11 Mother's Day Movies To Watch With Your Mom
by Explore Disney+ Contributor
April 30, 2026
From animated classics to powerful family dramas, these Disney+ picks spotlight the moms, grandmas & mother figures who shape the stories we love
Looking for a way to spend Mother’s Day? Let us do the planning. Our watch guide rounds up 11 perfect movies for a marathon with mom or an easy night in with the kids. There’s a mix of sweet, emotional, and relatable family stories, where moms take center stage. Scroll to find your perfect pick and kick up your feet. This year, we’re doing Mother’s Day the easy way.
Heart-Warming Mother’s Day Movies
A Hundred Acre Adventure: Winnie the Pooh
Rating: G
Perfect for a Mother’s Day with little ones. A simple note sends Pooh and the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood into a hilariously misguided hunt, all while Eeyore is missing his tail and Pooh is still dreaming of honey.
What to look out for: Kanga is always serving well-grounded mom goals. We love the way she keeps an eye on Roo while letting him join the fun, adding an extra level of tenderness to the classic woodland story.
Add Winnie the Pooh to Watchlist
A Musical Love Letter To Ancestors: Disney and Pixar’s Coco
Rating: PG
Coco is especially sweet for a multi-generational Mother’s Day. Miguel dreams of becoming a musician, but when a family ban on music pushes him into a dazzling trip through the Land of the Dead, he must receive a family blessing before time runs out. Great-great-grandmother Mamá Imelda’s fierce devotion to her loved ones still shapes everything generations later, and Mamá Coco’s presence is a calm anchor for Miguel amidst the chaos.
What to look out for: The Oscar®-winning song “Remember Me,” and how its meaning shifts as the story unfolds.
Crisis, Consequences & Marge: The Simpsons Movie
Rating: PG-13
Queue this one up if your Mother’s Day needs a little comic relief. When Homer’s latest screwup leaves Springfield trapped under a giant dome and the family on the verge of falling apart, Marge is the one holding everyone together without letting her husband off the hook. As she balances anger and unconditional love, Marge wants to do the right thing for her family. She’s just not sure what it is yet.
What to look out for: The video message Marge records for Homer is one of the most emotional moments in the whole movie.
Add The Simpsons Movie to Watchlist
Mother’s Day Movies With Powerful Moms
The Ocean Tests The Sullys: Avatar: The Way of Water
Rating: PG-13
Set in the magnificent world of Pandora, Avatar: The Way of Water tells the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Neytiri is defined by her instinct to protect her children. When they are threatened, her strength and ferocity surface, revealing how far she will go to safeguard her family as the stakes rise.
What to look out for: Their “Sullys stick together” mantra, which strengthens the family’s bond.
Add Avatar: The Way of Water to Watchlist
Saving Dinner & The World: Disney and Pixar’s The Incredibles
Rating: PG
Here’s one for the moms who can stop a runaway train of family chaos without losing their cool. Also known as Elastigirl, Helen Parr is a seemingly normal mom who keeps finding herself in high-stakes emergencies. When faced with real danger, she remains protective, sharp, and unfazed, while trying to keep her kids focused for five seconds.
What to look out for: Her defiant line, “Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so.”
Add The Incredibles to Watchlist
A Space-Age Super-Mom Story: Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Rating: PG-13
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family, Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ben Grimm / The Thing, as they face a daunting challenge. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. Sue Storm, brings her protective motherly nature to everything the team is fighting for. Eventually, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for her child.
What to look out for: Sue’s unwavering devotion to her baby, even with an entire planet at stake.
Add Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps to Watchlist
Mother-Daughter Movies With Unbreakable Bonds
Body Swaps Meet Motherhood: Freakier Friday
Rating: PG
22 years after the events of Freaky Friday, Anna, played by Lindsay Lohan, is juggling life as a single mom while welcoming a soon-to-be stepdaughter into the fold. This sequel puts motherhood at the center of a fresh round of body-swapping mix-ups. Anna tries to keep her daughter close while making room for a new family, while Tess, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is the devoted, slightly overinvolved mom and grandmother.
What to look out for: With tons of fun throwbacks to the original movie, this one is perfect for moms with teens, and moms who are nostalgic for their teenage years.
Add Freakier Friday to Watchlist
A Mystical Saga In The Scottish Highlands: Disney and Pixar’s Brave
Rating: PG
When Merida pushes back against the future planned for her, a reckless choice leaves her racing to undo a spell that changes her mother, Queen Elinor, in an unexpected way. While Elinor strives to instill knowledge and manners of a royal in Merida, her vision of her daughter's future is at odds with Merida's rebellious spirit. Through this journey together, they learn to understand each other's perspectives.
What to look out for: The smaller emotional moments where Elinor’s care shines through, despite the beastly curse.
A Mother-Daughter Relationship Gets Hairy: Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red
Rating: PG
Thirteen-year-old Meilin Lee’s average life in Toronto gets a lot messier when she starts turning into a giant red panda whenever her emotions spike, especially with her mother Ming Lee hovering close by. Ming loves Meilin fiercely and wants to protect her, but Meilin is desperate for a little breathing room, so their relationship becomes a funny tug-of-war between holding on and letting go.
What to look out for: Ming’s mortifying Daisy Mart rescue mission, which shows her going into full mom panic in public.
More Movies To Watch With Your Mom
A Nostalgic Tale For Hopeless Romantics: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Rating: G
When Belle steps into an enchanted castle inhabited by a mysterious recluse, it’s Mrs. Potts, the teapot, who brings a motherly calm to the castle. As Chip’s mom and one of Belle’s steadiest allies, she helps Belle get to know the human beneath the Beast’s rough edges.
What to look out for: The iconic ballroom scene, where Mrs. Potts serenades the couple with the Oscar®-winning “Beauty and the Beast” song as they share their first dance.
Add Beauty and the Beast (1991) to Watchlist
Songs That Heal A Home: The Sound of Music
Rating: G
In the Austrian countryside, Maria arrives at the Von Trapp house as a governess and transforms the lives of the stern Captain Georg von Trapp and his seven children. She disregards the stiff rules the Captain set for the kids and teaches them with equal parts playfulness and patience, changing the mood of the house almost overnight. Despite the outside world growing more and more tense, Maria cares for the family with enough humor to keep things light for a cozy watch with kids or mom.
What to look out for: The movie’s soundtrack is stacked with timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, including “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” and “Edelweiss.”
