Space may be the final frontier, but it has been the setting for popular kids movies for decades. Some of the best kids space movies are sci-fi adventures with extraterrestrial friends, while others celebrate real-life astronauts. This is a list of the greatest childrens space movies including everything from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to Big Hero 6 to Star Wars.
What films will you find on this list of kids space travel movies? In the Disney/Pixar film WALL-E, a lonely little robotic trash compactor accidentally stumbles upon the last plant growing on planet Earth. This heartwarming movie encouraged children to focus on health, the environment, and personal responsibility. Muppets from Space is another good kids movie about the universe. In the cult classic Space Jam, Michael Jordan shoots hoops with Bugs Bunny and his friends to fight off some unwelcome space invaders. Other top films featured on this list include Mars Needs Moms, Earth to Echo, and Explorers.
Do you have a favorite kids space film? Give the best movies a vote up, then check out our list of the best sci fi cartoons.
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16635WALL-E
Sigourney Weaver, Laraine NewmanReleased: 2008
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a robot... more2
12157Star Wars
Harrison Ford, Carrie FisherReleased: 1977
Directed by: George Lucas
Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The first release in the Star Wars franchise, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter... more- 39854
Monsters vs. Aliens
Reese Witherspoon, Amy PoehlerReleased: 2009
Directed by: Conrad Vernon, Rob Letterman
Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated science fiction action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was DreamWorks Animation's... more - 48753
Zathura
Kristen Stewart, Josh HutchersonmReleased: 2005
Directed by: Jon Favreau filmography
Zathura: A Space Adventure is a 2005 American science fiction fantasy adventure film directed by Jon Favreau, and is loosely based on the illustrated book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of... more - 57465
Treasure Planet
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma ThompsonReleased: 2002
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Treasure Planet is a 2002 American animated science fiction adventure film directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. After he receives a map from a pirate, a rebellious teen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)... more - 67173
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Natalie Portman, Keira KnightleyReleased: 1999
Directed by: George Lucas
(32 Years Before Episode IV) Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master... more - 75757
Space Buddies
Amy Sedaris, Diedrich BaderReleased: 2009
Directed by: Robert Vince
Disney's irresistible talking puppies are back in an all-new movie that takes them where no Buddy has gone before -- the moon! With the help of some stellar new friends, this out-of-this-world... more - 86469
Space Jam
Michael Jordan, Bill MurrayReleased: 1996
Directed by: Joe Pytka
Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports family/comedy film starring basketball player Michael Jordan and featuring the Looney Tunes characters. The film was produced by Ivan Reitman,... more - 95155
Muppets from Space
Katie Holmes, Hulk HoganReleased: 1999
Directed by: Tim Hill
Muppets from Space is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to... more - 105059
Galaxy Quest
Sigourney Weaver, Alan RickmanReleased: 1999
Directed by: Dean Parisot
Galaxy Quest is a 1999 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. The film follows the adventures of a troupe of actors who... more - 114357
Astro Boy
Charlize Theron, Kristen BellReleased: 2009
Directed by: David Bowers
Astro Boy is a 2009 American-Hong Konger-Chinese computer-animated action film loosely based on the manga and anime series of the same name by the Japanese writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka. It was... more - 124560
The Last Starfighter
Wil Wheaton, Robert PrestonReleased: 1984
Directed by: Nick Castle
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 American space opera film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan, an average teenage boy recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an... more - 134056
Explorers
Ethan Hawke, River PhoenixReleased: 1985
Directed by: Joe Dante
Explorers is a 1985 family-oriented science-fiction fantasy film written by Eric Luke and directed by Joe Dante. The film stars Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix as teenage schoolboys who build a... more - 143960
Jetsons: The Movie
Tiffany, Mel BlancReleased: 1990
Directed by: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Iwao Takamoto
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 American animated musical comic science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures. Based on Hanna-Barbera's cartoon... more - 154061
Titan A.E.
Drew Barrymore, Matt DamonReleased: 2000
Directed by: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Art Vitello
Titan A.E. is a 2000 animated post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure film directed by both Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The title refers to the spacecraft central to the plot, with A.E. meaning... more - 163858
Escape from Planet Earth
Jessica Alba, Sofía VergaraReleased: 2013
Directed by: Callan Brunker
Escape from Planet Earth is a 2012 animated adventure comedy film written by Cory Edwards and Tony Leech and directed by Callan Brunker.... more - 173555
Earth to Echo
Mary Pat Gleason, Jason Gray-StanfordReleased: 2014
Directed by: David Green
Earth to Echo is a 2014 adventure film written by Henry Gayden and Andrew Panay and directed by David Green.... more - 182859
SpaceCamp
Joaquin Phoenix, Kelly PrestonReleased: 1986
Directed by: Harry Winer
SpaceCamp is a 1986 American space adventure film based on a book by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams and inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Directed by Harry Winer from a... more - 192555
Mars Needs Moms
Seth Green, Joan CusackReleased: 2011
Directed by: Simon Wells
Mars Needs Moms is a 2011 American 3D motion capture computer-animated science fiction comedy film co-written and directed by Simon Wells, and based on the Berkeley Breathed book of the same title.... more - 201954
The Mystery of the Third Planet
Vasily Livanov, Vladimir DruzhnikovDirected by: Roman Abelevich Kachanov
The Mystery of the Third Planet, aka The Secret of the Third Planet is a 1981 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Roman Kachanov and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow.... more - 211857
Fly Me to the Moon
Tim Curry, Christopher LloydReleased: 2008
Directed by: Ben Stassen
Fly Me to the Moon is a 2008 Belgian-American CGI animated 3D feature film. It was released in digital 3D in Belgium on 30 January 2008 and in the USA and Canada on 15 August 2008. The film was also... more - 221462
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth PaltrowReleased: 2004
Directed by: Kerry Conran
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut. The film is set in an alternative 1939... more - 231150
Teens in the Universe
Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Natalya FateevaReleased: 1975
Directed by: Richard Viktorov
Teens in the Universe is a Soviet 1974 film directed by Richard Viktorov based on a script by Isai Kuznetsov and Avenir Zak. Preceded by Moscow-Cassiopeia. Runtime - 84 min.... more - 241255
Guest from the Future
Vyacheslav Nevinny, Natalya MurashkevichReleased: 1985
Directed by: Pavel Arsyonov
Guest from the Future is a five-part Soviet television miniseries, made at Gorky Film Studio, first aired in 1985. It is based on the novel One Hundred Years Ahead by Kir Bulychov. The series starred... more
