If there is anything kids love from Hollywood, it’s a natural disaster. Why? They make for incredible stories. The appearance of a natural disaster might allow the characters to find a friendship that was never there (as in “The Perfect Storm”) or reveal something about the characters’ relationships that might not have otherwise been exposed (see “Twister”). Gigantic natural disasters serve not only as a plot device, but sometimes they serve as the villain itself, removing the need to hire a big-name actor to shake things up. With that in mind, let’s review the best natural disaster movies for kids and examine what makes them so engaging and, sometimes, even fun:
15. Into the Storm (2014)
A school day in Silverton turns disastrous when a series of tornadoes strikes the town. Richard Armitage portrays a father searching for his son while storm chasers head directly into the danger. A lot of the action unfolds through cameras carried by the people who are caught in it.
Part of the greatest danger comes from those who remain outside to film when they ought to be seeking shelter. The shaky-camera approach places you right next to them, making even a quick run across a street feel dangerous. There is also a fire tornado, since a regular one was apparently too simple to avoid.
The scenes of people being swept away make this a good choice for teens who can handle the frights.
14. Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
Dusty’s racing career comes to a halt when his engine is damaged, so he turns to firefighting instead. His new team operates at Piston Peak National Park, where a wildfire puts his training to the test. Flying fast is one thing. Dropping water in the right spot while smoke blocks the view of the ground requires an entirely different set of skills.
The rescue crew is the main attraction here. You watch planes drop water while ground crews clear brush to help halt the flames. Ed Harris voices Blade Ranger as a boss who has heard every excuse, which makes Dusty’s rough start all the more enjoyable to watch.
13. San Andreas (2015)
A rescue helicopter would come in pretty useful in most disaster films. In San Andreas, Dwayne Johnson has one, and California still throws more problems at him than he can deal with. He plays Ray, a pilot who is trying to get to his daughter after a massive quake rips the state apart.
The earthquake scenes bring entire buildings tumbling down, and the movie somehow makes room for an even larger threat at sea. Alexandra Daddario’s Blake has some handy survival moments of her own as she works to stay ahead of the destruction. You get to cheer for someone on the ground as well as for the dad flying in to save her.
The drowning and death scenes make this a better choice for older kids who already like 2012.
12. Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
A wall of ice is the only thing separating a valley full of animals from a massive flood. As the ice begins to melt, Manny and his friends have to figure out an escape. Scrat, naturally, has more urgent matters on his mind. There is an acorn at stake.
Manny also encounters Ellie, a mammoth convinced she is a possum. Their strange courtship offers some smiles between the dangerous moments, while Scrat delivers the most outrageous slapstick. The danger of the flood is simple to understand, even for children who missed the first movie. And Diego’s fear of water is properly put to the test once the ice begins to break apart.
11. Dinosaur (2000)
Disney quickly transforms a lush island into a place you’d want to escape. A meteor shower wipes out Aladar’s home, pushing the dinosaur and his adoptive lemur family to search for water and food. They join a herd whose leader, Kron, has little tolerance for those who can’t keep up. Aladar’s drive to help the slowest members adds some edge to the journey: staying with the herd doesn’t always mean obeying its leader.
The meteor strike is loud and frightening, and hungry predators bring even more danger along the way. Kids who like their dinosaurs with a bit of bite should find plenty to enjoy.
10. The Finest Hours (2016)
Chris Pine sets out to sea in a boat that appears much too small for the challenge ahead. He portrays Bernie Webber, who guides a Coast Guard rescue team into a violent storm off Cape Cod in 1952. Their mission is to reach the crippled oil tanker SS Pendleton, which has broken in two. The rescue is drawn from a real-life event.
The strongest scenes place you right at water level, where every wave cuts off the view ahead. Casey Affleck takes on the other side of the crisis as the engineer working to keep the tanker’s crew alive. It makes for tense viewing for older kids, with the men’s decisions under pressure offering as much to watch as the storm.
9. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Arlo is a big dinosaur who has only a very small reserve of nerve. A river carries him far away from home, and his best hope of returning is a wild human boy called Spot. The boy feels far more at home in the wild, which leaves the larger of the two struggling to keep up.
