10 Best Found Family Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

Family is a central part of a person’s identity, the first and most emotionally impactful community they can be a part of. The term “family” elucidates the idea of unconditional love, support and guidance, creating a safe space for a person to grow and establish their identity. Family dynamics is a topic often explored in movies, particularly their influence on characters and the complicated emotions that can come with familial relationships.

The idea of a “found family” leads filmmakers to delve into the core of what truly makes a family, regardless of whether characters are blood-related. The 21st century has produced many great movies about found family, covering every genre and medium. From beloved children’s features that teach empathy, acceptance, and the value that comes from providing a safe space for a new friend to dramas that explore absent parental figures, these are the best movies about found families of the new millennium.

10 ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2002)

Directed by Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

With a live-action remake on the way, Lilo & Stitch is a favorite Disney film for many, whether it’s for the heartfelt sentiment at its core or just the fact that Stitch is hilarious and strangely cute. The story follows a lonely Hawaiian girl, Lilo (Daveigh Chase), raised by her sister, Nani (Tia Carrere). Lilo is rebellious and always causing trouble, so Nani lets her adopt an ugly “dog” that she names Stitch (Chris Sanders), hoping they will become friends. It turns out that Stitch is actually a wanted extraterrestrial created in a genetic experiment who escaped his planet and crashed on Earth. Lilo’s core belief in “Ohana” and her unwavering pursuit of showing Stitch love and acceptance helps to unlock his ability to care.

Lilo & Stitch is an incredibly fun and sweet movie about an unlikely duo who uplift and support one another through their antics, handling some very mature themes in an accessible way. Furthermore, Lilo & Stitch illustrates grief and loneliness very openly, showing very real difficulties in behavior as Lilo tries to come to terms with complex feelings. A film that requires a box of tissues at hand, Lilo & Stitch revolves around family and the essential values at the heart of that concept.

Lilo & Stitch

Release Date

June 21, 2002

Cast

Daveigh Chase , Chris Sanders , Tia Carrere , David Ogden Stiers , Kevin McDonald , Ving Rhames

Runtime

85 minutes

Writers

Chris Sanders , Dean DeBlois

9 ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ (2016)

Directed by Claude Barras

Claude Barras collaborated with Céline Sciamma in My Life as a Zucchini. It follows Icare (Gaspard Schlatter/Erick Abbate), a quiet blue-haired boy sent to an orphanage after the accidental death of his mother (Natacha Koutchoumov/Susanne Blakeslee), who became an alcoholic after his father abandoned them. Through his experience in this new home, Icare ascertains how to make friends and grows close to the Police Officer working on his case, Officer Raymond (Michel Vuillermoz/Nick Offerman), who, alongside Icare’s new friends, teaches him how to trust again.

The Academy Award-nominated feature illustrates that animated films can still pack an emotional punch, as it compounds the importance of a safe space for children where they can grow and develop their identity. My Life as a Zucchini truly warms your heart, as the audience witnesses Icare’s self-development after experiencing a very traumatic event and the reaction to the long-awaited kindness he receives. The animation style is reminiscent of children’s book illustrations, which often have the intention of a life lesson through fun and colorful pictures.

My Life as a Zucchini

Release Date

February 24, 2017

Runtime

65 minutes

Writers

Céline Sciamma , Claude Barras , Germano Zullo , Morgan Navarro

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8 ‘Paddington’ (2014)

Directed by Paul King

With a third Paddington film on the way, the antics of the beloved bear have warmed the hearts of many. The first film introduces audiences to Paddington (Ben Whishaw), a walking and talking young bear who travels to London after his home in Darkest Peru is destroyed by an earthquake. He ends up at London’s Paddington Station, where he meets the Brown family. Though Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) is initially resistant to adopting the bear due to his antics, his wife (Sally Hawkins), children (Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris), and housekeeper (Julie Walters) fall in love with Paddington and his sweet nature.

Based on the beloved books by Michael Bond, this modernization perfectly captures the characters’ essence. Paddington is a charming feature about the wonder of experiencing the bustle and sights of London for the first time and the acceptance one feels when being embraced by a community. Paddington’s innocent yet earnest observations are hilarious, and audiences can’t help but fall in love with his character. It is definitely a huge bear hug of a movie.

Paddington

Release Date

November 24, 2014

Cast

Tim Downie , Madeleine Worrall , Lottie Steer , Geoffrey Palmer , Theresa Watson , Imelda Staunton

Runtime

95

Writers

Paul King , Hamish McColl , Michael Bond

7 ‘Midsommar’ (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

A darker take on the term “family” comes in the form of Ari Aster‘s horror feature Midsommar. The feature follows Dani (Florence Pugh), a PhD candidate who experiences immense trauma that leaves her completely alone, apart from her lackluster boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor). However, when she joins him and his friends on a group trip to their friend’s commune in Sweden, strange and horrific events occur as all is not as it seems. Though they describe themselves as a huge family of brothers and sisters, the commune is actually a cult.

Cults are formed by preying on individuals who would be susceptible to being indoctrinated, and Dani’s feeling of isolation at the loss of her family makes her a perfect target. Midsommar explores mental health struggles and how the cult creates a space for Dani to experience her grief out loud. In a particularly poignant scene, women from the commune wail along with Dani as she lets out her anguish. The cult twists traditional familial ideas of acceptance and love, using them as manipulation techniques to ensure their members do twisted and horrendous things in the name of family.

