Family movies in 2021: your complete list

We're hoping to welcome you back to Cineworld in 2021. And on that note, we've undertaken a little blog round-up of all the family movies headed your way this year.

So, get that movie planner out, read our list and note down all the essential information about 2021 family movies. (Release dates are correct at the time of publication, as per the Film Distributors' Association.) Also don't forget to check out our list of 2021 comic book movies, 2021 action movies and 2021 horror movies.

1. In the Heights

Release date 25th June 2021
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace

Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage musical sensation (no, not that one) gets a vibrant big screen adaptation courtesy of Crazy Rich Asians' Jon M. Chu. The foot-tapping story revolves around charismatic Washington Heights bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega (Hamilton's Anthony Ramos) who dreams of escaping his humdrum environment and giving his family a better life. The talented young cast also includes Straight Outta Compton's Corey Hawkins, singer-songwriter Leslie Grace and Mexican music sensation Melissa Barrera. Could this further consolidate Miranda as the EGOT (Emma, Golden Globe, Oscar and Tony award winner) of our times?

2. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Release date 16th July 2021
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Starring LeBron James, Don Cheadle

If you're old enough, cast your mind back to 1996 and the first Space Jam movie. This animated/live-action hybrid was the unlikely meeting point between the Looney Tunes and basketball sensation Michael Jordan, and it proved a hit at the box office. With Jordan now off the court, the 21st-century equivalent, LeBron James, steps up to spar with the likes of Bugs Bunny in a new Space Jam adventure. Black Panther's Ryan Coogler has co-written the script and Girls Trip's Malcolm D. Lee is directing. Let the games begin! (Again.)

3. Jungle Cruise

Release date 30th July 2021
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall

We love Dwayne Johnson. We love Emily Blunt. Therefore the prospect of them starring together in a river-going adventure makes us ever so slightly giddy. Disney's theme park attraction is the basis for this chalk and cheese quest, in which Johnson's no-nonsense riverboat captain pairs with Blunt's tenacious scientist to discover the tree of life. Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra marshals the action, and clearly loved working with Johnson so much that he's now collaborating on DC's Black Adam movie. Johnson returns to Disney following his vocal role as Maui in Moana. Blunt, meanwhile, is a dab hand with the old Disney whimsy, having played Mary Poppins in 2018 hit Mary Poppins Returns. We think the omens are good for this one.

4. The Boss Baby: Family Business

Release date 22nd October 2021
Directed by Tom McGrath
Starring Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Jeff Goldblum

Toy Story imagined what your prized toys get up to behind closed doors. DreamWorks' The Boss Baby reimagined adorable toddlers as sharp-suited, tough-talking brand ambassadors for the world of infants. Released in 2017, The Boss Baby became a mega box office hit, unleashing the voice of Alec Baldwin as pint-sized Ted, a corporate CEO who recognised the rivalry between puppies and babies. In 2021, Ted returns to confront his greatest nemesis: villainous Dr. Armstrong (Jurassic Park's Jeff Goldblum), the mysterious founder of Ted's sister Tabitha's new school.

5. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Release date 12th November 2021
Directed by Jason Reitman
Starring Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd

The legacy of 1984 comedy blockbuster Ghostbusters hangs over this spooktacular sequel – in more ways than one. Behind the camera, Jason Reitman (helmer of the acclaimed Juno) steps into the shoes of his father Ivan, bringing us the story of some new ghostbusting incumbents. This time they're a group of kids, headed by Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard, and it turns out they've got an important link to New York's finest paranormal investigators. Nostalgics rejoice: most of the original gang, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson, are returning, while Paul Rudd plays a schoolteacher with acute knowledge of what went down in 1984.

6. West Side Story

Release date 10th December 2021
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Rita Moreno

Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein's rousing Broadway musical West Side Story inspired the 1961 movie of the same name. Directed by Robert Wise, it became an Oscar-garlanded success, winning 10 out of its 11 nominations. So the pressure is on director Steven Spielberg to recalibrate this classic story for a 21st-century audience. As before, it's a foot-tapping twist on the classic Romeo and Juliet story, with the battle between rival New York gangs the Jets and the Sharks acting as a backdrop to a story of forbidden love. Baby Driver's Ansel Elgort is our new Tony and original star Rita Moreno will also be appearing.

7. Clifford the Big Red Dog

Release date 24th December 2021
Directed by Walt Becker
Starring Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, John Cleese

Author Norman Bridwell's popular children's book series about an oversized red labrador now bounds onto the big screen. The endearing Clifford's heart matches his immense size, and he soon forms a bond with a lonely young girl.