Best movies for kids and families to watch this half-term

Whether your kids are enjoying half-term or you’re looking for something to keep the apple of your eye entertained over the weekends, there’s a wealth of family-friendly movies you can access on your all-singing, all-dancing Virgin TV box that will get the thumbs up from your children. Or, let’s be honest, a casual shrug of endearment.

To help you out (work smarter, not harder, right?), we’ve rounded up the best new stuff available to watch. Need some tips on how to access some of these services on Virgin TV? You’ll find them at the end of this article.

Here are our picks of the best kids’ movies to stream or buy.

Available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert U

It doesn’t get more relatable than “hates Mondays, loves lasagne”. The cartoon cat synonymous with those feelings is back on screen, voiced by Chris Pratt, who’s now the go-to guy for lovable animated heroes after two LEGO Movies and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father Vic (Samuel L Jackson), Garfield and his canine friend Odie find themselves catapulted from their comfortable indoor lives on a wild adventure in a colourful family flick.

Available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert PG

From the creative team behind Paddington and Paddington 2, this origin story for Roald Dahl’s eccentric chocolatier is a crowd-pleasing delight. Young Willy (Timothée Chalamet, Dune) arrives in the big city with big dreams that people want to extinguish. Left with only a positive attitude and belief in his own chocolate-making genius – plus a friend in plucky orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) – he’s determined to succeed. With gorgeous songs, solid laughs and lots of fun support from Keegan-Michael Key to Olivia Colman to a hilarious Hugh Grant, Wonka is effortlessly charming.

Available now in Sky Cinema on demand and on Paramount+. Cert U

What if our childhood imaginary friends were real? That’s the spark behind this whimsical film, in which 12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) starts seeing weird creatures everywhere. When she meets Cal (Ryan Reynolds), he explains they’re IFs, or imaginary friends, and he must find new placements for them once their young companions grow up and stop believing. It’s an inventive comedy written and directed by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) and featuring voice roles for Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Awkwafina, Matt Damon and more.

Available now in Sky Cinema on demand

Can you believe it’s 14 years since the conclusion of the Harry Potter series? Star Daniel Radcliffe is now 35! Regardless of the age of these movies, they remain family classics, sure to entertain generations for years to come. They also feature British acting royalty giving it everything, no matter how much screen time they got (the way the late Alan Rickman could elongate Harry’s name was a marvel to behold). With a TV reboot on the horizon, you can stream all eight films plus the Fantastic Beasts prequels starring Eddie Redmayne. They include:

• Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. Cert PG

• Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets. Cert PG

• Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. Cert PG

• Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. Cert 12

• Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. Cert 12

• Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. Cert 12

• Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One. Cert 12

• Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part Two. Cert 12

• Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Cert 12

• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald. Cert 12

• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore. Cert 12

Premium release. Buy or rent now. Cert PG

Doubts about whether the hit fantasy musical could be transformed into a successful film were smashed when Wicked opened to glowing reviews and huge box-office success – plus an amazing 10 Oscar nominations. It’s the story of the friendship between witches Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), who help each other through difficult times – until an encounter with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) sends them off in different directions. Can they find their way back to each other? With memorable songs, eye-popping design and movie-star performances of the highest calibre, this already has the feel of a modern classic. And it’s only part one…

Premium release. Buy or rent now. Cert PG

The original Moana movie has been delighting kids around the UK and the world since its release in 2016. While almost a decade has passed for us, we join Moana (voiced by Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) three years later for a new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers after Moana receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. Featuring an adventure unlike anything Moana’s ever faced and new music that will enter your hearts and minds, it’s a film that demands repeat viewings – and your kids will think so too.

Premium release. Buy or rent from Tuesday 18 February. Cert PG

Return to the Pride Lands with this visually stunning sequel to 2019’s hit CGI/live-action remake of the animated classic. With Simba (Donald Glover) now king, the wise mandrill Rafiki (John Kani) regales Simba’s daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) with the story of the power struggle in her grandfather’s generation. Cue a sweeping tale of betrayal, revenge and love in this epic adventure from Barry Jenkins, director of the Oscar-winning Moonlight.

