20+ Films With Heroic Female Characters to Watch With Kids

Maybe Hollywood is finally getting it that women can make powerful and relatable leads (we are 51 percent of moviegoers after all). In 2024, 42 percent of the highest-grossing films featured female protagonists, according to the most recent research by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. This equaled the percentage of films with male protagonists (the other 16 percent of films featured ensembles).

But there’s still little progress behind the camera: In 2024, women made up only 23 percent of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers of the 250 top-grossing films; and women of color are still deeply underrepresented.

However, there are still tons of great movies — no matter your age — with strong, funny, inspiring female characters. From Katniss Everdeen to Dorothy Gale, we’ve picked more than 20 ceiling-smashing films featuring unstoppable female leads to watch with the kids. Whether they are blasting bad guys with superpowers, or standing in their own power as examples of everyday bravery, we’re proud to call these heroic characters positive role models.

Click the arrow above the image to view the complete list. Or jump to the age-specific list you want to binge-watch tonight with the links below:

• Movies for younger kids
• Movies for older elementary-age kids
• Movies for older tweens and teens

Editor’s note: This article was originally published several years ago, and has been updated most recently in February 2025 by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson, with new movie recommendations for families.