5 Best Child Characters in Movies (& 5 Worst)

Movies can be made or broken by their characters, and while kids in particular can be the spirit of a film, they can also completely ruin the intended purpose. Kid characters in movies have the magical ability to make a story heartwarming, but they also have the chance to become a pest that disrupts the plot for no reason. They’re not meant for every film, but adding a kid character can be a huge risk, and it’s one that a lot of filmmakers take.

Kids can be a great tool to help make parents in movies more sympathetic, whether because the child is absolutely adorable, or because they’re a piece of work the parent never gives up on. Sometimes, the kids stand out on their own and might even outshine the main characters. They can also be the protagonists, which gives them extra opportunity to shine.

10 Best: Mary Adler From Gifted (2017)

Played by Mckenna Grace

Gifted follows Mary Adler, one of the movies’ best child prodigies, as she struggles with her gifts. Her intelligence is discovered and everyone wants to use it to their advantage, despite her wishes. McKenna Grace is amazing in every role that she plays, but this one is a stand-out. She’s smart and funny, but when she has an emotional scene, she knocks it out of the park. Mary is a child who has seemingly endless layers and acts a lot more grown-up than she is. The relationship between her and her uncle (played by Chris Evans) is the endearing heart of the film that makes her so lovable.

9 Worst: Veruca Salt From Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Played by Julie Dawn Cole

All the children in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory are terrible. They’re selfish and poor at decision-making, but Veruca Salt takes the cake. Throughout the film, she is being spoiled by her father. She is loud and obnoxious, and her behavior affects a lot of other people around her, but her parents don’t seem to care. She always demands that she gets what she wants immediately when she wants it. Ultimately, Veruca gets labeled as a bad egg and falls down a chute because of her behavior, which is at least some justice for her actions.

8 Best: Matilda From Matilda (1996)

Played by Mara Wilson

The title character of Matilda is one of the brightest and kindest characters in cinema, despite her horrible living situation. Matilda is a little girl who has magical powers and grows up in a house where everyone despises her because she’s not as materialistic as the rest of her family. She grows an attachment to her new teacher, Ms. Honey, because of her big brain and sweet disposition. Together, they defeat Matilda’s family and the school’s evil principal, Ms. Trunchbull. Matilda is a kind girl not afraid to stand up for herself and others, which makes her better than many adult characters.

7 Worst: Sid From Toy Story (1995)

Voiced by Erik von Detten

Toy Story is an animated feature with a lot of family-friendly messages at its core, but one thing that is too often overlooked is the character Sid. While trying to return to Andy after falling off the moving truck, Buzz and Woody end up at Sid’s house, where he is seen dismantling and re-configuring the toys he finds. It’s creepy and an unnecessary element of the story that’s even more unsettling considering the premise of the movie is that toys come to life and have a conscience of their own.

6 Best: Hermione Granger From The Harry Potter Movies (2001-2011)

Played by Emma Watson

Hermione Granger is a smart and talented witch, possibly the brightest of her generation. She comes off as a know-it-all at the beginning of the Harry Potter film franchise, but that intelligence is vital for the survival of literally every other character. Harry and Ron would be dead 10 times over without Hermione. Not only is she a smart and kind character, but she’s also not afraid to stand up for herself and anyone else she cares about. She uses her seemingly endless knowledge of spells as a way to protect her friends from evil, and she even punches Draco Malfoy during one iconic moment.

5 Worst: Rachel Ferrier From War Of The Worlds (2005)

Played by Dakota Fanning

Rachel Ferrier is one of the protagonists of Steven Spielberg’s version of War of the Worlds, but that doesn’t make her a good character. Her main job in the movie is to uncontrollably scream when anything happens — or even when nothing does. This gets her family into trouble and, more often than not, just annoys her father and brother. Her father also has to carry her the entire movie, and while he is capable, that does not make the task any easier for the entirety of War of the Worlds.

4 Best: Sophie From My Spy (2020)

Played by Chloe Coleman

My Spy follows a secret agent (played by Dave Bautista) who investigates a crime alongside Sophie, the child who discovers him. They quickly form a friendship, and eventually, he dates her mother (Parisa Fitz-Henley). Sophie and her mom end up being at the heart of the attack that the spy is trying to weed out. Sophie is one of the best forms of comic relief in this film. She is great at humanizing the main character, who is a pretty apathetic hero at the beginning. There are side plots with her that also create more in-depth character development for the entire main cast of characters and keep the movie lighthearted.

3 Worst: Charlie Calvin From The Santa Clause (1994)

Played by Eric Lloyd

Charlie Calvin is a cute kid, but he’s also the reason that his father, Scott, has so much trouble becoming Santa Claus. Charlie won’t stop talking about the fact that his dad is Santa, and all of this inspires his mother and stepfather to file a court case to get custody revoked from Scott. While the situation is eventually figured out, the entire movie is filled with unnecessary angst and tension for Charlie’s father. If he had stopped talking about his dad being Santa, then the issues wouldn’t have existed and his whole transition would have been way easier.

2 Best: Lucy Pevensie From The Chronicles Of Narnia Movies (2005-2010)

Played by Georgie Henley

The Chronicles of Narnia film franchise follows siblings growing up in between the magical world of Narnia and a war-torn England. The Chronicles of Narnia is full of memorable quotes and moments, and many involve Lucy Pevensie. She’s the youngest of the children, and while younger siblings have a tendency to be annoying in movies, Lucy is one of the better parts of the franchise. She approaches everything with endless belief and the desire to learn. She never has a closed heart, despite this trait getting her into danger at times. Even when the creatures surrounding her have the potential to be scary or weird, she just loves them anyway.

1 Worst: Dudley Dursley From The Harry Potter Movies (2001-2011)

Played by Harry Melling

One of the most obnoxious and entitled kids in movie history is Dudley Dursley. He is Harry Potter’s cousin and tormentor whenever the boy wizard lives at his aunt and uncle’s house. Dudley starts the franchise ranting about how 40 birthday presents aren’t enough. Throughout the Harry Potter films, he is rude to his family, which almost gives him points because of how awful they are too, and he unrelentingly bullies Harry about his dead parents and the fact that he doesn’t have friends in their town. Dudley changes after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but that growth isn’t developed enough to truly vindicate him.