The best kids’ shows and movies to stream during school holidays

Somehow, it’s already the September school holidays, and then there’s just a term left in the year…Showmax has put together a timely watchlist for your kids as they decompress this holiday.

Headspace | Stream from Thursday, 19 September | PG V

The most watched local film at South African cinemas last year, Headspace follows 14-year-old Norman, voiced by SAFTA winner Bonko Khoza (The Wife, Red Ink). 

When a freak accident sees three nanosized aliens take up residence inside his brain, Norman discovers they need his help to save Earth from Zolthard, an intergalactic villain who is stuck in the school principal’s head. 

Up for Best Animation at the 2024 SAFTAs, Headspace comes to Showmax after cinema runs in Australia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. 

The first feature film from Joburg studio Luma (Shaka Ilembe), Headspace has also been dubbed into Afrikaans, Swahili and Zulu versions. 

Migration | Stream now | Ages 6+

Take flight into the thrill of the unknown in Migration, another #1 blockbuster from Illumination, the studio that gave us Despicable Me, Minions, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets. 

Overprotective mallard duck dad Mack just wants to keep his family safe in their pond, but his family wants the holiday of a lifetime. 

At the 2024 Annie Awards, Tresi Gazal was nominated for Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for her feature film debut as the voice of little Gwen. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Kumail Nanjiani and three-time Emmy nominee Elizabeth Banks as Gwen’s parents, not to mention the likes of Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key, Emmy nominee Awkwafina and Oscar nominee Danny DeVito. 

Despite a screenplay by Emmy winner Mike White (The White Lotus), Common Sense Media recommends Migration for ages 6+ in their 4/5-star review, calling the animation, “a charming choice for all ages to watch together.” 

Twende S1 | Stream now | Ages 7+

Up for Best Animation at the 2024 SAFTAs, Twende follows a pangolin of the same name, the slowest moving animal in the savannah. Twende’s belief that, “Life is about the journey, not the destination” is constantly at odds with his job as a motorbike taxi driver. 

The Showmax Original is produced by London-based Braintrust and Johannesburg-based Mind’s Eye Creative, with Greig Cameron (Seal Team, Supa Strikas) as the showrunner and an all-star writing team that includes the likes of Supa Team 4 creator Malenga Mulendema and Kizazi Moto’s Vanessa Kanu. Junior Nyong’o voices Twende. 

Twende’s pilot screened in competition at Annecy, the world’s premier animation festival. As Yalezo Njuguna says on his All That Yazz podcast, “Twende is genuinely my highlight of things I’ve watched within African animation. It is so funny.”

Blue Beetle | Stream now | Ages 12+

In Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai and Parenthood) stumbles upon an ancient alien tech called the Scarab. When the Scarab picks Jaime to be its host, he gets an epic suit of armour with wild and unpredictable powers, flipping his life upside down. 

Blue Beetle was nominated for Best Superhero Movie at the 2024 Critics Choice Super Awards, where Maridueña was up for Best Actor in the category. 

Recommending Blue Beetle for ages 12+, and listing it among the Best Movies of the Year: 2023, Common Sense Media calls the film, “a breath of fresh air in a packed superhero market,” saying, “A Latino superhero is long overdue in the DCEU, and this warm, funny adventure makes it worth the wait.” 

Blue Beetle also features Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza (Thor, Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Critics Choice nominee Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Emmy-winning comedian George Lopez, and singer Becky G. 

Star Trek: Prodigy S1 | Binge now | Ages 7+

Star Trek: Prodigy invites younger viewers (and grown-up fans) to boldly go and explore the galaxy alongside a motley crew of teen aliens who hijack a derelict Starfleet vessel to escape enslavement. 

Developed by brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman (Trollhunters), Star Trek: Prodigy won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and was nominated for Outstanding Animated Series. 

Star Trek: Prodigy has a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4/5-star rating from Common Sense Media, where they recommend it for ages 7+, saying “Star Trek: Prodigy is a treat for the eyes… Entertaining, fun, and fast-paced… bringing new life to the beloved franchise for the next generation… Although intended for a younger audience, this new take on a treasured series can be enjoyed by the whole family.” 

The star-studded voice cast includes the likes of Annie Award winner Ella Purnell (Jinx in Arcane), Star Trek: Voyager alums Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), People’s Choice nominee Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Emmy nominee  Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), and Looney Tunes royalty Eric Bauza (whose voice credits include Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck). 

Knuckles S1 | First on Showmax | Ages 9+

For the Sonic the Hedgehog and Idris Elba fans

The most-watched kids and family title ever on Paramount+, this Sonic The Hedgehog spinoff follows Knuckles as he tries to teach his protegé Wade the ways of the echidna warrior.

Knuckles is once again voiced by Emmy nominee Idris Elba, with Critics Choice nominee Adam Pally as Wade.

