Friends dancing close together at a crowded house party, lit by a camera flash
Roll camera

Movie charades

Movie titles are the heart of classic charades. This list has 274 films people recognise, from one-word titles that take seconds (Jaws, Up) to long ones that need every syllable sign (Close Encounters of the Third Kind). For series, see TV show charades; for Christmas films, Christmas charades.

Start each turn with the movie sign (crank an old film camera beside your head), show the number of words, and go. Family-friendly titles are marked in the generator's Kid-safe filter. Unsure about the signs? Check charades rules and hand signs.

MoviesEasy

Iron Man

 

Easy movie charades60 of 88

This set has 88 ideas. Start with "Frozen", "The Lion King", "Toy Story" — give each actor 30 to 60 seconds; it one clear gesture each, so the round moves fast and every player gets a fair turn.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 88 in this set, shown below

  • FrozenEasy
  • The Lion KingEasy
  • Toy StoryEasy
  • Finding NemoEasy
  • CarsEasy
  • ShrekEasy
  • UpEasy
  • MoanaEasy
  • AladdinEasy
  • CinderellaEasy
  • The Little MermaidEasy
  • Beauty and the BeastEasy
  • MadagascarEasy
  • Kung Fu PandaEasy
  • Despicable MeEasy
  • MinionsEasy
  • The IncrediblesEasy
  • Monsters, Inc.Easy
  • Ice AgeEasy
  • Peter PanEasy
  • DumboEasy
  • BambiEasy
  • BabeEasy
  • Happy FeetEasy
  • TangledEasy
  • CocoEasy
  • Inside OutEasy
  • The Jungle BookEasy
  • PaddingtonEasy
  • Home AloneEasy
  • ElfEasy
  • The Polar ExpressEasy
  • The GrinchEasy
  • E.T.Easy
  • TrollsEasy
  • SingEasy
  • The Secret Life of PetsEasy
  • How to Train Your DragonEasy
  • CasperEasy
  • Sonic the HedgehogEasy
  • JawsEasy
  • Bee MovieEasy
  • Chicken RunEasy
  • Stuart LittleEasy
  • Puss in BootsEasy
  • RioEasy
  • The Boss BabyEasy
  • Finding DoryEasy
  • Space JamEasy
  • Free WillyEasy
  • BeethovenEasy
  • Shark TaleEasy
  • TitanicEasy
  • Star WarsEasy
  • Jurassic ParkEasy
  • RockyEasy
  • Top GunEasy
  • SupermanEasy
  • BatmanEasy
  • Spider-ManEasy

Christmas movie charades

This set has 13 ideas. Start with "Arthur Christmas", "Klaus", "The Muppet Christmas Carol" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.

Best for: mixed-age groups, family night and first-time players · 13 in this set, shown below

  • Arthur ChristmasMedium
  • KlausMedium
  • The Muppet Christmas CarolMedium
  • The Nightmare Before ChristmasMedium
  • GremlinsMedium
  • The Santa ClauseMedium
  • Jingle All the WayMedium
  • A Christmas StoryMedium
  • The HolidayMedium
  • Love ActuallyMedium
  • It's a Wonderful LifeHard
  • Miracle on 34th StreetHard
  • National Lampoon's Christmas VacationHard
See the full list →

Family and animated films

This set has 30 ideas. Start with "Ratatouille", "Zootopia", "Encanto" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.

Best for: young children, classrooms and first rounds · 30 in this set, shown below

  • RatatouilleMedium
  • ZootopiaMedium
  • EncantoMedium
  • Mary PoppinsMedium
  • The Wizard of OzMedium
  • Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryMedium
  • AnnieMedium
  • Snow White and the Seven DwarfsMedium
  • Sleeping BeautyMedium
  • Lilo & StitchMedium
  • MulanMedium
  • PinocchioMedium
  • 101 DalmatiansMedium
  • BraveMedium
  • WALL-EMedium
  • Big Hero 6Medium
  • Wreck-It RalphMedium
  • Hotel TransylvaniaMedium
  • Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsMedium
  • MegamindMedium
  • StorksMedium
  • BoltMedium
  • LucaMedium
  • Honey, I Shrunk the KidsMedium
  • Flushed AwayMedium
  • Over the HedgeMedium
  • Turning RedHard
  • SoulHard
  • ElementalHard
  • My Neighbor TotoroHard

Medium movie charades80 of 99

This set has 99 ideas. Start with "The Empire Strikes Back", "Return of the Jedi", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.

