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Best PG Movies on DVD for Family Movie Night

Updated September 2026

The Short Answer: 17 PG Movies Worth Owning

The best PG movies on DVD for family movie night give kids a real story without sneaking in content you didn't sign up for. Our top three are Paddington 2, The Incredibles and Remember the Titans. Every film below is rated PG by the MPA (checked on IMDb, Common Sense Media or Kids-In-Mind), and each one has an honest content note, because PG covers a wide range.

Film Year Rating Best for ages
Paddington 2014 PG 5+
Paddington 2 2017 PG 5+
Dolphin Tale 2011 PG 6+
Up 2009 PG 6+
The Incredibles 2004 PG 7+
The Iron Giant 1999 PG 7+
The Parent Trap 1998 PG 7+
Night at the Museum 2006 PG 7+
Secretariat 2010 PG 8+
Hugo 2011 PG 8+
The Sandlot 1993 PG 8+
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 PG 8+
The Princess Bride 1987 PG 9+
Holes 2003 PG 9+
National Treasure 2004 PG 9+
Remember the Titans 2000 PG 10+
Back to the Future 1985 PG 10+

The ages are our suggestions, not the studio's. A cautious seven-year-old and a seasoned ten-year-old can watch very different lists.

In this guide:

What a PG Rating Actually Tells You

PG stands for "Parental Guidance Suggested," and the official wording is that some material may not be suitable for children. That is a wide net. It covers a talking bear and it covers movies with gunfights and a handful of swear words.

One piece of history explains a lot. The PG-13 rating did not exist until 1984. Films released before then, and for a few years after while standards settled, sometimes carry a PG with language or scenes that would earn a PG-13 today. That's why E.T. and Back to the Future can surprise parents who remember them fondly. Newer PG films tend to be tamer.

Our rule of thumb: for anything made before about 1990, read a content note first. For anything recent, the PG is usually a fair guide.

Gentle Starts for Younger Kids

Paddington (2014, PG)

A polite bear from Peru arrives in London and is taken in by the Brown family. It is funny, kind and beautifully made. Content note: a taxidermist villain wants to stuff Paddington, which can worry small children, plus some mild slapstick peril and a bit of innuendo aimed over kids' heads. Ages 5 and up.

Paddington 2 (2017, PG)

Paddington is framed for stealing a pop-up book and lands in prison, where he wins over the inmates with marmalade. This is our first pick for any family, and many adults rank it above the original. Content note: a climactic sequence on a runaway train and a tense underwater rescue. Ages 5 and up. A third film, Paddington in Peru, followed in 2024 in the UK and 2025 in the US.

Dolphin Tale (2011, PG)

Based on the true story of Winter, a dolphin who lost her tail and was fitted with a prosthetic at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. A good pick for animal lovers and a natural lead-in to a science lesson. Content note: the dolphin's injury, a cousin wounded in military service, and a hurricane. Ages 6 and up.

Up (2009, PG)

An elderly widower ties thousands of balloons to his house and floats off to South America, with a Wilderness Explorer scout stuck on the porch. Content note: the opening montage covers a couple's inability to have children and the wife's death. It makes adults cry and sometimes goes over kids' heads. Later there is a villain with a rifle and a pack of aggressive dogs. Ages 6 and up.

Animated Favorites With a Bit More Action

The Incredibles (2004, PG)

A family of retired superheroes gets pulled back into action. It is a great movie about marriage and parenting that happens to have explosions. Content note: the villain has been killing off superheroes, guards shoot at the children, and he dies in a jet engine. Ages 7 and up.

The Iron Giant (1999, PG)

A boy in 1957 Maine befriends a giant robot from space while a government agent hunts it. Set during the Cold War, which makes it a useful homeschool conversation starter. Our homeschool-friendly movies on DVD guide pairs more films with a subject and a unit idea. Content note: hunters shoot a deer (the body is shown), military weapons and a nuclear missile, the Giant's sacrifice, and some mild swearing. Ages 7 and up.

Comedies the Whole Family Laughs At

The Parent Trap (1998, PG)

Twins separated as babies meet at summer camp and swap places to reunite their parents. Lindsay Lohan plays both girls. Content note: divorce is the central subject, the father's fiancée is a scheming gold digger, and there is some kissing and light innuendo. Ages 7 and up.

Night at the Museum (2006, PG)

A new night guard learns that the exhibits at the Museum of Natural History come alive after dark. Kids come away wanting to know who Sacagawea and Teddy Roosevelt were. Content note: slapstick, a capuchin monkey who slaps people, and mild language. Ages 7 and up.

