Pixar's "Hoppers" and "Toy Story 5" are the best-reviewed kids' movies of 2026, each pulling in critics and family audiences alike. "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," "The Mandalorian and Grogu," and "PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie" round out the year's new releases, though each fits a different kind of viewer. This ranking separates two questions readers often mix up: which movie is the best-made film, and which movie a particular kid will actually enjoy. The five titles below cover that range, from a near-unanimous critical favorite to a movie families loved despite critics calling it thin.
Table of Contents
- The top tier — strong with both critics and families
- The crowd-pleaser critics didn't love
- Which movie fits which age group
- How to pick based on what you actually want
- Frequently Asked Questions
The top tier — strong with both critics and families
"Hoppers" sits at the top of 2026's kids' movies by nearly every measure. The Pixar film opened in US theaters on March 6, 2026, carrying a PG rating for action, peril, and mild scares, and it holds a 96-97% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes — reviewers have called it among Pixar's strongest recent work, according to MickeyBlog's roundup of critic reaction. That combination of a modest fright level and high critical regard makes it a reasonable pick for families who want a movie that holds up for adults too.
"Toy Story 5" is the other film in this tier, and the numbers suggest it had the broadest appeal of any 2026 release. It opened in June 2026 with a franchise-record $160-164 million domestic opening weekend and more than $312 million globally, according to Variety's box office report. It carried a 93-94% critics' score, a 95% audience score, and an A CinemaScore from opening-night crowds — the narrowest critic-audience gap of any 2026 kids' release. The film kept drawing crowds well past opening weekend, crossing $200 million domestically within its first ten days, a pace Movieguide linked to sustained family turnout rather than a front-loaded opening.
The crowd-pleaser critics didn't love
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" is the clearest case of a 2026 release where critic and audience opinions diverged. The sequel opened in April 2026 and scored only 42-44% with critics, a drop from the original film's 59% Rotten Tomatoes score, with reviewers citing a thin, action-heavy story, according to Press Start's review summary.
Family audiences disagreed sharply. The film carried a 90% Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score and was projected to cross $350 million worldwide over its Easter opening weekend, according to GodisaGeek. For parents deciding whether to take young kids, the audience number is the more useful signal here — this is a film built for entertainment value rather than critical polish, and families responded to it as exactly that.
Which movie fits which age group
Not every 2026 release is aimed at the same age range, and the ratings matter more than the marketing in a few cases. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" opened May 22, 2026, with a PG-13 rating — a notch above the PG or G rating most of this list carries. Despite family-friendly marketing built around Grogu, that rating means the film is better suited to kids roughly 10 and older rather than younger children. Reception for "The Mandalorian and Grogu" also split along critic-audience lines, similar to the Mario sequel.
It earned a 61-62% Tomatometer score across 235 reviews, but an 89% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and an A- CinemaScore from opening-night crowds, according to coverage of the film's reception. Parents of younger kids should treat the PG-13 rating as the deciding factor over the Star Wars name recognition. "PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie" skews younger by design but runs more intense than its predecessors. It opened August 14, 2026, with a PG rating and scored 81-84% with critics and 95-97% with audiences — enough to earn Certified Fresh status, according to AceShowbiz's coverage. Common Sense Media rated it 4 out of 5 but flagged that it runs more intense than the first two PAW Patrol films and the TV series, so parents of the youngest fans of the franchise may want to preview it first.
How to pick based on what you actually want
The clearest pattern across 2026's kids' movies is that family audiences rated every title higher than critics did, with Popcornmeter scores running from 89-97% against Tomatometer scores as low as 42%. The gap was widest on "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (90% audience versus 42-44% critics) and narrowest on "Toy Story 5" (95% versus 93-94%). That spread is a practical tool: a parent who wants reliable entertainment value, regardless of critical polish, can lean on the audience score alone, while a parent who also wants a well-constructed film should weight the critics' score more heavily.
- Want a film that satisfies both critics and kids: "Hoppers" or "Toy Story 5"
- Want pure family entertainment and don't mind thin plotting: "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie"
- Have a kid under 10: skip "The Mandalorian and Grogu" unless you've reviewed its PG-13 content
- Have a PAW Patrol fan under 5: preview "The Dino Movie" first given its more intense tone
- Want the safest bet for a mixed-age group: "Toy Story 5," given its narrow critic-audience gap
Frequently Asked Questions
Which 2026 kids' movie has the best reviews from critics?
"Hoppers" leads with a 96-97% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score, with "Toy Story 5" close behind at 93-94%.
Which 2026 kids' movie do families like most, regardless of critics?
"Toy Story 5" posted a 95% audience score and an A CinemaScore, the strongest and most consistent family reception of the year.
Is "The Mandalorian and Grogu" appropriate for young children?
It's rated PG-13, making it better suited to kids around age 10 and older rather than young children, despite its family-friendly marketing.