10 Most Disliked Family Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

Family movies have continuously been some of the most successful and versatile genres of filmmaking, leading the way to many outstanding and engrossing cinematic experiences that audiences of all ages can appreciate. The inherent success and notoriety of family filmmaking have only increased and compounded throughout the 21st century through blockbuster animated films from the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks, as well as exceptional artistic live-action films like Hugo and Paddington.

However, not every family film has the best interests at heart when it comes to creating a timeless and effective message for its younger audiences. Many films put little care into the final product, knowing that impressionable children will enjoy it no matter how bad it is, resulting in some of the most wildly disliked and aggressively hated films of all time. Whether it be a disappointing sequel that sours a once-exceptional titan of family filmmaking or a sour, uninspired film that only scrapes by through an abundance of bright colors that could only appeal to the youngest of children.

10

‘Norm of the North’ (2016)

Directed by Trevor Wall

Norm of the North is one of the most prominent examples when it comes to lazily put-together animated films that were entirely reliant on celebrity voices and cutesy animals to find success. The film is about as generic and formulaic as animated family movies get, following a bare-bones plot whose only purpose is to shove in as many toilet humor jokes and half-baked lessons as possible. The film sees Rob Schneider voicing the titular Norm, a polar bear who travels to New York to spread the word about his home in the Arctic being melted, inadvertently becoming the mascot for the company responsible for ruining his home.

Norm of the North almost immediately became a target of mockery and ridicule by wider audiences, thanks to its shoddy animation, lackluster comedy writing, and decades-out-of-date social pandering to the topic of global warming. The unwatchable animated movie makes no effort to do anything more than be as marketable and profitable as imaginable, yet it never takes any of the crucial steps to actually being a film worth watching.

9

‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ (2021)

Directed by Dan Mazer

While the initial two entries in the Home Alone franchise are still widely considered to be holiday classics, each subsequent entry that has attempted to recapture this magic has resulted in a cinematic travesty. The latest to cash in on the name recognition of the franchise is Home Sweet Home Alone, a streaming-exclusive entry that shares none of the charm or grace of the original films. The film mostly follows a similar base premise as the first film, with young Max Mercer (Archie Yates) having been left at home by himself for the holidays and having to protect his home from a duo of bandits.

It’s impossible to make such a direct parallel to the original Home Alone film without drawing direct comparisons, which is where all of Home Sweet Home Alone‘s problems become unabashedly apparent. Nearly every aspect of the film is a complete downgrade over the original, from less interesting characters, less effective slapstick comedy, and significantly less impactful emotional moments. The film has the energy of a low-budget ripoff film that somehow managed to get the license and branding of the series it was ripping off.

8

‘Spy Kids: All the Time in the World’ (2011)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez‘s Spy Kids franchise is one largely defined by zany, over-the-top antics that are tailored to appeal to young children much more than to adults, yet the original trilogy has a distinct charm that makes them hold up to this day. This same sentiment is not reflected in the first of several reboots of the franchise, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, which is largely seen as a downgrade compared to Rodriguez’s other family films. The film follows a new duo of children who find themselves entering the chaotic world of espionage, helping their mother stop an evildoer known as the Timekeeper.

While many fans of the original trilogy were already upset at the concept of having a Spy Kids film following a new duo of children who weren’t the fan-favorite Cortez siblings, this proves to only be the tip of the film’s problems. The film as a whole feels much more tailored to toilet humor and cheap gags compared to previous entries in the franchise, with the comedy as a whole feeling barren and cheap as a result. The terrible spy film manages to grow dull and uninteresting rather quickly, a downside that was never shared with previous entries, even when they were at their worst.

7

‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ (2010)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Adaptations of children’s novels were a wildly lucrative endeavor throughout the 2000s and early 2010s following the major success of franchises like Harry Potter. However, when it fails to recapture the magic and energy of the novels, the result could end up being a film like Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. The film’s frequent and unwarranted changes from the original novel made it a frequent target of mockery among fans of the original novels, made worse by questionable additions that water down the story’s effectiveness.

While the film adapts some of the highlights from the original book, The Lightning Thief‘s frequent and confusing additions, like using an iPhone reflection to defeat Medusa and a distracting pop song soundtrack, detract from the film entirely. The film also completely removed fan-favorite characters from the original book, combining characters into more recognizable characters which ends up completely butchering the characterization of said characters.

6

‘Kangaroo Jack’ (2003)

Directed by David McNally

Misleading marketing can be one of the biggest factors in a film’s legacy being defined by confusion and disappointment, as audiences will only associate a film with this feeling if they don’t see the film that they are expecting from trailers. This is one of the largest inherent reasons behind the widespread vitriol and dislike that Kangaroo Jack has garnered ever since its release, being one of the most infamous cases of misleading marketing.