Buy from Friday 14 February or rent from Monday 3 March. Cert PG

It was a daunting task – follow up two of the most beloved family movies of all time, without its creative visionary (director Paul King) at the helm. But this latest entry in the Paddington series was a triumph, both critically and with audiences at the box office (it had the biggest opening weekend for a British film since No Time to Die). When everyone’s favourite bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) receives a note from his Aunt Lucy, it sends him and the Browns on a voyage back to his homeland. With mystery, danger and treasure – plus a scene-stealing Olivia Colman and great support from the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer and Antonio Banderas – it’s a wild ride.

Buy or rent now. Cert U. Also available on Disney+ in Apps > Disney+ or just say “Disney+” (available on Virgin TV 360 and Stream boxes only)

The highest-grossing film of 2024 and the highest-grossing animated film of all time is an unmissable family treat. With everything going well in headquarters for 13-year-old Riley’s emotions (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger), a “puberty alarm” goes off the night before a big ice hockey camp, leading to four new emotions arriving. Meet Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. Will these new complex emotions take over, and at what cost to Riley’s carefully curated “Sense of Self”? With a strong voice cast including the returning Amy Poehler, you’ll experience a lot of emotions yourself.

Stream it on Paramount+ or find it in On Demand > Nickelodeon from Friday 14 February

Henry Danger is back in an all-new movie. As far as the world believes, Captain Man’s former sidekick Kid Danger perished years ago in Swellview. But the truth is that Henry Hart (Jace Norman) had faked his own death and moved to Dystopia to fight crime as a new hero. When Kid Danger superfan Missy Martin steals a machine called the Reality Altering Device and attempts to bring him back, Harry is pulled into a portal in an alternative reality where Missy’s fan fiction has come to life. It’s up to Henry and his inexperienced new sidekick to battle new foes and find their way back to Dystopia.

Don’t have Sky Cinema? You can find out about our Sky Cinema package and upgrade here.

If you subscribe to Sky Cinema on Virgin TV, you can watch on the go with Virgin TV Go. And with loads of sport and Box Sets to try out, too, you’ll always be entertained wherever you are!

The app is available to all Virgin TV customers at no extra cost and is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows 10 and PC/Mac. Get downloading (from the links below) and you’ll be one step closer to watching what you want, when you want.

Download the Virgin TV Go app from the Apple app store

Download the Virgin TV Go app from Google Play

Download the Virgin TV Go app for Windows 10

Sign up now at virginmediastore.com and choose from hundreds of films and TV Box Sets and start watching instantly.

All Virgin Media customers armed with a TiVo^® box or a V6 box powered by TiVo^® can go to On Demand > Movies > Store. If you have our Virgin TV 360 or Stream box, go to Box Sets & Movies > STORE.

You can access it online and watch it on your registered iOS and Android devices with the Virgin Media Store app.

If you watch TV on a TiVo^® box or Virgin TV V6 box powered by TiVo^®, go to On Demand > Movies > Store. If you have our Virgin TV 360 or Stream box, go to Box Sets & Movies > STORE.

Search for a title or browse by category such as Out This Week or Most Popular. Once you’ve found the movie you want to rent, select Watch Now to start watching instantly. Then sit back and enjoy! You’ll have up to 48 hours to finish watching your film.

All Virgin TV customers with our 360 or Stream boxes can find Disney+ in the Apps menu. Just scroll to Disney+ and press Select. You will need to log in to use Disney+ the first time you use it. Please use the QR code or website information presented when opening the app for the first time.

If you do not currently have a Disney+ subscription, simply sign up via the Disney+ website, and then you can log in on the box. Please note, if you watch TV on our TiVo^® box or our V6 box (powered by TiVo), you will not be able to access the Disney+ app. But it’s super simple to upgrade to our latest Virgin TV box by contacting us on 0345 454 1111 (or call 150 from a Virgin Media phone).

If you’re a Virgin TV 360 box or Stream from Virgin Media customer, you can get Paramount+ direct on your telly once you’ve got a subscription to the service. Simply sign up online, then log in on the box. And because Paramount+ is fully integrated into our Virgin TV 360 and Stream boxes, you can search without even going into the app. Just select Search & Discover from the Home menu and type in the name of the show or movie you’re after. You can also voice search Paramount+ shows with your remote or say “Paramount Plus” to get to the app even faster.