Best for: teens and adults, office and dinner-party tables · 99 in this set, shown below

  • The Empire Strikes BackMedium
  • Return of the JediMedium
  • Raiders of the Lost ArkMedium
  • Top Gun: MaverickMedium
  • The Dark KnightMedium
  • AquamanMedium
  • Black PantherMedium
  • The AvengersMedium
  • Captain AmericaMedium
  • Guardians of the GalaxyMedium
  • Ant-ManMedium
  • Doctor StrangeMedium
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's StoneMedium
  • The Lord of the RingsMedium
  • The HobbitMedium
  • The Hunger GamesMedium
  • DivergentMedium
  • The Maze RunnerMedium
  • High School MusicalMedium
  • Freaky FridayMedium
  • Mean GirlsMedium
  • CluelessMedium
  • The Princess DiariesMedium
  • Legally BlondeMedium
  • The MaskMedium
  • Dumb and DumberMedium
  • Ace Ventura: Pet DetectiveMedium
  • Liar LiarMedium
  • Bruce AlmightyMedium
  • Groundhog DayMedium
  • Forrest GumpMedium
  • Cast AwayMedium
  • Men in BlackMedium
  • Independence DayMedium
  • ArmageddonMedium
  • TransformersMedium
  • Dirty DancingMedium
  • Notting HillMedium
  • The NotebookMedium
  • You've Got MailMedium
  • La La LandMedium
  • CasablancaMedium
  • Gone with the WindMedium
  • Singin' in the RainMedium
  • VertigoMedium
  • The GooniesMedium
  • FootlooseMedium
  • BeetlejuiceMedium
  • Edward ScissorhandsMedium
  • Hocus PocusMedium
  • LabyrinthMedium
  • The Princess BrideMedium
  • Cool RunningsMedium
  • The Mighty DucksMedium
  • The Parent TrapMedium
  • EnchantedMedium
  • The SandlotMedium
  • Happy GilmoreMedium
  • The WaterboyMedium
  • Big DaddyMedium
  • The ProposalMedium
  • Marley & MeMedium
  • Life of PiMedium
  • DuneMedium
  • A Quiet PlaceMedium
  • Knives OutMedium
  • Mission: ImpossibleMedium
  • GoldfingerMedium
  • SkyfallMedium
  • The Fast and the FuriousMedium
  • WickedMedium
  • The MummyMedium
  • Mrs. DoubtfireMedium
  • School of RockMedium
  • The Sound of MusicMedium
  • HairsprayMedium
  • The Greatest ShowmanMedium
  • Big FishMedium
  • The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeMedium
  • The MatrixMedium

Hard movie charades

This set has 44 ideas. Start with "Inception", "Interstellar", "The Truman Show" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.

Best for: teens and adults, office and dinner-party tables · 44 in this set, shown below

  • InceptionHard
  • InterstellarHard
  • The Truman ShowHard
  • Sleepless in SeattleHard
  • The Devil Wears PradaHard
  • Crazy Rich AsiansHard
  • Breakfast at Tiffany'sHard
  • Some Like It HotHard
  • Roman HolidayHard
  • Rear WindowHard
  • North by NorthwestHard
  • Ben-HurHard
  • Lawrence of ArabiaHard
  • The Great EscapeHard
  • 2001: A Space OdysseyHard
  • Close Encounters of the Third KindHard
  • Ferris Bueller's Day OffHard
  • The NeverEnding StoryHard
  • Remember the TitansHard
  • 50 First DatesHard
  • The Social NetworkHard
  • MoneyballHard
  • Hidden FiguresHard
  • Casino RoyaleHard
  • The Bourne IdentityHard
  • 10 Things I Hate About YouHard
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHard
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemHard
  • Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeHard
  • Spirited AwayHard
  • GoodfellasHard
  • The Silence of the LambsHard
  • The Shawshank RedemptionHard
  • Good Will HuntingHard
  • The Wolf of Wall StreetHard
  • When Harry Met SallyHard
  • Jerry MaguireHard
  • Saturday Night FeverHard
  • Stand by MeHard
  • The Good, the Bad and the UglyHard
  • Slumdog MillionaireHard
  • OppenheimerHard
  • Everything Everywhere All at OnceHard
  • ParasiteHard

64 cards from this list, eight to a page with cut lines and card backs for double-sided printing. Free PDF.

US Letter PDFA4 PDF

Questions

What are good movies for charades?

Films with short, actable titles that most of the room has seen: Jaws, Titanic, Frozen, Speed, Up, Twister. Avoid titles that are only names, unless the name can be acted.

How do you act out a movie in charades?

Make the movie sign (cranking a film camera), hold up fingers for the number of words, then act each word. Tap your forearm with fingers to show syllables, and cup your ear for "sounds like".

What are easy movie charades for kids?

Animated films children know: Frozen, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Toy Story. The family section above lists them.

What are hard movie charades?

Long or abstract titles: Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Shawshank Redemption, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Where do the film titles come from?

We start from the films with the most Wikipedia language editions (via Wikidata) as a measure of how widely known they are, then hand-pick titles that can be acted. Only titles are listed.