What makes a team awesome?
Is it having the most talented individuals working together toward a common goal?
Should a visionary be at the helm?
Is it where every member understands the value of effective communication?
Actually, it’s all of the above and then some.
Today’s collection of movies about teamwork showcases what we can achieve by working together. Each of the films provides clues regarding the important characteristics of stellar teams.
Success—whether in business, sports, academics, families, or at work—is made possible through the concerted efforts of every team member.
Having a good leader is important, but when everyone on the team pitches in, awesome things happen.
Before we get to our list of movies for this collection, let’s briefly talk about the hallmarks of a great team.
Characteristics of an Awesome Team
The following traits are common in teams geared for success:
Continue reading for today’s movie collection. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed compiling it for you!
1. Invictus
This inspiring movie was based on true events during the time when Nelson Mandela was newly elected as the president of South Africa.
At that time, South Africa was still reeling from the aftermath of apartheid. Mandela reached out to the captain of the country’s rugby team in an effort to unite South African citizens.
In this movie, several teams collaborated to help the South African nation stand together, united in the common hope of victory.
2. Avengers: Endgame
This is one of the most successful movies set in the MCU and is also a great example when you’re looking for a movie that shows what strong teamwork can achieve.
The movie shows several important aspects of teamwork:
3. Ocean's Eleven
Ocean’s 11 is a heist movie that also offers several important lessons about the value of good teamwork.
In order to pull off their planned heist, all members of Danny Ocean’s team had to learn to value effective communication.
Under extremely stressful situations, a slight misunderstanding could make all the difference between success and failure.
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In this sweeping epic story, we witness the formation of the Fellowship that escorts Frodo to Mount Doom in order to get rid of the Ring of Power. The Fellowship encounters many challenging situations, both within the group and external threats such as the orcs.
Only by working together will they prevail and accomplish their mission.
5. Big Hero 6
This movie introduces us to an unlikely band of heroes—a bunch of “nerds” from the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. The group was accidentally formed after Hiro Hamada, a child genius, decides to bring to justice the person he thought was responsible for his older brother’s death.
6. School of Rock
In this movie, Black Jack takes on the role of a substitute music teacher for private school students. He gathers together the kids and inspires them to form a rock band and enter a battle of the bands.
Unfortunately, the kids’ parents and the school authorities are unaware of the plan.
On a related note, here's a list of our favorite songs about teams and teamwork.
7. Minamata
In this movie, a group of people work together to share their tragic story with the rest of the world. It also shows how the efforts of people who care can help others become accountable for the consequences of their decisions and actions.
8. A League of Their Own
In this movie, we follow the story of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was established in 1943. It is a wonderful example of how team members can set aside their personal differences and work hard for the good of the team.
9. Armageddon
Here’s a movie that shows an example of a high-performance team in action. In Armageddon, a group of people are being trained to detonate a nuclear bomb inside an asteroid in order to save Earth. They exhibit the following critical skills that are evident in any great team:
10. Hackers
This film was released in 1995 and was the first of a new genre known as “hacksploitation.” Although it wasn’t very successful in the box office during its theatrical release, it has gained a cult following over the years.
In the film, we follow the exploits of high school hackers who accidentally discovered a pilfering virus placed in the mainframe of a supercomputer at Ellingson Mineral Corporation.
Will they be able to set aside their personal grievances in order to uncover the true identity of the virus’ creator?
11. The Italian Job
Here’s another classic heist movie. This film was released in 2003 and is a remake of the 1969 film of the same title.
In this movie, we are introduced to a team of thieves who are intent on stealing back millions of dollars’ worth of gold bullion that was initially stolen from them. After a previous betrayal, will the team members still be able to trust each other in order to pull off the new heist?
12. The Great Escape
This epic film is based on true events during World War II. In the film, we witness a group of British Commonwealth POWs in their attempt to escape from a German prisoner of war camp.
The biggest challenge in their daring escape is the fact that there were 250 prisoners planning to break out all at once. Will everyone make it?
13. Facing the Giants
This movie is a great example if you’re looking for a teamwork movie with a Christian perspective. It is about an underdog football team about to begin their seventh season with a losing streak.
In addition to their troubles on the football field, the team members and their coach face personal problems. Their ultimate challenge is to learn to work together as a team and believe in each other despite having never won in the previous seasons.
14. Zootopia
Looking for a family-friendly movie that shows a good example of teamwork? Disney’s Zootopia introduces us to Officer Judy Hopps, a rabbit police officer, and Nick Wilde, a fox who hustles for a living.
