Four live-action adaptations of the beloved book series were produced before the franchise pivoted to animation.

How to watch the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies in order (including the animated reboots)

Four live-action adaptations of the beloved book series were produced before the franchise pivoted to animation.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

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December 9, 2025 3:09 p.m. ET

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'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'; 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 'The Last Straw'; 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul'. Credit:

- Jeff Kinney's *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* books have been adapted into eight feature films: four live-action and four animated.

- The Disney+ animated movies are reboots, so the continuity is different than with the live-action films.

- A new animated feature, *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw*, is now streaming on Disney+.

*Diary of a Wimpy Kid* author Jeff Kinney didn't intend to become to one of the most popular authors of children's books. As he told ** in 2012, he initially wrote the series with adults in mind.

But kids, especially "reluctant readers," gravitate to *Diary of a Wimpy Kid*'s simple, doodled illustrations and amusing approach to the perils of middle school. It follows Greg Heffley, an insecure adolescent with big dreams, and his oddball bestie, Rowley Jefferson. Since 2007, Kinney has published 20 *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* books and a handful of Rowley-centric spinoffs.

Those books have also been turned into eight films — four live-action adaptations and four animated ones.

"It’s been a really edifying experience for me to be a part of the movie-making process," Kinney told EW. "With the books, I control almost everything. But in film it’s a completely collaborative effort. I had to learn to be part of a much bigger team."**

If you're looking to dive into the series with a "reluctant filmgoer," here's a guide to how to watch the *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* films in order.**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

Robert Capron and Zachary Gordon in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'.

20th Century studios/everett

Directed by Thor Freudenthal, the first *Diary of a Wimpy Kid *film adapts the first entry in Kinney's book series.

It begins with Greg's first day in middle school, alternating between his diary entries (that long for fame and riches) and his desire to become the most popular student in school.

Zachary Gordon leads the cast as Greg, marking the first of three *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* features (and one short film) in which he would star. Robert Capron costars as Rowley, while Steve Zahn and Rachael Harris appear as Greg's parents. The movie also marks an early role for Chloë Grace Moretz, who rocketed to stardom that same year thanks to her role in the first *Kick-Ass* movie.**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011)

Robert Capron and Zachary Gordon in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'.

20th century studios/Courtesy Everett

*Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules* arrived the following year, adapting the second book in Kinney's series. Directed by David Bowers, the sequel broadens the world with its focus on Rodrick (Devon Bostick), Greg's older brother.

Rodrick dreams of becoming a rock star with his band Löded Diper, which is booked for an upcoming talent show. Things predictably go awry, but the brothers manage to tighten their bond by story's end.

Zahn and Harris return as Greg and Rodrick's parents alongside Gordon, Capron. A slew of rising stars joined the sequel, including Peyton List (*Cobra Kai*), Fran Kranz (*The Cabin in the Woods*), and Melissa Roxburgh (*Manifest*).**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)

Robert Capron and Zachary Gordon in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days'.

20th century studios/Courtesy Everett

Next up in the *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* live-action franchise is 2012's *Dog Days*, again directed by Bowers.

Unlike its predecessors, the film incorporates storylines from two different books: *The Last Straw* and *Dog Days*, the third and fourth entries in the series.

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Set during summer vacation, the film finds Greg crushing on Holly (List), vacationing with Rowley, and camping with his dad, who's considering sending Greg to military school. Rodrick, meanwhile, hopes to impress Holly's older sister Heather (Roxburgh) with a Löded Diper performance at her Sweet Sixteen party.

In a pre-release interview, Gordon revealed it would likely be the last live-action *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* movie, what with the cast aging beyond the characters, who remain perpetually on the brink of puberty in the books.**

"The main problem is [the cast] is getting older. You can't stop it. There's no way to temporarily stop us from changing and growing up," he said. "You know, that's the problem because the characters are supposed to be timeless."

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul'.

20th century studios/Courtesy Everett

It took five years, but another live-action *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* movie did get made. Bowers returned as director for 2017's *The* *Long Haul*, but with an entirely new cast.

Jason Drucker, who had previously starred on the Nickelodeon series *Every Witch Way* (2014–2015), stepped into the role of Greg, with screen veterans Tom Everett Scott and Alicia Silverstone playing his parents. Owen Asztalos and Charlie Wright played new iterations of Rowley and Rodrick, respectively.

