The Best Family Space Movies for Your Next Movie Night

There is something about space that captures kids and adults in exactly the same way: the scale of it, the mystery, the sense that anything at all could be waiting out there past the atmosphere. Space movies built for family audiences understand this instinctively, and the best of them use the genre to tell stories about courage, curiosity, friendship, and the specific wonder of looking up at the sky and wondering what’s really out there.

Whether you have a five-year-old who wants to see friendly aliens or a twelve-year-old ready for something with a bit more genuine peril, here are the best family space movies to add to your next movie night rotation, organized loosely by age and tone so you can pick the right launch for your crew.

For the Youngest Astronauts (Ages 3 to 7)

WALL-E (2008)

Pixar’s near-wordless masterpiece about a lonely trash-compacting robot left behind on an abandoned Earth remains one of the most beautifully made family films of any genre, let alone space movies. WALL-E’s journey into orbit to reunite with EVE, and his accidental role in bringing humanity back home, is told with such visual clarity that very young kids follow along effortlessly, even through long stretches with almost no dialogue at all. It also happens to sneak in real environmental and consumerism themes that give parents plenty to think about once the credits roll.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story’s Space Ranger Adventures

For younger kids specifically obsessed with Buzz Lightyear, there is a whole corner of Pixar and Disney content built around his Space Ranger persona, offering a gentler, more playful introduction to space adventure than some of the more dramatically weighted entries on this list. It is silly, colorful, low-stakes fun, which is exactly what some family movie nights call for.

The Astronaut Farmer (2006)

A gentler, more grounded pick starring Billy Bob Thornton as a Texas rancher who builds his own rocket in his barn, determined to fulfill his childhood dream of going to space despite the government’s objections. It is genuinely sweet, family-friendly, and a great choice for younger kids who are curious about real rockets and real space travel rather than aliens or intergalactic battles.

For Elementary and Middle School Crews (Ages 6 to 12)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Steven Spielberg’s classic about a stranded alien befriended by a lonely boy remains one of the most emotionally effective family films ever made, space or otherwise. It is gentle enough for younger viewers while carrying real emotional weight that lands even harder for parents watching alongside their kids. The bicycle-flying-across-the-moon shot alone has earned its place as one of cinema’s most iconic images for good reason.

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Technically a movie about an alien experiment crash-landing in Hawaii rather than a space-travel story, but Stitch’s extraterrestrial origins and the genuinely funny alien bounty hunters chasing him earn this one a spot on any family space movie list. Underneath the sci-fi comedy is one of Disney’s most genuine explorations of found family and grief, wrapped in island scenery and a killer soundtrack.

Space Jam (1996) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

Both versions of this Looney Tunes and basketball mashup deliver exactly the kind of high-energy, low-stakes space silliness that works well for a mixed-age crowd. Neither film takes itself remotely seriously, which is precisely the point, and both offer a great gateway for kids who might not be ready for anything more intense yet.

Interstellar (2014) — For Slightly Older Kids

This one comes with a genuine caveat: Christopher Nolan’s time-bending, emotionally devastating epic about a father who leaves Earth to save humanity is not built for young children, and its runtime and complexity will lose younger viewers quickly. But for older kids in the 11 to 12 range who are ready for something more ambitious, paired with a parent to help unpack the science and the ending, it can be a genuinely formative movie night, especially for kids already showing real curiosity about physics, time, and space travel.

For Teens and Full-Family Movie Nights (Ages 10 and Up)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Marvel’s space-set found-family adventure blends genuine humor, an incredible soundtrack, and surprisingly sincere emotional beats about loss and belonging, all wrapped in colorful, comic book-inspired space spectacle. It walks the line between family-friendly and genuinely thrilling better than almost anything else on this list, and it holds up equally well whether your kids are seeing it for the first time or the tenth.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Ron Howard’s dramatization of the real 1970 Apollo 13 crisis is a genuinely gripping piece of filmmaking that also happens to be based entirely on true events, giving it real educational value alongside its tension and drama. It is a great choice for older kids and teens who are ready for something rooted in real history and real stakes, without any aliens or fantastical elements at all.

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and Beyond

It would be strange to write a list of family space movies without acknowledging the franchise that shaped what an entire generation thinks family space adventure should look like. The original trilogy remains an excellent entry point for families just getting started with the saga, offering a clean, self-contained hero’s journey before committing to the franchise’s much larger and more complicated extended universe.

The Martian (2015) — For Older Teens

Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel about an astronaut stranded alone on Mars, using science and sheer stubbornness to survive, is smart, funny, and genuinely inspiring, though its runtime and some intense survival sequences make it best suited for older teens and adults rather than younger kids. For families with a genuinely science-curious teenager, it is one of the best space movies made in the last decade, full stop.

Quick Picks by Mood

Want something funny and low-stakes? Space Jam or Lilo & Stitch.

Want something that will make everyone cry a little? E.T. or WALL-E.

Want something educational and based on real history? Apollo 13 or The Astronaut Farmer.

Want something with real adventure and a great soundtrack? Guardians of the Galaxy.

Want something for a teen ready for bigger ideas? Interstellar or The Martian.

Why Space Movies Work So Well for Family Night

Space, as a setting, does something genuinely useful for family storytelling: it gives filmmakers an entire universe of blank canvas to explore big, universal themes, courage, loneliness, curiosity, the desire to go home, without needing to root the story in any specific cultural or historical context that might alienate part of the audience. A kid in any country, of any background, can look up at the same night sky and wonder the same things, and the best family space movies tap directly into that shared, universal sense of wonder.

They also tend to age remarkably well precisely because of that universality. E.T. is over forty years old and still lands exactly as hard as it did in 1982. WALL-E is closing in on twenty years old and its message has only become more relevant. Good space movies do not really go out of style, because the questions they are asking, about who else is out there, about what home really means, about what courage actually looks like when the stakes are genuinely cosmic, are questions that do not go out of style either.

Whatever you pick for your next family movie night, you are in good company. Turn the lights down low, grab the snacks, and enjoy the ride. Space is big enough for everyone.

What’s your family’s favorite space movie? Did we miss one that deserves a spot on this list? Drop it in the comments.