Best Feel-Good Movies to Lift Your Spirits
Last Updated: March 2026Uplifting, heartwarming stories that are guaranteed to make you smile.
Zootopia 2 (2025)
After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia's history, rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De'Snake arrives and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.
One Battle After Another (2025)
Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
The Wrecking Crew (2026)
Estranged half-brothers Jonny and James reunite after their father's mysterious death. As they search for the truth, buried secrets reveal a conspiracy threatening to tear their family apart.
Anaconda (2025)
A group of friends facing mid-life crises head to the rainforest with the intention of remaking their favorite movie from their youth, only to find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes and violent criminals.
The Voices (2014)
A mentally unhinged factory worker must decide whether to listen to his talking cat and become a killer, or follow his dog's advice to keep striving for normalcy.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.
American Made (2017)
The true story of pilot Barry Seal, who transported contraband for the CIA and the Medellin cartel in the 1980s.
Fever Pitch (2005)
When Ben Wrightman, a young teacher, begins dating pretty businesswoman Lindsey Meeks, the two don't seem to have a lot of the same interests, but they fall in love, regardless. Their romance goes well until baseball season begins, and Lindsey soon realizes that Ben is completely obsessed with the Boston Red Sox. Though she tries to understand Ben's passionate team loyalty, eventually it threatens to end their otherwise happy relationship.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
Hollywood Homicide (2003)
Joe Gavilan and his new partner K. C. Calden, are detectives on the beat in Tinseltown. Neither one of them really wants to be a cop, Gavilan moonlights as a real estate broker, and Calden is an aspiring actor moonlighting as a yoga instructor. When the two are assigned a big case they must work out whether they want to solve the case or follow their hearts.
Paulie (1998)
Paulie, a talking parrot, recounts his travels looking for his original owner to a Russian janitor who helps him to the end of his journey.
The Family Plan 2 (2025)
Now that Dan's assassin days are behind him, all he wants for Christmas is quality time with his kids. But when he learns his daughter has her own plans, he books a family trip to London—putting them all in the crosshairs of an unexpected enemy.
Zootopia (2016)
Determined to prove herself, Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny on Zootopia's police force, jumps at the chance to crack her first case - even if it means partnering with scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery.
The Family Plan (2023)
Dan Morgan is many things: a devoted husband, a loving father, a celebrated car salesman. He's also a former assassin. And when his past catches up to his present, he's forced to take his unsuspecting family on a road trip unlike any other.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Bill and Ted are high school buddies starting a band. They are also about to fail their history class—which means Ted would be sent to military school—but receive help from Rufus, a traveller from a future where their band is the foundation for a perfect society. With the use of Rufus' time machine, Bill and Ted travel to various points in history, returning with important figures to help them complete their final history presentation.
About This List
Feel-good movies get dismissed by critics more often than they deserve. The prejudice is that warmth equals sentimentality, and sentimentality equals artistic compromise. But there is real craft in making an audience feel genuinely better at the end of two hours than they did at the beginning — not through manipulation or false uplift, but through honest, earned emotional resolution.
The best entries in this genre don't pretend the world is easier than it is. The Pursuit of Happyness shows genuine hardship. About Time includes real grief. Chef is about a man who loses his career and has to rebuild. The feel-good quality comes not from the absence of difficulty but from characters who face difficulty with grace, humor, and the support of people who care about them.
If you've had a rough week and need something that will reliably improve your mood by the time the credits roll, start with the top five on this list. Every one of them has been vetted specifically for that quality. Also consider pairing these with our Best Comedy Movies list for a complete feel-good double-feature.