Entertainment

These 20 Kids Movies From The '00s On Netflix Will Give You Serious Nostalgia

by Chrissy Bobic

The first decade after the year 2000 was magical. It was a time before social media took over completely and brought with it a plethora of teen and tween movies that kids today barely appreciate. Lucky for you, I found the best kids movies from the '00s on Netflix to give you nostalgia for the good old days and make you feel a little old, too. But the price for no longer being a *young* millennial is worth it if you get to relive your youth through these movies that helped shaped who some of us are today.

I'm not going to pretend like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants wasn't life changing. It was the coming of age story about a group of friends with stars from TV shows I was already obsessed with. And animated movies like Lilo & Stitch made watching cartoons fun again, even if it was through tears.

Some of these movies on Netflix from the '00s are for the much younger crowd, while others are still relatable for young teenagers of today. Either way, I guarantee this trip down movie memory lane will ignite all the feels for you and make you want to show your own kids the way. Without further delay, these are some of the best movies from the '00s on Netflix right now.

1. Spy Kids (2001)

Hello — we've got a family of spies, including two kids who probably have no business being in constant danger but become heroes anyway.

If your kids need new child-sized role models right now, then Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) are it.

Dimension Films/YouTube

2. What A Girl Wants (2003)

This Amanda Bynes masterpiece isn't for smaller kids, but it is one of the best movies she was a part of from back in the day.

She plays an American girl who travels to England to find her birth father, who is a British politician but seems more like royalty, because why not?

Warner Bros./YouTube

3. Daddy Day Care (2003)

Since it is rated PG, Daddy Day Care has just enough borderline adult humor and silliness to entice grownups and kids alike.

It follows Eddy Murphy, Jeff Garlin, and Steve Zahn as stay-at-home dads who start their own daycare out of the home and try to compete with the more exclusive local daycare center.

Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube

4. The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005)

Although this movie is more for older kids and tweens, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the perfect story of friendship and loyalty that some kids might be able to take a lesson from.

I still don't understand the *magic* behind the jeans, but if a pair of pants can keep besties together across the world, they are obviously special.

Warner Bros./YouTube

5. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

I'm not going to lie. A part of me will always appreciate the classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

But the Johnny Depp remake in 2005 showed another side to Wonka's story and gave us a new group of children to hate. What more could you ask for?

Warner Bros./YouTube

6. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

When the Grace family moves into the Spiderwick Estate, which is just as spooky and rundown as it sounds, they find a way into an alternate dimension full of fairies and — you guessed it — spiders.

When the creatures make their way into the real world dimension, things get a little more hectic.

Paramount Pictures/YouTube

7. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009)

If you ever read the book cover to cover and drooled over the idea of pancakes falling from the sky like rain, then chances are, you loved Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as much as I did.

Columbia Pictures/YouTube

8. National Treasure (2004)

National Treasure is one of those movies you can watch at almost any age and appreciate. It has action and adventure, but also a few history lessons thrown in for good measure.

I can think of no better way to trick my kids into learning something than a Nicholas Cage movie.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube

9. Megamind (2010)

Will Ferrell voices the super villain Megamind in this PG animated sci-fi movie.

When he finally beats his longtime nemesis, a superhero voiced by Brad Pitt, he creates a new opponent, who is so evil he forces Megamind to be less of a bad guy and more of a hero himself.

DreamWorks Animation/YouTube

10. Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Lilo is a lonely girl cared for by her older sister, who is having trouble taking proper care of her after their parents died. Stitch is an alien from another planet who escaped from a mad scientist’s lab.

Together, they form their own kind of family through ohana, which is he Hawaiian word for "family." Try not to cry.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube

11. Coraline (2009)

In this animated movie that seems like something from Tim Burton but isn't, a girl with busy parents explores their new home in a creepy new neighborhood, only to find a doorway to an alternate universe where her parents have time for her.

Only, everything is a lot creepier, so it’s basically a scary movie for kids.

Focus Features/YouTube

12. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Maybe I just think Jim Carrey can do no wrong, but he absolutely nailed it as the only Grinch I will ever need.

I can appreciate the original animated TV special from everyone’s childhood, but the 2000 live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas was the remake I never knew I needed.

Universal Pictures/YouTube

13. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Harrison Ford returns to one of his most iconic roles in this 2008 Indiana Jones movie, but this time around, he’s joined by Shia La Beouf.

This was right around the height of La Beouf’s fame, and as a fan of him since Even Stevens, this is kind of a no-brainer for me to watch as a kid and as an adult.

Paramount Pictures/YouTube

14. RV (2006)

You can never go wrong with a Robin Williams movie. RV is more of a family-oriented comedy than some of his heartfelt or serious movies.

But with the way kids are with technology today, the story about a family who goes off the grid on vacation in an effort to unplug is timeless.

Columbia Pictures/YouTube

15. The Princess And The Frog (2009)

Like the story that came before it, The Princess and the Frog is about a girl who meets a prince-turned-frog and helps him figure out a way to be turned back into his human form.

This time around, the girl, Princess Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), has bigger ambitions than being just another princess and the frog prince turns her into an amphibian, too. Talk about being catfished.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube

16. Evan Almighty (2007)

Even though Evan Almighty was made in the same vein as Bruce Almighty, it didn't get quite as much attention for its comedy and well thought out storyline.

God, played by Morgan Freeman once again, makes another big screen appearance to task former newscaster Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) with the responsibility of building an ark to save animals and people from an impending flood.

It’s more family friendly than Bruce Almighty was and you can never go wrong with Freeman literally playing God.

Universal Pictures/YouTube

17. Bedtime Stories (2008)

When Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) starts telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew that come to life, he dreams up wild and outlandish tall tales.

But as the kids add to the stories too, things get out of hand. It’s less Waterboy Sandler and more Pixels Sandler, and it totally works for him.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube

18. The Cat In The Hat (2003)

If you can get over Mike Myers in full makeup and costume as a life-sized cat who might give you nightmares, then you can appreciate him in Cat in the Hat.

He plays a totally over-the-top version of the cat from the beloved Dr. Seuss book, but his charm makes it a little less terrifying.

Universal Pictures/YouTube

19. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

David Spade voices a self-centered teenage emperor who is turned into a llama and has to humble himself in a way he has never done before in order to be turned back into a human and eventually claim the throne from his evil adviser.

The animated movie is rated G, but has enough family and adult humor to go around.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube

20. Chicken Little (2005)

Chicken Little *would* be a cautionary tale about telling the truth and getting your facts straight. But when Chicken Little (Zach Braff) discovers the piece of sky falling is in fact a real UFO, he has to convince the rest of the town to believe him. If they didn't believe him about the sky falling, I doubt they will about an alien spaceship, but that's just me.

Even if you were nearing the end of your teens in the early '00s, chances are, you still saw a handful of these movies from the decade at some point. And if you’re like me, then you can still appreciate the staying power of classics like What a Girl Wants and The Princess and the Frog.

If you have a kid, you have all the more reason to revisit these movies on Netflix right now. If you don’t, there’s still no reason not to have a full-on Netflix marathon with movies from the '00s. It was a golden age of cinema for millennials, regardless of which millennial bracket you fall in.

Walt Disney Pictures/YouTube
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