When the temperature heats up, there’s nothing more fun than taking the kids to cool off in an air-conditioned movie theater – where you can also hopefully grab an ice-cold drink… or two. Luckily, there are plenty of family-friendly movies to choose from this summer.
If your kids are into dinosaurs, the next installment in the Jurassic Park reboot will be stampeding its way to theaters, and if superheroes appeal to them the most, Incredibles 2 will no doubt astonish them. Ocean’s 8 will give teen girls all the female power feels and the latest in the Hotel Transylvania franchise looks like it has a lot of bite.
With so many summer blockbusters out there, it might be hard to choose which one is right for your children, so we’ve put together a list of the best summer movies and included their Motion Picture Association of America ratings. Cheers!
1. Solo, May 25
Rated PG-13, this Han Solo origin story is already playing in theaters. While there are plenty of battles and explosions, this is considered to be the least violent of all the Star Wars films. In it, we meet a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) who partners up with our favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) in a heist. See it in 3-D for extra fun.
2. Ocean’s 8, June 8
Rated PG-13, this movie proves that women are just as sneaky as their male counterparts. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), gets a gang of lady thieves together to pull off a multimillion dollar heist at the Met Gala in New York City. Dakota Fanning, Anne Hathaway and Cate Blanchett also star. Your teen girls will be inspired by the action, fashion and female bonding.
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3. Incredibles 2, June 15
Rated PG, it’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since we caught up with the Parr family, our favorite bunch of superheroes who share DNA. This time Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) is out saving the world while husband Bob/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is home taking care of the explosive babe Jack-Jack. Action and domestic adventure ensues, making a good time for the whole family.
4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, June 22
Rated PG-13, this sequel to Jurassic World features dinosaurs of all kinds, from cute and cuddly to vicious predators that may scare younger kids. In the movie, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) must work together to save the remaining resurrected reptiles from the island when a giant volcano begins to rage.
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5. Ant-Man and the Wasp, July 8
Though not yet rated, we expect a PG-13 rating to match 2015’s Ant-Man. This sequel follows Scott Lang/Ant-Man’s (Paul Rudd) struggle to balance life as a superhero and a dad. He teams up with Hope van Dyne/The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and learns it’s good to get a little help from friends when you’re trying to save the world.
6. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, July 13
Rated PG, this threequel shows what happens when Drac (Adam Sandler) and the other giggly ghouls decide to take a vacation from providing vacations. On a fabulous luxury cruise, Mavis (Selena Gomez) becomes alarmed when the mysterious ship’s captain Erika (Kathryn Hahn) begins to romance her father, Drac. Could Erika be a member of the famous vampire-hunting family, the Van Helsings? Mavis is determined to find out.
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7. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, July 20
Rated PG-13, Sophie’s (Amanda Seyfried) pregnancy strengthens her bond with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep), allowing her to learn about Donna’s mysterious past, going all the way back to 1979. Full of the best ABBA music and all the dancing you could hope for in a movie, this is sure to be a musical treat.
8. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, July 27
Rated PG, this movie features a group of teen superheroes, led by Superman (Nicolas Cage) and Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell), who go to Hollywood in hopes of cashing in on the superhero movie trend. Discovering they need a nemesis, Slade (Will Arnett), is happy to play the part.
9. Disney’s Christopher Robin, Aug. 3
Rated PG, this movie explores what happens when the adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) has a midlife crisis and seeks the help of his old friend, Winnie the Pooh. This movie proves that sometimes, revisiting your childhood can restore your faith in yourself.
10. Down a Dark Hall, Aug. 17
Rated PG-13, this film is based on the popular YA book by Lois Duncan. When troubled teen Kit (AnnaSophia Robb) arrives at an elite boarding school, she quickly gets schooled in dark, supernatural forces. Uma Thurman also stars as the mysterious headmistress.
11. Smallfoot, Sept. 28
Though not yet rated, this animated movie turns the legend of Bigfoot upside down. When a group of Yetis, including Migo (Channing Tatum) and Meechee (Zendaya), learn of an elusive creature known as Smallfoot, they form a search group to discover if he’s real.
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