged Braves
2001 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Doraemon and his friends have to rescue the people of Birdopia from the wrongdoing of vengeful former bird troopers before they unleash a wicked ancient dragon.


Stand by Me Doraemon 2
2020 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Nobita travels to the future to show his beloved grandma his bride, but adult Nobita has fled his own wedding.


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


Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops: Winged Angels
2011 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
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.


Children Who Chase Lost Voices
2011 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
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: The Power of Us
2018 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
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?


Doraemon: Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration
2019 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
After being mocked for believing that rabbits live on the Moon, Nobita uses one of Doraemon’s gadgets to create a hidden lunar kingdom. Accompanied by a mysterious new classmate named Luca, Nobita and his friends travel to the Moon’s far side, where they discover children with extraordinary powers and become drawn into a dangerous conflict that reaches far beyond Earth.


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


Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary
2024 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Follow the friendship between the Nobara family's pet dog Shiro and a "small dinosaur". Their connection helps the growth of Shinnosuke and the Kusakabe Defense Squad.


Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice
2012 · 1h 12m
country: Japan
Ash and his two friends Iris and Cilan help a Keldeo battle against a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon named Kyurem its his test to become a Sacred Swordsman.


Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
1989 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A little boy whose dreams transcend reality is sucked into his own fantasy, which is everything he has dreamed of, until he unleashes an old secret that may not only destroy this perfect dream world but reality itself.
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.