Officer Hopps enlists the help of Nick Wilde and the two form an unlikely team, chasing after the bad guys who are sabotaging the peaceful coexistence of predator and prey in Zootopia.
15. Seven Samurai
What does it take to form an amazing team? This classic film from the great Akira Kurosawa offers some clues.
First, make sure that every member shares the belief that they’re doing something for a deeper purpose other than monetary reward or public recognition.
Second, choose team members who have the necessary skills. Look beyond physical appearances and bravado. Oftentimes, the most talented people are the ones sitting quietly at the back.
Third, discuss your goals with each other. Make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Finally, go out there and do something awesome.
16. Shrek
Shrek is another movie that can teach younger audiences the value of teamwork.
For example, Donkey is a loyal friend. He is willing to put up with Shrek’s ogre nature and never leaves his side. A team can only be great if the members are loyal to each other.
17. Cool Runnings
When you think of Jamaica, you’d probably envision a tropical paradise—beaches, swaying palm trees, rainforests, and warm weather. You’d probably never associate the country with the Winter Olympics.
However, this movie tells the story of the Jamaica National Bobsled Team’s debut at the Winter Olympic Games in 1988.
It’s a heartwarming and inspiring story and a wonderful example of how a team can work together to achieve their goals, no matter how impossible these goals seem to be.
18. Apollo 13
This film is about the United States’ aborted lunar mission, which planned to land the Apollo 13 spacecraft on the surface of the moon. It focuses on ensuring that the three astronauts aboard the spacecraft get back to Earth safely.
Throughout the film, we see the concerted efforts of those aboard the spacecraft and those at Ground Control to ensure that the mission to bring back the crew safely doesn’t fail.
19. Blades of Glory
In this sports comedy, we are introduced to two disgraced figure skaters: Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy.
The two want to redeem themselves in the world of figure skating, and the only way to do so is to team up and enter a new figure skating category: the pairs’ skating competition.
Can two sworn enemies overcome their personal differences in order to achieve their goal of winning the world championship gold?
20. How to Train Your Dragon
In order to achieve its goals, an awesome team needs a strong leader to point them in the right direction.
In this heartwarming movie, we see how a young village outcast named Hiccup leads a team of strong, able-bodied Vikings to change their culture and worldview for the better.
21. The 355
Are you looking for a movie about teamwork with an all-female cast? You might want to watch The 355. It is about a diverse group of female spies united in their mission to retrieve a device able to access any digital system in the world.
Along the way, they have to overcome being double-crossed, having their families threatened, and being arrested for crimes they didn’t commit. Will the group pull through and succeed in their mission?
22. Monsters University
In this movie, we witness how the unbeatable team of Mike and Sully was formed. The movie also takes us on a tour of new areas of the Monster realm that we didn’t see in Monsters Inc.
23. Remember the Titans
This movie shares a couple of important lessons about teamwork. The first one is about working together to achieve a common goal. The second is about accountability. Every member of the team has a responsibility to do their part so that they can meet their goals.
24. A Bug's Life
In this animated movie from Disney, we see how a group of beleaguered ants finally has the courage to stand up to their oppressors.
With the help of a motley group of bugs and the encouragement of a single ant who dares to go against the status quo, an ant colony is able to reclaim their autonomy from grasshoppers who demand an annual tribute.
25. Guardians of the Galaxy
This film shows us that, against all odds, members of a group can set aside their differences and work together as a team.
Each member has his or her own unique abilities to share with the team. When they’re used together, that team becomes formidable.
26. X-Men 2
People sometimes band together to have a better chance at survival. In the X-Men series, this is often the case for the mutants at Professor X’s school for gifted youngsters.
Shunned and mistrusted by humans, these gifted young people found refuge in the X-Mansion. Now they must work together to fight an enemy that poses a huge threat to everyone, not just mutants.
27. Finding Dory
In this film, Marlin and Nemo (of Disney’s Finding Nemo) team up in a father-son tandem to search for their friend Dory.
Dory’s short-term memory loss creates complications for her and the rescue party. Marlin and Nemo (plus Dory) must overcome the challenges of the deep ocean to track Dory’s whereabouts and bring her safely back home.
Final Thoughts
There you have it—a collection of movies about teamwork. These movies are awesome examples of what can be achieved by working together.
Sometimes, it’s just a small achievement. However, there are times when it is our very survival that hinges on a team’s success.
We hope you enjoyed this collection and have picked up a new favorite or two.
If you need more resources about movies and shows for specific topics, you might want to check out the following posts:
In addition, you might be interested in the following posts, which feature good leadership and team-building:
