Valentine's Day is definitely a holiday that celebrates love, but what a lot of people forget is that love comes in all shapes and sizes. While it's nice to go out on a romantic date with a significant other, sometimes it's even nicer to have a Valentine's Day date at home with kids. While there are tons of movies out there that are perfect for a romantic evening, they're not always family-friendly.
However, there are tons of family-friendly animated movies out there that frame loves in a way even the youngest of children can understand. And the best part is, they're not all over-the-top romances, so even love cynics can enjoy them. From Disney fairytales and a Shakespearean adaptation in the world of penguins and dragons, these are some of the best animated movies to watch on Valentine's Day with the whole family.
Updated on February 13th, 2022 by Danielle Bruncati: Love comes in so many forms and can be found in the weirdest of places. While animated movies tend to have some kind of romantic plot, they do so in a way that viewers of any age can understand. What’s even more exciting is they have subtle ways to hide their love message. Brothers going on a quest together or a character learning to love themselves, are just some of the clever ways animated movies weave love into their stories without audiences even noticing.
Beauty And The Beast (1991)
Available On Dinsey+
Beauty and the Beast is, without a doubt, one of Walt Disney Animated Studio's most successful films of all time. After all, it was the first animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards - though sadly, it did not win. The movie centers on a young prince who has been transformed into a hideous beast to teach him a lesson. In order to break the curse, he must fall in love before the last petal falls on the enchanted rose.
Beauty and the Beast truly has something for everyone. There is Belle and the Beast's slow-burn romance that makes it the perfect film for Valentine's Day, but then there are also evil curses, a sketchy villain, a few epic battle scenes that are sure to get kids' attention. Not to mention, it has some of the best Disney original songs of all time.
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
Available On Dinsey+
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, in its traditional sense, is definitely not a family-friendly story. But the story of two people being forbidden to love each other is easy enough to adapt and make into something the whole family can understand. And that's exactly what Touchstone Pictures did when they released Gnomeo and Juliet in 2011.
The movie centers on two gnome families who live next door to each other. The gnomes learned to hate each other thanks to their human owner's neverending feud. During a night of seeking revenge, Gnomeo enters the Red Gnome backyard, but instead of carrying through with his prank, he meets Juliet and is instantly smitten. Just like the real Romeo and Juliet, the movie has tons of romance and hijinks as these two families try to keep Gnomeo and Juliet apart.
Happy Feet (2006)
Available On Netflix
While Happy Feet might not be the most romantic animated movie out there, it does get the job done. The movie centers on Mumble, a young penguin who is the black sheep of the family thanks to his inability to sing. This worries his parents since the only way penguins can attract their soulmates is through song. However, Mumble has a few tricks up his sleeve, like his ability to tap dance, which makes him stand out amongst the rest.
Happy Feet is a great Valentine's Day movie because it explores the complex world of familial love. While Mumble's parents love him unconditionally, they also struggle with his dancing talent because they don't want him to end up alone.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Available On Amazon Prime Video
Vampires got a family-friendly make-over when Hotel Transylvania hit theaters in 2012. The movie follows Count Dracula who is throwing his daughter a birthday party at his esteemed hotel for monsters. However, the party plans go sideways when a human unexpectedly stumbles upon the hotel and checks in. Of course, Count Dracula’s daughter, Mavis, starts to fall for the human boy which makes things even more complicated.
Hotel Transylvania has been a huge success for Sony Pictures Animation and for Adam Sandler, becoming one of his highest-grossing movies of all time. It’s also the perfect movie for a family Valentine’s Day date because it’s full of love, hijinks, and cute monsters.
How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy (2010)
Available To Rent On Apple TV
Dreamworks Animation has created a lot of amazing movies, but How To Train Your Dragon is definitely one of their best works, to date. Loosley based on a children's book series of the same name, the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy centers on Hiccup, a young Viking, who forms an unusual bond with a rare dragon he names Toothless.
All three of the How To Train Your Dragon movies have something to offer families on Valentine's Day. From the loving bond formed between Hiccup and Toothless to the bond Hiccup and his father eventually share when his father learns that dragons aren't evil, love is certainly everywhere. But this isn't just a heartfelt love story, there are also epic dragon battles, adventures, and evil villains that will keep the whole family on the edge of their seats.
Lady And The Tramp (1955)
Available On Dinsey+
When it comes to classic Disney animated movies, Lady and the Tramp is as romantic as they come. The 1955 classic follows Lady, a young Cocker Spaniel, who has trouble adjusting to her new life when her humans bring home a new baby. After an accident that wasn't her fault leaves her outside at night, Lady runs away and is quickly befriended by Tramp, a stray dog who is ready to show Lady why being a stay is the best.
Not only are Lady and Tramp two of the most adorable Disney dogs of all time, but they also have one of the best Disney romantic moments of all time. And even though the movie really is a classic love story, there's still a lot of action for those family members who aren't too fond of mushy love scenes.
Luca (2021)
Available On Disney+
Released on Disney+ in the summer of 2021, Luca centers on a young sea monster who has an interest in human life. After discovering that he turns into a human when he’s on land, Luca bonds with Alberto, another sea monster, and the two explore the seas side town of Portorosso, all the while trying to keep their true identity a secret.