The Princess Bride (1987, PG)

A grandfather reads a sick boy a story of pirates, giants, sword fights and true love. It works for every generation in the room. Content note: sword fights, a torture machine, rodents of unusual size, and some swearing, including "son of a bitch." Ages 9 and up.

True Stories and Sports Movies

Secretariat (2010, PG)

Penny Chenery bets her family's future on a racehorse, who went on to win the 1973 Triple Crown. Diane Lane leads a clean, stirring film. Content note: a parent's death, money worries, and a little mild language. Ages 8 and up.

The Sandlot (1993, PG)

A new kid in town joins a neighborhood baseball team during one summer in the early 1960s. Our pick for a summer evening. If it's a hit, our 90s kids movies on DVD list has more from the same decade. Content note: some swearing and a steady stream of kid insults, boys chewing tobacco and throwing up on a carnival ride, and a boy faking drowning to kiss a lifeguard. Ages 8 and up.

Remember the Titans (2000, PG)

Based on the 1971 T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia, the year the city's high schools were combined into one integrated school. It is a sports movie that doubles as a civil rights lesson. Content note: racial slurs, a brick thrown through a window, and a car crash that paralyzes a player. Ages 10 and up. It also leads our clean teen movies on DVD, which picks up where this list leaves off for ages 13 to 17.

Adventure and Mystery for Older Kids

Hugo (2011, PG)

An orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station in the 1930s fixes a broken automaton and uncovers the story of film pioneer Georges Méliès. Martin Scorsese's love letter to early cinema. Families with a train fan should also see our train movies on DVD. Content note: Hugo's father dies in a fire, a station inspector chases him with a Doberman, and a dream sequence shows a train crash. Ages 8 and up.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982, PG)

A lonely boy hides a stranded alien in his closet. Pre-1984 PG, so read this note. Content note: some salty language from the kids (including "penis breath"), government agents in hazmat suits, and a long stretch where E.T. appears to die. Ages 8 and up.

Holes (2003, PG)

Stanley Yelnats is sent to a desert camp where boys dig holes all day, and a family curse, buried treasure and a century-old crime slowly connect. One of the best book adaptations for kids. Content note: flashbacks include a Black man shot by a racist mob, venomous lizards, guns and harsh treatment of the boys. Ages 9 and up.

National Treasure (2004, PG)

A treasure hunter believes there is a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence and decides to steal it. Great fun, and a hook for American history. Our American history books for homeschool list is where to go when the questions start. Content note: gunfights, chases, falls from heights and mild language. Ages 9 and up.

Back to the Future (1985, PG)

Marty McFly travels to 1955 in a DeLorean and has to make sure his parents fall in love. A great movie, but it is the least clean film on this list. Content note: a fair amount of swearing (including "s--t" and "son of a bitch"), Doc is shot by terrorists, an off-camera attack on a teenage girl, and Marty's mother's crush on him. Ages 10 and up, and preview it first.

How to Preview a PG Movie Before Family Night

  • Check the rating reason. The small print on the DVD case ("for mild language," "for action violence") tells you more than the letter does.
  • Read a parent guide. Sites like Common Sense Media and Kids-In-Mind list specific words and scenes.
  • Watch the first twenty minutes yourself. Tone is set early. If the opening bothers you, the rest probably will.
  • Know your skip points. With a DVD you can jump past a scene using chapter stops and nothing gets auto-played next.

If you have younger children too, our G-rated movie guide is the place to start.

Stock Your Shelf

Browse our Family & Animation DVDs for the animated and gentle picks, and Comedy for The Parent Trap and Night at the Museum. You can also search directly for The Sandlot, Holes, The Princess Bride or National Treasure. Shipping is free on orders over $15.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does PG mean for movies?

PG means Parental Guidance Suggested: some material may not be suitable for children. It can include mild language, some violence and brief scary scenes, but no strong content.

What age is appropriate for PG movies?

Many PG movies are fine for children around 6 to 8, but some are better at 10 and up. Check each film's content notes rather than the letter alone.

Are all PG movies clean?

No. PG films range from very gentle, like Paddington, to films with real swearing and violence, like Back to the Future. Older films made before PG-13 existed in 1984 are the most likely to surprise you.

What is the best PG movie for a family movie night?

Our first pick is Paddington 2. It works for ages 5 and up, adults love it too, and the content is mild.

Is The Princess Bride appropriate for kids?

For most kids 9 and up, yes. It has sword fights, a torture scene played for laughs and a few swear words, including son of a bitch.

Is Back to the Future rated PG?

Yes, it is rated PG, but it has more swearing and mature content than most modern PG films. We suggest ages 10 and up and a parent preview.

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