The kids are the ones who decide where to go in these family adventure movies. They study a map, work out what a landmark means, or make a choice about which path will get them home. Sometimes a grown-up comes along and…
Items 54 The creator’s order
1 The Goonies (1985) ★ 7.7 IMDb Released Jun 7, 1985 A map in an attic sends a group of kids below the Oregon coast in search of treasure. They work out which ordinary objects and landmarks matter, even while a family of criminals tries to get there first. Expect dark tunnels, skeletons, and quite a bit of yelling. 0 2 Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) ★ 6.1 IMDb Released Aug 8, 2019 Dora interprets the terrain, older clues, and the layout of a hidden city while her friends begin to catch up. It’s an accessible first choice if the family wants kids doing the route-finding in a real jungle setting with comic and fantastical surprises. 0 3 Treasure Planet (2002) ★ 7.2 IMDb Released Nov 26, 2002 A teenager unlocks a spherical chart and sets out on a ship that sails through space. He has to make choices about what the chart shows and where the crew should go next. It’s a brighter animated adventure with some tense betrayal and shipboard danger. 0 4 Moonrise Kingdom (2012) ★ 7.7 IMDb Released May 16, 2012 Two young people use their knowledge of a New England island to leave the places adults expect them to stay. One has scouting skills, and the route across the island is central to their plan. It’s an offbeat choice for older kids and teens, with adult themes and some upsetting animal peril. 0 5 Moana (2016) ★ 7.6 IMDb Released Oct 13, 2016 Moana sails across open water to reach a place her community has been afraid to visit. Learning to read wind and stars matters as much as getting Maui to join her. The ocean helps in ways a real navigator could never count on, and there are some startling creatures. 0 6 Holes (2003) ★ 7.1 IMDb Released Apr 18, 2003 Stanley and Zero have to cross a dry landscape where a landmark known as God’s Thumb becomes their best chance of finding water and shelter. The return gives earlier clues a different use. The story includes rough treatment of children and some tense desert danger. 0 7 Finding ʻOhana (2021) ★ 6.1 IMDb Released Jan 29, 2021 A pair of siblings follows a journal and other clues through Oʻahu in search of family history and treasure. The tunnels and hidden passages give them practical work to do, and the best choices often depend on hearing what relatives have been trying to tell them. 0 8 The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) ★ 6.1 IMDb Released Jan 16, 2019 A schoolboy draws his classmates into a search for a way to stop Morgana. Arthurian stories become clues to real and imagined places, and the children have to move through the landscape once adults stop believing them. There are threatening fantasy creatures. 0 9 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ★ 7.9 IMDb Released Jun 11, 1982 Elliott and the other kids have to decide how to get their visitor back to a landing site. Their own knowledge of the neighborhood matters when the adults close in. Try it for a familiar place that turns into an adventure once the kids choose their way through it. 0 10 Spirited Away (2001) ★ 8.6 IMDb Released Jul 20, 2001 Chihiro learns a bathhouse’s rules while trying to get to the people who can help her parents. By the time she takes a train into unfamiliar territory, choosing the route has become her own responsibility. The world’s transformations can unsettle young viewers. 0 
The Goonies (1985)Released Jun 7, 1985A map in an attic sends a group of kids below the Oregon coast in search of treasure. They work out which ordinary objects and landmarks matter, even while a family of criminals tries to get there first. Expect dark tunnels, skeletons, and quite a bit of yelling.0
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)Released Aug 8, 2019Dora interprets the terrain, older clues, and the layout of a hidden city while her friends begin to catch up. It’s an accessible first choice if the family wants kids doing the route-finding in a real jungle setting with comic and fantastical surprises.0
Treasure Planet (2002)Released Nov 26, 2002A teenager unlocks a spherical chart and sets out on a ship that sails through space. He has to make choices about what the chart shows and where the crew should go next. It’s a brighter animated adventure with some tense betrayal and shipboard danger.0
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)Released May 16, 2012Two young people use their knowledge of a New England island to leave the places adults expect them to stay. One has scouting skills, and the route across the island is central to their plan. It’s an offbeat choice for older kids and teens, with adult themes and some upsetting animal peril.0
Moana (2016)Released Oct 13, 2016Moana sails across open water to reach a place her community has been afraid to visit. Learning to read wind and stars matters as much as getting Maui to join her. The ocean helps in ways a real navigator could never count on, and there are some startling creatures.0
Holes (2003)Released Apr 18, 2003Stanley and Zero have to cross a dry landscape where a landmark known as God’s Thumb becomes their best chance of finding water and shelter. The return gives earlier clues a different use. The story includes rough treatment of children and some tense desert danger.0
Finding ʻOhana (2021)Released Jan 29, 2021A pair of siblings follows a journal and other clues through Oʻahu in search of family history and treasure. The tunnels and hidden passages give them practical work to do, and the best choices often depend on hearing what relatives have been trying to tell them.0
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)Released Jan 16, 2019A schoolboy draws his classmates into a search for a way to stop Morgana. Arthurian stories become clues to real and imagined places, and the children have to move through the landscape once adults stop believing them. There are threatening fantasy creatures.0
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)Released Jun 11, 1982Elliott and the other kids have to decide how to get their visitor back to a landing site. Their own knowledge of the neighborhood matters when the adults close in. Try it for a familiar place that turns into an adventure once the kids choose their way through it.0
Spirited Away (2001)Released Jul 20, 2001Chihiro learns a bathhouse’s rules while trying to get to the people who can help her parents. By the time she takes a train into unfamiliar territory, choosing the route has become her own responsibility. The world’s transformations can unsettle young viewers.0