While Luca doesn’t have a romance as its core driving plot, it’s still has a lot of important love messages in it. Most importantly, it reminds its viewers that self-love is one of the most important of all.
Onward (2020)
Available On Disney+
On Ian’s 16th birthday, his mother Laurel gifts him and his brother Barely a gift from their late father. The gift is a spell that will allow them to spend 24-hours with him. However, when the spell goes wrong, Ian and Barely set out on an epic quest to fix the spell and spend what little time they can with their parents.
Onward had a rough go in the theaters, releasing towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning not as many people could have seen this magical story that puts family love at the forefront. Valentine’s day is the perfect time to watch it to remind kids that sibling love is just as important.
Over The Moon (2020)
Available On Netflix
Released on Netflix, Over the Moon is one of the most original and fun sci-fi animated films of all time. The movie centers on Fei Fei, a young girl whose world has been turned upside down after her mother passes away and her father remarries. Determined to prove that an old legend her mother used to tell her is true, Fei Fei decides to build a rocket to the moon so she can prove that the Moon goddess, Chang'e, is real.
Love comes in all shapes and sizes and Over the Moon is a true testament to that. The movie explores the love one has for someone who has passed away, the feelings around parents finding someone new to love, and the love for a childhood story that has come to define them.
Shrek (2001)
Available On Peacock
How to Train Your Dragon might be one of Dreamworks' most popular films of all time, but none of it would have been possible without the release of the Shrek series. In fact, Shrek became the first-ever animated movie to win the newly introduced Best Animated Film category at the Academy Awards.
The first movie follows Shrek as he is tasked with rescuing and delivering Princess Fiona to Lord Farquaad in exchange for the fairytale creatures living in his swamp. However, Shrek ends up falling for Princess Fiona, who holds a secret of her own. At the core of the film is the message that everyone is worthy of love because everyone is beautiful, which is a great message to instill in the family during Valentine's Day.
Tangled (2010)
Available On Dinsey+
Tangled begins when Flynn Ryder illegally enters Rapunzel’s castle. Though she intends to hand him over to her mother, Rapunzel instead uses him to her advantage by forcing him to take her to see the floating lantern on her birthday. As they adventure through the Kingdom of Corona, they begin to fall for each other and Rapunzel learns the truth about her identity.
The movie has gone down in history as one of the most expensive animated movies of all time. Thankfully the risk paid off for Disney Animation Studios and they created a truly iconic movie that shows the power of love in its various forms. It also has fun music and some epic battle sequences making it perfect for families to watch together.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Available On HBO Max
The Iron Giant is arguably one of the most underrated 90s kid's movies of all time. Despite its poor box-office performance, the movie is extremely heartwarming and has become a cult classic in recent years.
The movie centers on a giant robot that has crash-landed in small-town Maine in 1957 and the bond he forms with Hogarth, a nine-year-old boy who stumbles across the giant in the woods. With the government looking for the giant, Hogarth does everything he can to keep the giant safe while trying to get everyone else to realize that he's harmless. Word of warning, grab some tissues because this movie is bound to make everyone cry.
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021)
Available On Netflix
After getting into her dream film school, Katie and her family set out on one final family bonding vacation as they drive her to school. Their plan goes awry when the world’s electronic devices come to life and stage an uprising against the humans. Now Katie and her family must figure out how to put a stop to the devices.
Who says Valentine’s Day movie has to be about mushy love? The Mitchells vs. the Machines is perfect for families looking for something fun and exciting to watch. Plus, it’s one of the biggest animated movies of 2021 so it’s worth the watch.
The Princess And The Frog (2009)
Available On Dinsey+
When it comes to Disney Princess movies, The Princess and the Frog is often overlooked. However, it's undeniably one of the most romantic Disney Princess movies of all time. Released in 2009, the movie centers on Tiana, a young woman living in New Orleans who dreams of opening up her own restaurant. Tiana's dreams are threatened when she is accidentally turned into a frog when Prince Naveen, who is also a frog, kisses Tiana thinking she is a Princess. Now frogs, these two must figure out how to transform back into humans all the while getting to know each other's true selves.
With the new Tiana series coming to Disney+, now is the perfect time to revisit the princess movie that kicked off the modern age of Disney Princesses. From true love's kiss and a lovestruck firefly bug to a crazy jazz-playing alligator and a sinister Disney villain, The Princess and the Frog is another movie that has something for everyone.
Wall-E (2008)
Available On Dinsey+
Pixar has a lot of great movies that would be perfect for Valentine's Day but none focus on love more than the 2008 Academy Award-winning animated film, WALL-E. Pixar took a chance creating a movie with little dialogue but the risk certainly paid off and gave movie fans one of the most romantic stories in the modern age.
The movie centers on WALL-E, a trash-collecting robot who has been tasked with cleaning up Earth so that humans can one day return. WALL-E appears to be the only robot still working in his area so when he encounters EVE, a robot sent from space to detect life on Earth, he is immediately smitten. After showing Eve that he has found a plant, Eve takes it and is sent back into space. Not understanding, Wall-E clings onto the ship carrying Eve and enters the world of space.