10 Animated Films That Feature One-Child Families

INSIDE OUT is an animated comedy about a young girl who has a wonderful life, until her family moves to San Francisco and her emotions get out of control. INSIDE OUT is a well-made, delightful movie with a great plot line, excellent animation and a strong moral worldview.

FINDING NEMO is a wonderful animated adventure about a small clownfish who goes in search of his son, who's been put into a fish tank by human beings. Every second of FINDING NEMO is beautifully animated, spectacularly directed and written with great heart and strong moral values.

Pixar’s new animated comedy, LUCA, is about a young teenage boy who visits a beautiful seaside Italian town with his newfound friend, but all their fun is threated by a deep secret: they are both sea monsters from another world just below the ocean’s surface. Streaming on Disney Plus, LUCA isn’t as spectacular a production as the best of Pixar’s animated classics, but it’s a delightful, heartwarming, funny family movie with appealing characters where friendship overcomes prejudice and sinful pride.

A magnificent example of Disney animation, THE LION KING is an heroic tale of good versus evil which embodies many Christian allegorical elements. The sinister usurper Scar plots to kill his brother and nephew so he can become King himself. While there are several minor areas which call for discernment in THE LION KING, the good far outweighs the bad, and the film conveys a clear message of hope, reconciliation and appreciation for the majesty of creation.

TANGLED is Disney’s comical animated version of the Rapunzel fairy tale, wherein a thief gives Rapunzel a chance to escape the old hag who stole her from her parents, the king and queen. Despite an unresolved moral conflict, comical action violence and some Romanticism, TANGLED is beautiful, funny, exciting, delightful, and touching – with a redemptive, sacramental quality that lifts the movie, and its magical themes, into a more sublime entertainment.

RON’S GONE WRONG is an animated comedy about a lonely middle school boy who befriends a broken personal robot and, through adversity, learns that everybody, including robots, need a proper code to live by. RON’S GONE WRONG is a delightful comedy adventure with some brilliantly crafted, inspiring messages, but caution is advised for younger children due to some cartoon violence, lying and light rude behavior.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a beautiful, but bored French girl whose life takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself imprisoned by a brooding Beast with a mysterious secret that holds the key to their future. With its newly enhanced format and the addition of a great new scene and song, this movie is a must-see for all except the very young or easily frightened.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS is a very clever, funny and exciting animated tale about an inventor whose new machine changing water into food almost destroys his town. It is a delicious feast for the eyes and the funny bone as well as the heart and mind with a very strong moral worldview that speaks out strongly against gluttony and extols positive family relationships, courage, temperance or self-control, discipline, hard work, and sacrifice.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is about the scrawny but brainy son of a Viking chieftain who helps the community end a 300-year feud with fire-breathing dragons. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is funny, entertaining, exciting, and heart-warming family fun, with a redemptive message, but some of the action may be too scary for very young children.

RIO is a colorful animated comedy about Blu, a cockatoo who gets into all sorts of trouble when some thieves in Rio de Janeiro steal him from his American owner. RIO is a funny, action-filled animated comedy for older children, teenagers and adults, with fun characters, enjoyable twists and turns, and a mostly positive moral, redemptive worldview stressing heroism, friendship, sacrifice, and courage.