Best Movies Like Harry Potter (Family-Friendly Fantasy on DVD)
Updated September 2026
The Short Answer: Movies Like Harry Potter, Ranked by Age
The best movies like Harry Potter for most families are The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, with Fantastic Beasts and The Lord of the Rings waiting for older kids. Each shares the Potter recipe: an ordinary kid finds a hidden magical world, loyal friends and real evil.
A useful reference point: the first three Harry Potter films are rated PG and the last five are PG-13. So the list below is split the same way. Every rating was checked against IMDb, Common Sense Media or Kids-In-Mind, and every film is a book adaptation except one.
| Film | Year | Rating | Best for ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanny McPhee | 2005 | PG | 6+ |
| Howl's Moving Castle | 2004 | PG | 8+ |
| Ella Enchanted | 2004 | PG | 8+ |
| The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | 2005 | PG | 8+ |
| The NeverEnding Story | 1984 | PG | 8+ |
| The Spiderwick Chronicles | 2008 | PG | 8+ |
| Prince Caspian | 2008 | PG | 9+ |
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | 2004 | PG | 9+ |
| Inkheart | 2008 | PG | 9+ |
| Willow | 1988 | PG | 9+ |
| Bridge to Terabithia | 2007 | PG | 9+ |
| Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief | 2010 | PG | 10+ |
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | 2012 | PG-13 | 10+ |
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | 2016 | PG-13 | 11+ |
| The Golden Compass | 2007 | PG-13 | 11+ |
| The Fellowship of the Ring | 2001 | PG-13 | 11+ |
| Stardust | 2007 | PG-13 | 12+ |
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | 2016 | PG-13 | 12+ |
The ages are our own suggestions from years of hearing what families bring back and buy again. Your kids know their own limits better than any chart does.
In this guide:
- The PG Picks: Close to the First Three Potter Films
- The PG-13 Picks: Closer to the Later Potter Films
- Picking by What Your Kids Loved Most
- Read It Before You Watch It
- Planning a Fantasy Movie Marathon
- Where to Find These on DVD
- Frequently Asked Questions
The PG Picks: Close to the First Three Potter Films
These fit a family that is comfortable with Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets but not ready for the darker later films. For PG choices beyond fantasy, our PG movies for family movie night guide covers comedies, true stories and adventures.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, PG)
Four siblings evacuated during the Blitz walk through a wardrobe into a frozen kingdom. It is the nearest thing to Potter in spirit: British children, a clear line between good and evil, and a story about courage and forgiveness. Start any Potter family here, and see our Chronicles of Narnia books in order guide for which of the seven books to read first. Content note: Aslan's death on the Stone Table is genuinely upsetting for little ones, and the final battle is large but nearly bloodless. Best for ages 8 and up.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008, PG)
The Narnia sequel is longer on sword fights and shorter on wonder, which suits kids who liked the action in Prisoner of Azkaban. Content note: a night raid on a castle ends with many soldiers killed, and the battle scenes are more sustained than in the first film. Ages 9 and up. The third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), rounds out the set.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008, PG)
Twins Jared and Simon move into a crumbling house with their mom and sister and find a field guide to the invisible world of goblins, sprites and an ogre who wants the book. It has the "secret world next door" feeling of Diagon Alley in a single tight movie. Content note: the goblin attacks are loud and scary, and the parents' separation is a real source of tension. Ages 8 and up.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010, PG)
A twelve-year-old with dyslexia learns he is the son of Poseidon and is sent to Camp Half-Blood, a school for demigods in all but name. The film ages Percy up and changes a lot from Rick Riordan's book, so readers may grumble, but it is a fun gateway to Greek myths. Content note: monster fights (Medusa is beheaded), a trip to the Underworld, a crude stepfather and some mild language. Ages 10 and up. Readers who want the faithful version should know about the 2023 Disney+ series, which our Percy Jackson books in order guide covers alongside the novels.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004, PG)
The three Baudelaire orphans outwit Count Olaf, played by Jim Carrey in a string of disguises. It has the gothic, clever-kids-versus-useless-adults tone of the Dursley chapters. Content note: the children's parents die in a house fire, Olaf repeatedly threatens the children's lives, and his plot to marry Violet for her fortune may need a short explanation. Ages 9 and up.
Inkheart (2008, PG)
A bookbinder named Mo can read characters out of books and into the real world, and a villain from a novel has come looking for him. It is the best pick on this list for a child who loves the books as much as the movies. Content note: menacing henchmen, a smoke-like monster called the Shadow, and scenes of characters held captive. Ages 9 and up.
The NeverEnding Story (1984, PG)
A bullied boy hides in a school attic reading a book about a young warrior named Atreyu and a luckdragon named Falkor, then realizes the story needs him. Content note: the horse Artax sinking in the Swamps of Sadness is the scene every adult remembers from childhood, and a wolf attack is briefly bloody. Ages 8 and up.
Willow (1988, PG)
The only original screenplay here: a farmer named Willow must protect a baby from an evil queen, helped by a swaggering swordsman. It plays like a warm-up for The Lord of the Rings. Content note: sword fighting, a threat to kill an infant, a two-headed monster, and some crude humor and mild language. Ages 9 and up.
Ella Enchanted (2004, PG)
Anne Hathaway plays a girl cursed at birth to obey every command, in a comic fairy-tale world of ogres, giants and a vain regent. Lighter than anything else here, and a good pick for younger sisters who have been sitting through wizard duels. Content note: crude humor, an ogre who threatens to eat Ella, and a scene where she is ordered to shoplift. Ages 8 and up.
