From 90’s Disney classics to modern-day animations, movies are a huge part of keeping children entertained and creating those special memories with the whole family. With this in mind, My 1st Years wanted to find out which are the world’s most popular children’s films.
In their latest research, My 1st Years analysed global search data for over 260 children’s movies to determine which family-friendly films are the most popular in each country, revealing the most loved movies around the world.
The World’s Most Popular Children’s Movies
The study revealed ‘Moana’ as the world’s favourite children’s movie, being searched for the most in Brazil, South Africa and the Maldives as well as 52 other countries across the globe. Released seven years ago, in 2016, ‘Moana’ is still a family favourite to this date and was so popular, it is set to come back for a second instalment later this year.
In second place, is the fun-filled Disney animation, ‘Elemental’. The movie was released in 2023 and follows the story of the two elements fire and water, who fall in love and create an unlikely romance. The story is loved by many worldwide, with 41 countries including the US, Canada and Spain searching for it the most compared to any other movie in the ranking.
‘Wonka’, a 2023 live-action adaptation of the classic Willy Wonka movie, follows in third place. The film features an impressive cast including British actors Hugh Grant and Rowan Atkinson as well as American and French actor Timothée Chalamet who takes on the lead role, playing ‘Willy Wonka’. The new release caught global attention, topping the list as the most searched movie for countries including the UK, Germany and France.
The DreamWorks classic ‘Shrek’ and the Japanese animated fantasy film ‘Spirited Away’ complete the top five of the world’s favourite movies. Both films were released back in 2001 and have seen huge success since then, remaining timeless favourites. ‘Shrek’ is the most popular choice in 27 countries around the globe and ‘Spirited Away’ is loved the most in 20 countries.
The Top 10 Most Popular Children’s Movies Around The World
| Rank | Movie | Number Of Countries Searching It The Most |
| 1 | Moana | 55 |
| 2 | Elemental | 41 |
| 3 | Wonka | 33 |
| 4 | Shrek | 27 |
| 5 | Spirited Away | 20 |
| 6 | The Little Mermaid | 16 |
| 7 | Aladdin | 7 |
| 8 | Frozen | 5 |
| 9 | Rango | 4 |
| 10 | Cinderella | 2 |
| 10 | Pocahontas | 2 |
| 10 | Tarzan | 2 |
Europe’s Favourite Children’s Movies
‘Wonka’ tops the list as the most popular movie across Europe, making it the number one choice in 21 countries including Austria, Croatia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Northern Ireland and the UK.
Following in second place is ‘Elemental’, the family favourite 2023 Disney animation, with 11 European countries searching for it the most out of any other children’s movie over the past year, including Turkey, Armenia, Bulgaria, Portugal and Spain.
Finishing off the top three is the DreamWorks animation ‘Shrek’- a firm favourite for many European families. Overall, it was the most searched-for movie in 10 countries including a lot of Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
Top Five Most Searched Children’s Movies in Europe
| Rank | Movie | Number of European Countries Searching For It The Most |
| 1 | Wonka | 21 |
| 2 | Elemental | 11 |
| 3 | Shrek | 10 |
| 4 | Spirited Away | 3 |
| 5 | Aladdin | 1 |
| =5 | Cinderella | 1 |
| =5 | The Little Mermaid | 1 |
Gareth Chadwick, Head of Marketing at My 1st Years comments:
“Movies are a great way to connect and come together as a family whilst creating special moments for everyone involved. Lots of these films are beautifully produced and are loved for their stand-out soundtracks, memorable characters and unforgettable adventures.
It’s been fascinating to dive into Google search data to see whichchildren’s movies are the world’s favourite, with our findings revealing that‘Moana’ dominates as the world’s favourite movie. We hope our studyinspires many parents to plan their next movie night with the whole family, to create those significant memories which will last a lifetime.”
More information on this study and the most popular children’s movies across different continents can be found here: https://www.my1styears.com/blog/post/worlds-most-popular-childrens-movies-revealed