IGN Movies says, “Knuckles is an absolute riot”, calling the six-part miniseries “laugh-a-minute.”

Barbie | First on Showmax | Ages 11+

For everyone who’s owned a Barbie. And the haters too.

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

With two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie in the title role, Barbie was the biggest blockbuster of 2023 globally and is the highest-grossing live-action comedy of all time.

Barbie won more than 190 awards and was up for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Screenplay (for director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noam Baumbach), Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling as Ken and Supporting Actress for America Ferrera as Gloria.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Ages 9+

Winner of Best Animated Feature, 2024 Critics Choice Awards

The Oscar-nominated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse reunites Miles Morales with Gwen Stacy and catapults him across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles has to redefine what it means to be a hero if he’s to save the people he loves most.

Across the Spider-Verse was the sixth-biggest blockbuster of 2023 and won Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards. It’s #37 on IMDb’s Top Rated Movies of All Time, with a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Miles is once again voiced by Critics Choice nominee Shameik Moore, with Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy. Listen out for the likes of Emmy nominee Issa Rae, Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry, and Oscar winners Mahershala Ali and Daniel Kaluuya.

Showmax is also streaming Sony Pictures Animation favourites like Hotel Transylvania 1-3.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The biggest animated opening of all-time, and the biggest global opening of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie follows a couple of plumbers named Mario and Luigi, a princess named Peach, and an evil Koopa king known as Bowser … Sound familiar? That’s because the animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, from Nintendo and Illumination, is based on the classic megahit Mario video game franchise loved by generations of kids and kids-at-heart. 

The film’s all-star voice cast is led by Kids’ Choice winner Chris Pratt (Owen Grady in the Jurassic World movies, and Marvel’s Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord) as Mario and Emmy nominee Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) as Princess Peach. Critics Choice nominee Charlie Day (Charlie in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the voice of Benny in The Lego Movies) voices Luigi, with Kids’ Choice winner Jack Black (the Jumanji and Goosebumps movies, School of Rock, and the voice of Kung Fu Panda’s Po) as the villainous Bowser.

Common Sense Media recommends the film for ages 7+, while Variety says The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s “ingenuity is infectious. You don’t have to be a Mario fan to respond to it, but the film is going to remind the millions who are why they call it a joystick.” 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Ages 11+

The fifth-biggest movie in South Africa in 2023, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts centres on ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz and artefact research intern Elena Wallace as they work with the Maximals and the Beasties to fight an invasion that threatens to consume Earth. It’s both a prequel to 2007’s original Transformers and a standalone sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee.

Directed by Black Reel winner Steven Caple Jr (Creed II), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stars Emmy nominees Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) and Dominique Fishback (Swarm, Judas and the Black Messiah) as Noah and Elena, with Grammy nominee Tobe Nwigwe as Reek. Also listen out for the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Colman Domingo and award-winning Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Chirisa as transformers.

Geeks hails it as “perhaps the best Transformers movie since the first.”

Also watch the first six Transformers movies on Showmax, starting (chronologically) with Bumblebee.

The Flash | Ages 13+

The #20 biggest movie of 2023, DC’s The Flash sees worlds collide when Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past. But his attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.

The Flash is directed by multi-award winner Andy Muschietti (the It films), with Ezra Miller reprising their Justice League role as Barry Allen. The stacked support cast includes Oscar nominees Michael Keaton and Michael Shannon as well as cameos from the likes of Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and more.

CNN.com says The Flash “wears its love for the comics that inspired it on its crimson-streaked sleeve. Funny, action-packed and effectively touching…” while Rotten Tomatoes calls it, “one of the best DC movies in recent years.”

Showmax is also home to DC Comics favourites like Aquaman, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Black Adam, Man of Steel, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Trolls Band Together | Ages 6+

Poppy and Branch are finally a couple: #broppy. As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch and his brothers were once her favourite boyband, BroZone. When Branch’s closest brother is kidnapped, he and Poppy go on a journey to reunite his family, get the band back together, and rescue Floyd.

Oscar nominees Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake voice Poppy and Branch, with Joburg-born Grammy nominee Troye Sivan as Floyd.

RogerEbert.com says Trolls Band Together is the best of the three Trolls movies – “sweet without being sugary, colourful, and very charming, with terrific voice talent and a lot of music.”

Fun fact for parents: Timberlake’s 90s boy band NSYNC reunited for the movie with their first song in more than 20 years, the award-winning Better Place.

Showmax is also streaming DreamWorks’ first Trolls movie.

Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie | Ages 5+

When a meteor crashlands in Adventure City, it gives the Paw Patrol superpowers, transforming them into The Mighty Pups.