Nanny McPhee (2005, PG)
Emma Thompson plays a magical nanny who takes on seven very naughty children and their widowed father. It works well for families with a six-year-old who wants to join Potter night but isn't ready. Content note: the mother's death is part of the setup, plus slapstick and some gross-out gags. Ages 6 and up.
Howl's Moving Castle (2004, PG)
Studio Ghibli's version of Diana Wynne Jones's novel: a young hatmaker is cursed into old age and takes shelter in a walking castle owned by a vain wizard. The English dub came out in the US in 2005. Content note: war bombings (no bodies shown), creepy blob-like henchmen, and a character who smokes a cigar. Ages 8 and up.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007, PG)
Included with a warning, because the trailers sold it as a fantasy adventure. Two lonely kids invent a kingdom in the woods, and the magic is mostly in their heads. Content note: a main child character dies suddenly, and the second half is about grief. It is beautiful, and it can blindside a sensitive nine-year-old. Watch it together.
The PG-13 Picks: Closer to the Later Potter Films
For kids who have made it through Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows without nightmares. Teens who want something besides fantasy can try our clean teen movies on DVD.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016, PG-13)
The obvious next step: the same Wizarding World, set in 1926 New York, following magizoologist Newt Scamander. The creature scenes are delightful. Content note: a child is beaten by his adoptive mother, and a destructive dark force wrecks the city. The two sequels get heavier. Ages 11 and up.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, PG-13)
Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable hole with a wizard and thirteen dwarves. It is lighter and sillier than The Lord of the Rings, which makes it a good bridge. Content note: goblin and orc battles with some beheadings, and a creepy Gollum riddle scene. Ages 10 and up.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, PG-13)
The high point of fantasy on film, and the one many Potter fans graduate to. See our Tolkien reading guide if you want to read along. Content note: sustained battle violence, frightening Ringwraiths, and Bilbo's sudden monstrous face. The later two films are more violent. Ages 11 and up.
The Golden Compass (2007, PG-13)
Lyra, a fierce girl in an alternate Oxford, sets out for the Arctic to rescue kidnapped children. Every person has an animal companion called a daemon. Content note: an armored bear fight that ends with a jaw torn off (bloodless), children being cut away from their daemons, and a church-like ruling power that some families will want to talk about. No sequel was filmed. Ages 11 and up.
Stardust (2007, PG-13)
A young man crosses a wall into a magical kingdom to fetch a fallen star, who turns out to be a woman. Funny, romantic and a favorite with teens. Content note: witches who divine the future from animal entrails, a unicorn killed, some innuendo and an implied night together. Ages 12 and up.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016, PG-13)
Tim Burton's take on a house of gifted children hidden in a 1943 time loop. Content note: the monsters eat children's eyes, shown on screen in one scene. This is the scariest film on the list. Ages 12 and up.
Picking by What Your Kids Loved Most
- The school and the friendships: Percy Jackson (Camp Half-Blood) and Fantastic Beasts.
- Brave siblings and a clear moral story: the Narnia films.
- Magical creatures: Spiderwick, Fantastic Beasts, The NeverEnding Story.
- Books coming to life: Inkheart and The NeverEnding Story.
- Epic battles: The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings.
- Humor and whimsy: Ella Enchanted, Nanny McPhee, Stardust.
Read It Before You Watch It
Seventeen of these eighteen films come from books, and in nearly every case the book is richer. A simple house rule many homeschool families use: finish the novel, then earn the movie. It turns the film into a discussion about what the director cut, changed or got right.
Good pairings: C.S. Lewis before the Narnia films, Cornelia Funke before Inkheart, Diana Wynne Jones before Howl's Moving Castle, and Katherine Paterson before Bridge to Terabithia. For more series with a Hogwarts feel, see our guide to books like Harry Potter.
Planning a Fantasy Movie Marathon
A few double features that work on a rainy weekend:
- Younger crowd: Nanny McPhee in the afternoon, Howl's Moving Castle after dinner.
- Middle grade: Spiderwick and Inkheart. Both run under two hours.
- Teens: The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring back to back. Budget five and a half hours, more for extended editions.
Owning the discs means no one has to check which service carries a title this month. Fantasy films move between streaming platforms constantly.
Where to Find These on DVD
Most of these films turn up regularly in our Sci-Fi & Fantasy DVDs, and the gentler picks in Family & Animation. Try a quick search for The Spiderwick Chronicles, Percy Jackson, Fantastic Beasts, The Lord of the Rings, Howl's Moving Castle or Inkheart. Used copies come and go, and shipping is free on orders over $15.
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies are most like Harry Potter?
The Chronicles of Narnia films, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief and Fantastic Beasts are the closest in feel. All follow young heroes discovering a hidden magical world.
Are the Harry Potter movies rated PG or PG-13?
The first three films are rated PG. Goblet of Fire and the four films after it are rated PG-13.
What is a good Harry Potter alternative for younger kids?
Nanny McPhee, Ella Enchanted and Howl's Moving Castle are gentle PG choices. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe works for most kids around 8, with Aslan's death as the hardest scene.
Is Fantastic Beasts okay for kids?
It is rated PG-13. The creatures are fun, but there is child abuse and dark, destructive magic. We suggest ages 11 and up.
Is The Lord of the Rings too scary for a 10-year-old?
It depends on the child. The Fellowship of the Ring has frightening Ringwraiths and long battles. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a lighter first step.
Which of these movies are based on books?
All of them except Willow, which was an original story. The rest adapt novels by authors including C.S. Lewis, Rick Riordan, Cornelia Funke, Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman and J.R.R. Tolkien.
