The Worst G-rated Movies of All Time

Owen Wilson voices the car Lightning McQueen, in Disney’s sequel to “Cars,” once again set in a world of anthropomorphic talking vehicles. McQueen has gone from a hungry rookie on the racetrack to a perennial champion. He soon learns of a new World Grand Prix and sets off to Tokyo to compete.

Produced by Steven Spielberg’s animate studio and based on a children’s book of the same name, the film follows anthropomorphic dinosaurs who have been transported to modern times. Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum said, “By the end, you’ll be glad they went extinct.”

“The Princess Diaries” returns for a second film, garnering significantly worse reviews than the first. Mia (Anne Hathaway) learns that this time around she must get married in 30 days if she wants to become queen of Genovia. Disney produced the film that bombed critically but was a success at the box office.

The cultural phenomenon of Pokémon jumped from television to the big screen for the first time with massive commercial success. It did well with critics in its native Japan but was criticized for poor English voice acting by critics in the United States.

Disney decided to produce a sequel to 1953’s “Peter Pan” nearly half a century after the release of the original. It did well commercially but the Rotten Tomatoes critic consensus is: “With its forgettable songs and lackluster story, this new Pan will surely entertain kids, but will feel more like a retread to adults.”

Another Disney product, “Chicken Little” is based on the Anglo-Saxon fairytale “Henny Penny” and follows an anthropomorphic chicken who is ridiculed by his town for believing the sky is falling. Leigh Paatsch of the Herald Sun (Australia) said, “The sky is falling, and so are the fortunes of this substandard animated comedy with each passing minute.”

Released at the height of the Vietnam war, the film starring John Wayne is starkly anti-communist and pro-South Vietnam. Wayne was extremely concerned about anti-war sentiment in the U.S. and set out to make a pro-military film. Roger Ebert thought the film was so bad that “It is offensive not only to those who oppose American policy but even to those who support it.”

A live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1961 animated film “101 Dalmatians” found far less critical praise than the original. Unlike the animated film, none of the animals in the live-action edition could speak. Scott Weinberg of eFilmCritic.com said it was a “Rather pointless literalization of a great cartoon that didn’t need it.”

The original “Planet of the Apes” was a landmark in cinema and storytelling. The first sequel (one of four) missed that mark. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus is that the film “delivers more action than its predecessor — unfortunately, at the expense of the social subtext that elevates the franchise’s best entries.”

The 3-D concert film follows singer Justin Bieber on his biggest tour at the time and includes interviews with friends and family about his background. The film did well at the box office but not so much with critics. Michael Dequina of TheMovieReport.com said it was “Something strictly for those stricken with Bieber Fever.”

The second film in the Pokémon franchise was also criticized for poor English voice acting but still found success at the box office. However, it’s hard to imagine a Pokémon film released at the height of the franchise’s grip on pop culture failing to sell tickets. John Monaghan at The Detroit Free Press said, “Just another plastic accessory in the wildly popular world of Pokémon.”

The third movie in the franchise received similar criticism to the first two – poor voice acting, and not enough appeal to those who weren’t already caught up in Pokémon mania. One critic, Tom Grealis of RTÉ (Ireland), even said, “Childless couples everywhere should rejoice.”

“The Pagemaster” combines animation and live action for a literary-themed adventure. A boy (Macauley Culkin) finds himself trapped in a magical library and must battle through classic works of fiction to escape. Critic Christy Lemire at ChristyLemire.com described it as “the kind of movie first-grade teachers would have popped into the VCR in the 1990s to kill time on a rainy afternoon.”

Lindsay Lohan stars in the sixth and final installment of the “The Love Bug” series about Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. The original 1968 film is considered a classic by many, but Rachel Wagner of Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube) called the 2005 sequel a “Forgettable Disney reboot.”

The fifth installment in the original “Planet of the Apes” series did very poorly with critics. Despite this, the 2014 and 2017 “Planet of the Apes” reboot films are based on a similar premise to “Battle for the Planet of the Apes.” Roger Ebert said, “Battle looks like the last gasp of a dying series, a movie made simply to wring the dollars out of any remaining ape fans.”

“Valiant” tells the animated story of a group of anthropomorphic carrier pigeons serving in World War II. Despite considerable voice acting talent from the likes of Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, and Tim Curry, Thomas Delapa of Boulder Weekly said the film is “Not the finest hour-and-a-half of British animation.”

The 3D concert film follows Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas on their Burnin’ Up Tour in 2008. It gave a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the pop stars but did not impress critics. However, the Rotten Tomatoes critic and audience scores differ dramatically. While 79% of audience reviews were favorable, critic Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com simply said, “canned and created by committee.”

The sequel to the 1996 live-action remake, “102” continues the story of a whole bunch of dalmatians trying to avoid capture by the evil Cruella de Vil. Tom Keogh from Film.com called it a “typical sequel from hell.”

“Space Chimps” follows three anthropomorphic chimpanzees who are launched into space, eventually landing on an alien inhabited planet. The talent of Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, and Jeff Daniels wasn’t enough to carry the stumbling plot. David Cornelius of DVDTalk.com simply said, “Nothing here works. At all.”

Beloved cartoon characters Tom and Jerry made their feature-film debut in 1992 to dismal reviews. The film notably gave Tom and Jerry voices for the first time and made them friends, which did not go over well. Geoff Andrew at Time Out called it, “A severely dull animated feature.”

Disney released “The Wild” in 2006 to criticism that it was eerily similar to DreamWorks’ 2005 film “Madagascar.” It follows a group of anthropomorphic animals who escape New York’s Central Park Zoo and accidentally end up shipwrecked in Africa. The Rotten Tomatoes critic consensus is that “there’s nothing wild about The Wild.”

The trio of singing chipmunks finds themselves stuck on an island deep in the Pacific Ocean after a disastrous attempt at parasailing. Critic John Hanlon at Big Hollywood said, “Set out the rodent traps for this lazy exercise in children’s entertainment.”

Tim Allen returns for a third film as Santa Clause, and this time he must reverse a spell cast by the dastardly Jack Frost. Bill Chambers of Film Freak Central said, “You look at a movie like this and wonder how some screenwriters can have the temerity to go on strike.”

Melanie Porter (Raven-Symoné) heads out with family and friends on a theoretically comedic ride across the country to visit Georgetown University. Matthew Pejkovic at Matt’s Movie Reviews called it “A gag inducing over the top mess of a family film.”

The sequel to Disney’s “The Jungle Book” came nearly 40 years after the original and was criticized for having a very similar plot to the first film. “This inferior rehash of The Jungle Book should have gone straight to video,” according to the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus.