This summer’s cinematic lineup is delivering a perfect blend of nostalgia and fresh storytelling, creating magic for parents who’ll say “I remember when ...” alongside children who might be discovering these worlds for the first time.
Here’s your guide to family-friendly films hitting theaters soon.
‘Bad Guys 2′
Rating: PG
Release date: Aug. 1
The charming criminal crew returns with good intentions but wobbly moral compasses in “The Bad Guys 2.” Mr. Wolf and his companions quickly learn that going straight isn’t as simple as it sounds, especially when their rehabilitation gets derailed by the “Bad Girls,” a rival group who entangle our reformed villains in an elaborate heist that will test their newfound ethics.
‘Freakier Friday’
Rating: PG
Release date: Aug. 8
Mother-daughter duo Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) discover lightning, and magical fortune cookies, do indeed strike twice when they return to body swap chaos. This time, though, it’s with Anna’s daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter, who don’t exactly get along. The story once again proves that walking in someone else’s shoes is complicated and can be even more complicated when those shoes belong to teenagers in the TikTok era. Digital natives switch places with digital immigrants in the latest family switch.
‘Smurfs’
Rating: PG
Release date: July 18
This latest adaptation takes the beloved blue characters on their most ambitious adventure yet. When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) gets Smurf-napped by evil wizards, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads a Smurf rescue squad into the real world. These three-apple-high heroes must tackle some human-sized problems on their quest to get Papa Smurf back to the Smurf village with their trademark optimism and ingenuity.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’
Rating: PG-13
Release date: July 25
Marvel’s first family is introduced in this latest addition to the Marvel universe. Nostalgia truly is strong as the scenes are set against a 1960s backdrop in this retro-futuristic world.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) must forge their superhero identities while maintaining family bonds as they confront Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a planet-devouring cosmic entity, and his enigmatic Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
The cosmic threat becomes unexpectedly personal in a twist that raises the stakes that extends beyond their world’s survival.