Summer’s Not Over Yet: 10 Family Picks to Watch Before School Starts
Before alarms, lunchboxes, and homework make their grand return, there’s still time for one more couch hang.
Somehow, summer break always moves in two speeds: slow-motion pool day and suddenly it’s August panic.
But before the alarm clocks return to the chat, there’s still time for a few more family watch nights. The kind where the snacks are casual and nobody has to think about permission slips yet.
From animated adventures to nostalgic cartoons and big-screen Pokémon chaos, these family-friendly movies and shows on Tubi are here for the final stretch of summer.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
If your family movie night needs color, chaos, and approximately 300 food puns, this is the pick. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 brings Flint Lockwood back into a world where food has evolved into living creatures, which is exactly as wonderfully ridiculous as it sounds.
It’s bright, silly, fast-moving, and packed with the kind of jokes that work for kids while still giving adults something to smirk at. Basically, it’s the cinematic equivalent of ordering dessert before dinner because summer rules still technically apply.
Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
Before there were true-crime podcasts, there was Mystery Inc. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! follows Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred as they roll from one suspiciously haunted location to the next, solving mysteries that usually involve ghosts, monsters, and one very committed adult in a costume.
The spooky vibes stay light, the chase scenes stay chaotic, and Scooby and Shaggy remain two icons who would risk it all for a snack. Plus, there’s something extra fun about introducing kids to a cartoon parents probably watched during their own school-break days.
Looney Tunes
Some things change. Bugs Bunny being three steps ahead of everyone? Thankfully, not one of them. Looney Tunes brings together Bugs, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, Porky Pig, and the rest of the crew for cartoon chaos that has been making families laugh for generations.
And if summer has to end, it might as well go out with a proper “That’s all, folks!” The episodes are short, the energy is unhinged, and somehow a falling anvil is still funny after all these years. It’s the kind of watch that doesn’t need much planning. Just press play and let the cartoon chaos take it from there.
The Addams Family 2
Nothing says “family bonding” quite like the Addams family packing up the car for a road trip. In The Addams Family 2, Morticia and Gomez take Wednesday, Pugsley, and the rest of the wonderfully weird crew on a cross-country adventure in hopes of spending a little more quality time together. Naturally, things get strange fast.
With unexpected stops and roadside attractions, the Addamses’ trip has all the ingredients of one last summer getaway ... just significantly weirder. There’s family bonding, a packed itinerary, and enough chaos to make your own vacation stories seem pretty tame by comparison.
The Powerpuff Girls
Townsville is under attack! Which can only mean one thing: somebody go get the kindergarteners. The Powerpuff Girls turns the usual superhero setup wonderfully upside down, with Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup flying into action against everything from giant monsters to the forever-iconic Mojo Jojo.
The best part? Between all that world-saving, they’re still kids with school, bedtime, and a Professor waiting at home. So before school bells start ringing again, there’s still time to spend a few more summer afternoons saving the day from the comfort of the couch.
Dexter's Laboratory
Genius-level IQ? Check. Secret laboratory? Check. Older sister with absolutely no respect for a “do not touch” policy? Unfortunately, also check. Dexter’s Laboratory sends its pint-sized scientist from one over-the-top experiment to the next, usually with Dee Dee nearby to make things significantly more complicated.
Between Dexter’s big-brain schemes and Dee Dee’s unmatched talent for creating chaos, the show makes science feel a lot more fun than anything waiting in a textbook. Consider it a little extracurricular experimentation for the last days of summer. No homework, safety goggles, or actual lab report required.
Animaniacs
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are out of the water tower, which is great news for us and significantly worse news for everyone else. Animaniacs unleashes the Warner siblings on a world of rapid-fire jokes, ridiculous songs, celebrity spoofs, and cartoon chaos where basically anything, and anyone, is fair game.
Kids get the slapstick, grown-ups get the jokes that somehow flew completely over their heads the first time around, and everybody gets Yakko, Wakko, and Dot at maximum chaos. Not a bad crew to hang with while those long, lazy summer afternoons are still on the schedule.
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
Imagine oversleeping and accidentally setting your entire destiny in motion. That’s more or less how things go for Ash in Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, which kicks off with his famously rocky introduction to Pikachu before the two head out on a much bigger adventure.
It’s got legendary Pokémon, big battles, and enough friendship feels to remind you why this duo has stuck around for so long. Basically, it’s the perfect excuse to spend one of those final summer afternoons pretending your next great adventure is waiting right outside the front door.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution
Mewtwo has entered the chat and it has some questions about humanity. Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution brings Ash, Pikachu, and the gang face-to-face with one seriously powerful Pokémon who has a few complicated feelings about how (and why) it was created. Cue the mysterious invitation, an island full of Trainers, and a Pokémon showdown that gets much bigger than anyone signed up for.
The updated animation gives this classic adventure a shiny new Poké Ball, while all the battles, friendship, and surprisingly big feelings are still along for the ride. If the final days of summer call for going big, this is your chance: legendary stakes, plenty of Pikachu, and one more epic adventure before the backpacks make their comeback.
The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!
What happens when the key to ruling the world is suddenly up for grabs? Every villain in Townsville wants in, obviously. The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! throws Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup into a super-sized scramble involving familiar bad guys, big egos, and enough chaos to make an average day in Townsville look surprisingly chill.
With practically every familiar face getting pulled into the madness, this special feels like Townsville turning the chaos dial all the way up. Queue it up while summer still has a little Chemical X left in the tank and the family schedule can accommodate one more mission before school takes over.