Midsommar

Release Date

July 3, 2019

Runtime

140 minutes

Writers

Ari Aster

6 ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ (2003)

Directed by Satoshi Kon

Tokyo Godfathers is an anime movie by Satoshi Kon that follows a trio of homeless people — middle-aged alcoholic Gin (Tooru Emori), teenage runaway Miyuki (Aya Okamoto) and former drag queen Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki) — as they survive together on the streets of Tokyo. When rummaging the trash for food on Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an abandoned baby crying. They find a few clues to the baby’s identity and search the streets with the intention of returning the baby to its parents.

The group of misfits is a makeshift family due to their shared experience, supporting each other through adversity. The coincidence of finding the baby leads their care for one another to deepen and brings them closer. As they make discoveries about the baby, they simultaneously uncover truths about themselves. The theme of parent-child relationships tying in with the feeling of forgiveness is poignant throughout, as each character has trauma to work out throughout the story. Tokyo Godfathers is set at Christmastime, which only compounds the central idea that being selfless and doing good for the sake of helping others is a treasured gift.

5 ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ (2016)

Directed by Taika Waititi

Hunt for the Wilderpeople follows rebellious runaway Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), who is taken in by kindhearted Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and her reluctant husband Hector (Sam Neill). When Bella suddenly dies, Hector takes off into the bush, and Ricky follows him, refusing to go back to social care. A manhunt begins as relentless (“like the Terminator”) social services agent Paula (Rachel House) insists that Ricky has been kidnapped by Hector and needs to be returned to the foster care system.

Taika Waititi’s film is a feel good feature through and through. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is hilarious and heartfelt, and Ricky and Hector have excellent rapport throughout as they make discoveries about one another. They fill an absence in their lives and uplift one another in their adventure. Also, Ricky is of Māori descent and is helped at one point by a girl, Kahu (Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne) and her dad (Troy Kingi), who form an immediate bond with him. This brief yet pivotal plot showcases the Moāri’s close-knit community and shows another form of family that Ricky connects with on his journey.

4 ’20th Century Women’ (2016)

Directed by Mike Mills

Set in 1979, 20th Century Women follows 55-year-old single mother Dorothea (Annette Benning), who lives with her son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) in Santa Barbara with their two tenants: Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a 20-something punk artist being treated for cervical cancer, and William (Billy Crudup), a carpenter and mechanic. Dorothea is having trouble connecting with her son and elicits the help of Abbie and Jamie’s best friend, Julie (Elle Fanning), to help raise and guide him.

20th Century Women is a love letter to parents and children and the importance of the effect they have on one another. The 1970s setting elucidates an essence of love and freedom portrayed in a positive light as a community is created and strong quasi-familial bonds are formed. They all become intertwined in each other’s lives, learning from and inspiring one another; even if it is for a moment in time, it is most definitely impactful.

3 ‘Shoplifters’ (2018)

Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters follows a makeshift family. Hatsue (Kirin Kiki) is an elderly woman who owns the home and supports four people on her deceased husband’s pension: Nobuyo (Sakura Andô) and her husband Osamu (Lily Franky), Aki (Mayu Matsuoka), and a young boy named Shota (Jyo Kairi). They all routinely shoplift to get by, using a meticulously planned system of hand signals to communicate. One day, they see Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a little girl in their neighborhood who they regularly see locked out on the apartment balcony, and bring her home with them after finding evidence of abuse.

Hirokazu Koreeda is a master of found-family features, with both Shoplifters and his recent feature, Brokers, telling heartfelt stories of misfits joining together and forming a family. Shoplifters is a wonderfully intimate story that explores what makes a good family through authentic and complex characters. Loyalty and compassion are at its core, as this already struggling family takes in another mouth to feed due to their empathy and true emotional understanding of what makes a good family, however seemingly dysfunctional.

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2 ‘The Holdovers’ (2023)

Directed by Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne‘s The Holdovers follows three characters at a New England Boarding School — clever yet trouble-making student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), curmudgeonly classics teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), and grieving cafeteria manager Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) — as they reluctantly end up spending Christmas together. They form a makeshift family as they begin to understand one another, poignantly culminating in the Cherry Jubilee scene.

The script, penned by David Hemingson, is authentic and deeply human, abundant with humor, life lessons and heart. Partnered with a soundtrack containing the sweet voices of Labi Siffre and Cat Stevens, The Holdovers feels like it was made in the 1970s, a conscious decision from Payne. The cinematography and color grading gives The Holdovers an exquisite warming coziness, and there is no doubt that this will be a Christmas film audiences reach for every year.

The Holdovers

Release Date

November 10, 2023

Runtime

133 minutes

Writers

David Hemingson

1 ‘Moonlight’ (2016)

Directed by Barry Jenkins

Barry Kenkins‘ Best Picture winner Moonlight is a film of three defining chapters in the life of Chiron (Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes), a young black man growing up in Miami. Chiron grapples with his neglectful mother (Naomie Harris), loneliness and his sexual identity. He is missing a father figure until he meets drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali), who becomes a makeshift parent and teaches him to carve his path.

Moonlight is one of the best coming-of-age stories ever made, foregrounding the difficulties that accompany growing up Black and homosexual in America. Though Juan passes by the second chapter, his guidance rings true throughout Chiron’s life and his absence is felt deeply for a character with only 20 minutes of screen time. The significant moment in Moonlight that fully captures the found-family element is when Juan teaches Chiron how to swim. This tender, joyful instant stands out against the backdrop of the cruel world that Chiron is subject to, capturing a moment where he is able to let go and simply be a child.

Moonlight

Release Date

October 21, 2016

Runtime

110 minutes

Studio

A24

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