In their 4/5-star review, Common Sense Media says, “The adorable rescue pups continue to charm little kids and their parents, and this sweet sequel reminds all viewers that even the tiny can be mighty.”

Listen out for Emmy nominee Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Skye and multi-award-winning Sweet Tooth star Christian Convery as Chase.

Showmax is also streaming Paw Patrol S3-9 as well as the specials Jet To The Rescue; Mighty Pups; and Ready, Race, Rescue.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | Ages 8+

After years of being sheltered from the human world, the teenage mutant ninja turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers by taking on a mysterious crime syndicate.

This year, Mutant Mayhem was nominated as Best Animated Film at the Annie and Critics Choice Awards, as well as Best Superhero Movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards, where Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) was up for Best Actress.

Also listen out for the likes of Paul Rudd, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Post Malone, Ice Cube, Emmy winner Maya Rudolph, YouTube phenomenon Mr. Beast, and Emmy nominees Giancarlo Esposito, Rose Byrne,
and Seth Rogen, who also wrote the script.

Mutant Mayhem is the best reviewed film (or series) in the franchise yet, with a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes as “an animated treat for the whole family.”

Showmax is also streaming Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles S2-4.

The Amazing Maurice | Ages 8+

Based on Terry Pratchett’s Carnegie Medal-winning novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (which was in turn inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s Pied Piper of Hamelin), The Amazing Maurice follows a sassy, street-smart ginger cat with a sneaky disposition. Together with his band of rats and pied-piper friend Keith, he travels across the countryside, swindling villagers with a staged rat plague. But when the gang sets its sights on a scenic market town, they quickly realise that someone else got there first… 

The all-star voice cast is led by Emmy nominees Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) as Maurice, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones) as story narrator Malicia, Himesh Patel (Dr Watson in Enola Holmes 2) as Keith, and David Thewlis (Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter movies and Grail in Enola Holmes 2) as the dastardly Boss Man, with Emmy winner David Tennant (Doctor Who, Crowley in Good Omens) as Dangerous Beans. 

In their four-star review, Common Sense Media recommends the film for ages 8+, saying, “This fun-packed animation captures the [Terry Pratchett] magic that appeals on multiple levels to kids and adults alike.”

Fright Krewe | Ages 9+

An ancient prophecy and a Voodoo queen put misfit teens in charge of saving New Orleans from the biggest demonic threat it’s faced in almost two centuries. 

The team is catapulted into discovering the town’s biggest secret – that vampires, rougarous, ghosts, monsters and demons are in fact very real. But, honestly? Saving the world might be easier than becoming friends… 

Co-created by Fangoria Hall of Famer Eli Roth (The House With A Clock In Its Walls) and Black Reel Award nominee James Frey (I Am Number Four), Fright Krewe is a Peacock Kids Original from DreamWorks Animation. 

In their four-star review, Common Sense Media recommends the series for ages 9+. As Polygon says, “Fright Krewe has all the makings of a show that could be the next big thing — and maybe even redefine audience expectations for all-ages animation.”

Genie | Ages 8+

From Richard Curtis, the Oscar-nominated writer of Love Actually and Notting Hill, comes Genie, a fairy-tale comedy about a workaholic man who enlists the help of a genie to help win his family back before Christmas.

Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London, The Capture) and two-time Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) co-star, opposite the likes of Critics Choice nominee Marc Maron (GLOW), four-time Emmy nominee Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Screen Actors Guild winner Luis Guzmán (Wednesday) and Deneé Brenton (The Gilded Age). 

Love Life creator Sam Boyd directs Genie, which is recommended for 8+ by Common Sense Media. 

Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky S1 | Ages 5+

Heroes take flight and friendship soars in the animated series Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, from DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise, based on the beloved books by Cressida Cowell.

The series follows the adventures of Viking twins Dak and Leyla, and their young dragon friends Winger, Summer, Cutter and Burple. Raised by dragons, the twins can talk to them and understand them. Together, they help rescue dragons in distress, as well as the people of their hometown, Huttsgalor.  

The show has a four-star rating on Common Sense Media, where it’s recommended for ages 5+. As they say, this “charming and delightful entry into the How to Train Your Dragon franchise… is more friendly to younger kids than the original movie series.”

Dragons: The Nine Realms S1 | First on Showmax | Age 8+

The future of dragons is here, with the Emmy-nominated animated adventure series Dragons: The Nine Realms.

Set 1 300 years after the events of DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon, dragons are now just a legend to the modern world. When a geological anomaly opens up an immense, miles-deep fissure in the Earth’s surface, scientists from all over the world gather at a new research facility to study the mysterious phenomenon. But it’s not long before a group of misfit kids uncovers the truth about dragons and where they’ve been hiding – a secret they must keep to themselves to protect what they’ve discovered.

Recommending the series for ages 8+, Common Sense Media gives Dragons: The Nine Realms a 4/5-star rating, saying, “super fun for kids and grown-ups alike… Dragons: The Nine Realms has a great mixture of awesome dragon scenes, teenage friendships, and scientific mystery,” and adding that, “Families who enjoyed the original movies will have a great time watching this series together.”

You can also watch the Oscar-nominated How To Train Your Dragon 2 on Showmax.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates S1-2 | PG

Ten-year-old Tom Gates has loads of brilliant skills – looking busy in class when really he’s doodling a picture of his teacher; writing songs for his band (Dog Zombies); annoying his grumpy sister Delia; thinking of excellent excuses (so many!) if he forgets his homework; and doodling pictures of his friends and monsters (sometimes both).

Named Best Mixed-Media Series at the 2023 Kidscreen Awards, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates comes to (animated) life in a brilliant show, with brilliant drawing tutorials, catchy songs to sing, epic things to make and do, and, of course, hilarious stories with Tom’s friends and family.

The show is based on the multi-award-winning book series by Liz Pinchon (which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide and been translated into 44 languages!), who pops up in each episode with crazy-clever craft projects and doodles you can doodle too. Also listen out for likes of multiple-BAFTA nominee Catherine Tate (Doctor Who, The Catherine Tate Show) among the voice cast..

Fireheart | Ages 7+

The animated family film Fireheart is set in 1930s New York, where girls can’t be firefighters. But 16-year-old Georgia Nolan (Teen Choice nominee Olivia Cooke from Ready Player One) dreams of changing that.

When Broadway is hit by a series of mysterious arson attacks and firemen start disappearing, Georgia’s former-firefighter dad, Shawn (Oscar winner Kenneth Branagh, who played Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), is brought out of retirement to lead the investigation. Desperate to help her father and save her city, Georgia disguises herself as a young man called “Joe” and joins a group of misfit firefighters determined to save the day.

Also listen out for the voices of Emmy winner William Shatner (Star Trek’s Captain James T Kirk) and Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Laurie Holden (The Americans).

In its 4/5-star review, Common Sense Media recommends Fireheart for kids aged 7+, saying, “A celebration of courage, teamwork, family, and empathy, this splendid animated adventure is a roaring success.”

The Loud House | Ages 8+

The latest season of The Loud House brings even more fun with 11-year-old Lincoln Loud and his right-hand man Clyde, as they try to survive Lincoln’s 10 sisters and the craziness of life in the Loud house.

The winner of two Emmy Awards and a Young Artist Award, the show has also been nominated for six further Emmys, an Annie Award, three Kids’ Choice Awards, and four GLAAD Media Awards.

In their four-star review, Common Sense Media says, “Kids will come to The Loud House for the laughs, but they’ll return for the excellent ensemble cast and the surprisingly heartwarming themes.”

Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan | PG10-12

Nominated for a 2021 Kids’ Choice Award, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan follows aspiring hip-hop artist Dylan, whose grandmother decides to send him to live indefinitely with her wealthy son’s family. The Wilson family household is soon turned upside-down as lifestyles clash between the aspiring hip-hop star and his straight-laced cousins.

The series stars child rapping sensation Dylan Gilmer (America’s Got Talent, The Ellen DeGeneres Show) aka Young Dylan, alongside co-stars Aloma Wright (Scrubs, Suits, Private Practice), and Image Award nominee Carl Anthony Payne II (Zulu Wedding, Martin), along with Celina Smith, whose performance earned her the 2021 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series.

Common Sense Media recommends the show for ages 9+, calling it, “a positive, family-themed comedy series aimed towards tweens,” and comparing it to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Young Dylan has also already been renewed for a third season.

His Dark Materials S1-3 | Ages 13+

The third and final season of the HBO and BBC One fantasy epic, His Dark Materials, is based on The Amber Spyglass, the final novel in Philip Pullman’s Carnegie-winning book trilogy, which was listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time.

Season 3 follows Lyra (MTV Movie Award winner Dafne Keen from Logan) and Will (Emmy nominee Amir Wilson from The Secret Garden) as they journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned. As her father’s great war against the Authority edges closer, they will learn that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price.

Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, tick, tick… BOOM!) returns as Lee Scoresby, with BAFTA winner Ruth Wilson (Saving Mr. Banks, Luther) as Mrs Coulter, and BAFTA nominee James McAvoy (X-Men’s Charles Xavier) as Lord Asriel. British-Nigerian Black Reel nominee Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World, Lost) joins the cast this season, along with the likes of Emmy nominee Sian Clifford (Fleabag) and Ghanaian-British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Superworm and Mary Poppins Returns).

Season 3 ended with a series high rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Radio Times hailing it as “a stunning end… a thrilling, immersive treat… crammed with fist-pumping and eye-moistening moments.

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