Kinney co-wrote the screenplay of the adaptation, which is named after the series' ninth entry but incorporates plot points from the 7th, 8th, and 10th books. The story is mainly centered on a road trip to visit the Heffley's Meemaw for her 90th birthday.

*The Long Haul* was a commercial and critical disappointment. While the previous *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* films all surpassed $70 million at the global box office, *The Long Haul* only managed to earn $35 million on a $22 million budget. This poor performance sealed its fate as the last live-action *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* movie.**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'.

Disney+ / Courtesy Everett

*Diary of a Wimpy Kid* rebooted on Disney+ in 2021 with an animated adaptation of the first book, this time with Swinton Scott directing and Kinney as the sole screenwriter.

"I'm really excited because this movie feels like the books come to life," Kinney told CBR at the time. "It feels like the Greg of the books coming to life in that he looks on the screen the way he does on the page. So that's fun, and I think it will make Greg's world feel really authentic. It will really feel like the *Wimpy* world. I'm excited about that. We had a lot of fun with the [older] movies and I love those movies, but it was also really fun to bring Greg Heffley the cartoon character to life in a different way."

Brady Noon (*The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers*) voices Greg, with Ethan William Childress, Erica Cerra, Christian Convery, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Hunter Dillon rounding out the cast.  **

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett

The animated franchise followed in the footsteps of the live-action films, choosing the popular *Rodrick Rules* as its sequel. The animated film has a few treats that the live-action one doesn't, however.

One is Ed Asner, the legendary *Mary Tyler Moore Show* (1970–1977) and *Up *(2009) actor. Not long before his death at age 91 in 2021, he voiced Granda Heffley.

The other new treat is "Can You Smell Us Now," an original song for Rodrick's Löded Diper with lyrics penned by Kinney.

"I wanted to write a song that felt like a rock and roll anthem, and of course, something that only teenage boys would think was cool or funny," he told Disney. "So I came up with the lyrics and then hummed them to a producer, who's much more talented than I am. And then a few days later, he came back with a fully produced song, and it's really impressive, the skills that some people bring to their jobs."

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever'.

Disney+ / Courtesy Everett

*Diary of a Wimpy Kid* returned in 2023 with a Christmas movie based on Kinney's 2011 book *Cabin Fever*.

"On the surface, *Cabin Fever* is about the Heffley being family being snowed in for the holidays and the claustrophobia that creates, but it works as a theme as well," Kinney told EW upon the book's initial release. "The idea behind the book is that as you’re growing up you’re forging your identity, and that identity becomes hard to escape later on. I find that no matter what I do in my professional life, if I go back home, the people I grew up with and the people in my family and the people who know me bring me back to my true self. Part of the book is about the claustrophobia of your identity — it’s hard to forge a new one."

Wesley Kimmel and Spencer Howell stepped into the roles of Greg and Rowley, though Cerra, Diamantopoulos, and Dillon returned to voice Greg's parents and Rodrick. Newcomers to the cast include *Abbott Elementary*'s Lisa Ann Walter, *Saturday Night Live*'s Ego Nwodim, and comedian Gabriel Iglesias.**

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2025)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw'.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett

The latest *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* animated film is *The Last Straw*, which is based on the third book in the series and landed on Disney+ on Dec. 5, 2025. The story, which finds Greg joining the Boy Scouts in order to impress his dad (and avoid going to military school), was partially adapted in the live-action film *Dog Days*.

“I like the title because it’s the last straw between Greg and his father who’s threatening to send him to this military academy," Kinney told the *Boston Herald*. "So ‘the last straw’ is the last thing that Greg does to confirm his father’s conviction of sending him away.”

The title exudes an air of finality, but Kinney says that's not intentional. "[The Last Straw is] definitely not the series’ end which I’m learning now is the impression that was given in the title," he said. “We’re just getting started, especially with the films.”

The *Diary of a Wimpy Kid *live-action movies in order by release date:

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid *(2010)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules *(2011)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days *(2012)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul *(2017)

The *Diary of a Wimpy Kid *animated movies in order by release date:

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid *(2021)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules *(2022)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever *(2023)

- *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw *(2025)**

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Source: “AOL Children”