The river scenes carry genuine power, with swift water and steep banks that make both of them look tiny. Pixar also lets the vistas open up, giving you a breather between the scares. Notice how Arlo and Spot use sticks to talk about their families. That brief scene makes you care about them as much as any of the big escapes do.
8. Eight Below (2006)
In Eight Below, the dogs handle most of the difficult work, and they are the main reason to watch. After a violent storm compels a team to abandon its Antarctic base, eight sled dogs are left behind. Their guide, Jerry Shepard, is played by Paul Walker, who keeps searching for a way back as the dogs endure the long winter.
You spend a great deal of time with the pack as they hunt for food and struggle to keep one another alive. Since the dogs cannot speak, every small gesture of trust must be conveyed through their actions. Several of the dogs die, and the film gives them enough screen time for those losses to feel painful.
7. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
A spaghetti tornado is a great way to capture a child’s attention. Flint Lockwood constructs a device that transforms water into food, but the town’s wish for free meals quickly spirals well past his ability to manage it. Enormous food drops from the sky, and Swallow Falls must evacuate.
The weather in this place comes from a machine, making it the list’s humorous spin on a disaster film. You still feel the urgency to alert people and the fear of a town facing danger. The possibility that the danger could arrive inside a bun only adds to the humor.
Weather reporter Sam Sparks serves as a strong counterpart to Flint, with Anna Faris bringing her just as much quirky appeal as Bill Hader brings to him.
6. 2012 (2009)
This 2009 science fiction film garnered global acclaim for its real-to-life visual effects and CGI, which were used to portray some of the most epic cataclysmic events in a film.
The story revolves around the disastrous events of 2012 (the 2012 phenomenon) and the subsequent survival of human beings. Although the film only managed to get mixed reviews for its storyline, strong acting, and solid graphics allowed it to get blockbuster status at the box office.
5. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Whatever you have to say about the science of global warming causing an instant ice age in 2004, you can’t deny that the prospect of extreme weather worldwide makes this movie at least visually engaging. The movie portrays everything from giant chunks of hail to tornadoes in Los Angeles to extreme blizzards covering entire continents – and the storm hardly lets up throughout.
With a great cast comprising Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emmy Rossum, it’s a great watch that is educational as well.
4. The Core (2003)
This disaster movie is all about what’s going on beneath the Earth, as the title suggests, but they have plenty of trouble with storms on the surface while the heroes are trying to save the day.
Yes, the premise is shaky (nuking the Earth’s core to save the planet?), but there’s no doubt that the entire movie is a pure guilty pleasure.
3. Dante’s Peak (1997)
Does a volcanic eruption count as a huge natural disaster? It does when an entire city sees ash, smoke, and fire raining down on it like it’s the end of the world. Although Dante’s Peak has less to do with climate than it has to do with geology, it deserves a listing here because it’s such good, honest entertainment – and it follows the familiar formula of natural disaster movies.
You have the classic “skeptical scientist,” the “person who doesn’t want to be rescued,” and even James Bond acting as the hero. What’s wrong with that?
2. The Perfect Storm (2000)
You can’t discount this movie simply because of its title. You also can’t discount the fact that the movie is based on a true story. And you can’t discount the giant wave at the end, the one that finally – well, we won’t give it all away.
Suffice it to say, The Perfect Storm is also ‘The Perfect Movie’ if you love rain, rain, and lots more rain. It also packs some major star power with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and actors like John C. Reilly getting into the mix.
1. Twister (1996)
Is this the “Citizen Kane” of natural disaster movies? Maybe, maybe not – but what we do know is that Twister delivers major special effects for its time (1996), plenty of action (an outbreak of tornadoes, based on plausible scenarios – especially considering it’s set in Oklahoma), and a cast of colorful characters that include a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
This is the best natural disaster movie if you love storms.
Honorable Mentions
This list of the best natural disaster movies for kids can’t end here, as there are still some unmentioned good disaster movies for kids. Mentioned below are some bonus natural disaster movies that you shouldn’t miss if you happen to be a fan of the disaster genre!
- Volcano (1997)
- Armageddon (1998)
- Greenland (2020)
Did we miss any of the best natural disaster movies for kids on our list? Let us know in the comments below!