While Kangaroo Jack presents itself as a goofy, talking-animal comedy akin to other popular early 2000s family movies, the final product rarely features a talking kangaroo at all and is instead a generic crime comedy. This strange miscommunication can be traced back to a poor test screening of a normally R-rated film, causing them to edit and force the film into an unnatural family film experience. While the film certainly could have been better with an R-rating, as a family film in its final release, it stands out as one of the worst and most infamous releases of the era.

5

‘Marmaduke’ (2022)

Directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé

A once widely popular comic strip character, Marmaduke has largely faded from the public eye as a prominent character in pop culture. Of course, that hasn’t stopped executives from bringing the character back from the shadows for a terrible animated film in 2022’s Marmaduke. Whatever remaining dignity and legacy that the character of Marmaduke had held has been destroyed by this animated film, devolving the character as a tool for poop jokes, stilted animation, and phoned-in performances.

Instead of being inspired by compelling animated films, Marmaduke‘s core thesis and energy seem to be inspired by the type of mind-rotting made-for-kids content one would find in the deepest depths of YouTube content mill channels. Past the bright colors and non-stop toilet humor, the film is deeply hollow at its core and features next-to-no substance, making the film a painful cinematic experience from beginning to end. It proves to be not just one of the worst family movies that Netflix has ever put out but one of the worst pieces of original content that they’ve ever attached their name to.

4

‘Son of the Mask’ (2005)

Directed by Lawrence Guterman

1994’s The Mask has maintained an effective legacy as one of the most effective and rambunctious family comedies of the ’90s, largely elevated by Jim Carrey‘s lead performance. However, this same level of praise is not shared by Son of the Mask, the infamous sequel that got rid of Carrey and features Jamie Kennedy as the new leading man. The film’s usage of unintentionally disturbing CGI, as well as a massive downgrade in comedy, has given the film the reputation as one of the worst sequels of all time.

A great deal of the film’s nightmare fuel comes in the form of the infant son, who was conceived by the mask, featuring all the zany antics and chaotic possibilities of a cartoon character. What was intended to be a goofy, live-action interpretation of a classic cartoon concept has become a cinematic nightmare fueled by visuals, creating an uncanny creature that resembles anything but a human baby.

3

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul’ (2017)

Directed by David Bowers

While far from the absolute heights of family filmmaking, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films etched out a dedicated niche and fanbase due to their undeniable charm and entertaining supporting cast. However, these elements are completely barren from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, being a major disappointment to fans of the series as well as actively aggravating them with a misaligned recasting. Certain casting choices, such as for the character of Rodrick, became so overwhelmingly defining of the film’s flaws that they came to symbolize the downgrade of the sequel/reboot.

Even if The Long Haul had retained the cast of the previous film, it would still be considered a largely inadequate entry into the franchise, featuring an uninteresting story and the worst comedy of the series. However, without the inherent charm and beauty of the original cast’s performances, all the flaws and issues of the franchise end up sticking out that much more, such as Greg Heffley’s inherent unlikable nature.

2

‘Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2’ (2004)

Directed by Bob Clark

Easily in consideration for being one of the dumbest movies of all time, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 is the type of low-effort family film that has no shame in its complete lack of quality. The film delivers exactly what it is presenting: a brainless family action comedy where hyper-intelligent babies get superpowers and fight an evildoer looking to take over the world. Ironically, the film about babies would only be entertaining to an audience of babies, as anyone with a developed frontal lobe will find the film an aggravating experience.

There’s certainly a possibility that a film with the premise of superhero babies could have been done in an effective and even comedic way, yet Baby Geniuses 2 makes the most basic and formulaic choices at every possible turn. From the very first seconds of the film, one can immediately discern the entire sequence of events, although its supposedly short 88-minute runtime still feels as if it’s going on for eons.

1

‘The Emoji Movie’ (2017)

Directed by Tony Leondis

The biggest issue that can plague the landscape of family movies is an overreaching influence by corporate executives who don’t see the artistic merit in family films, seeing them only as a dividend to create mindless slop for profit margins. It’s this exact mindset that leads to cinematic disasters like The Emoji Movie, a film that holds no artistic merit outside of being filled with product placement and a failed attempt to younger, digital era-savvy audiences.

No animated film in recent memory feels quite as corporate and soulless as The Emoji Movie, having no inherent entertainment value that came from a true place of artistic vision and care. Whether it’s repeating some of the most tired and painful puns imaginable or having its characters go on an adventure through various recognizable apps, the film manages to get worse and worse as it goes on. The Emoji Movie immediately became the butt of the joke when it came to poorly conceived animated films of the modern era, as well as being one of the worst-reviewed animated movies of all time.

NEXT: The 10 Worst Family Movies, Ranked