Best Thanksgiving Movies For Kids To Watch With Your Family

     

1. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

The Charlie Brown Christmas specials are now ingrained in the fabric of American society. The Vince Gauraldi-composed Charlie Brown primetime Christmas specials include dreary backdrops, cliched dialogue, and immortal music. The tenth of a total of thirty-nine Charlie Brown specials is titled A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Charlie Brown (voiced by Todd Barbee) finds himself cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for his buddies in the animated short A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING. The characters' initial feelings on holiday are ambiguous and slightly unfavorable. However, the Peanuts group learns the actual significance of the occasion courtesy of some thought-provoking remarks from Linus (Stephen Shea) and Marcie. This movie is pure bliss of 25 minutes and can be very entertaining for people of all age groups.

Watch the movie here - https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/a-charlie-brown-thanksgiving/umc.cmc.7grdgbjdq3tiy37f4dc3yeyms

 2. Free Birds (2013)

This animated journey with a Thanksgiving theme is rife with jokes and pop cultural allusions. Jimmy Hayward, the film's director, and co-writer ("Horton Hears a Who!" "Jonah Hex"), provides a film that is adequately vibrant and crowded with witty creatures—specifically, talking turkeys. The time-travel aspect is notably reminiscent of "The Terminator" and "Back to the Future," but the wonderful "Chicken Run" presented the idea of fleeing fowl in a far more intelligent, endearing way. The best scenes, though, in "Free Bird" take place right at the start, in the present, before anyone leaves.

Some might call the movie weird and not worth watching, but with family, this can be a good watch.

Watch the movie here - https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Free-Birds/0KA60KM2M4MXN5IQJZSQL35UD7

 3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

In the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street, an elderly man named Kris Kringle (played by Edmund Gwenn) replaces a drunken Santa Claus in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Kringle is so popular that he begins making regular appearances at Macy's flagship store in midtown Manhattan. However, when he claims to be the real Santa Claus, both customers and staff are shocked. This leads to a court battle to determine his mental state and whether or not he is truly Santa Claus. This classic American comedy has become a yearly tradition for families during the holiday season.

Kringle is admitted to a mental hospital when a jealous coworker accuses him of assault. Kringle and his lawyer make an effort to establish his authenticity as Santa Claus at the ensuing sanity hearing.

Because of the film's enduring popularity, it is frequently broadcast on television following New York City's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Watch the movie here https://www.hotstar.com/in/movies/miracle-on-34th-street/1260027125

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

Easily agitated, Neal Page (Steve Martin) exhibits some control issues. His aircraft is diverted to a remote Kansas city due to a freak snowstorm as he attempts to return home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his wife (Laila Robins) and children, and his sanity starts to deteriorate. Even worse, he is made to share a room with the annoyingly chatty Del Griffith (John Candy). To get where they're going, they must work together to overcome the madness of holiday travel.

In spite of the fact that John Hughes was regarded as an adolescent angst director and Steve Martin and John Candy were both renowned as lowbrow comedians at the time, the movie received positive reviews from critics in 1987.

Watch the movie here https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Planes-Trains-and-Automobiles/0S80157K8DBCA6T6327LY92C1H

5. Pocahontas (1995)

Pocahontas is a 1995 animated musical comedy romance-drama film created by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is part of the Disney Renaissance and is the 33rd full-length animated movie in the Disney Animated Canon. Based on a real historical figure, the movie tells a fictionalized story of Pocahontas' encounter with John Smith, an Englishman, and the settlers from the Virginia Company. This film is the first of its kind to base an animated feature on historical events and Native American folklore. The movie was directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, with James Pentecost as producer, during the Disney Renaissance period.

Watch the movie here https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Planes-Trains-and-Automobiles/0S80157K8DBCA6T6327LY92C1H

6. Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994)

A well-known Native American tells the story of the advent of foreign explorers and settlers on the shores of America when it was still the New World in Squanto: A Warrior's Tale, a sprawling narrative rife with the violence of slavery and invasion. This fictionalized condensed version of Squanto's exciting life shows his captivity, slavery, stay in England, acquisition of English language skills, and attempts to restore peace to his own nation, which would one day become known as Massachusetts. His tale inspired the Pilgrims to host the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621. Younger children might become upset when Squanto is tormented and pursued by people who refer to him as subhuman, but the discussion of the abilities and knowledge of American Indian people and how they were mistreated by settlers and explorers may open up further discussion on the topic.

Watch the movie here https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/squanto-a-warriors-tale/7X3nFX6SyUHg

7. The Mayflower Voyagers (1988)

The "Mayflower Voyagers" is an episode of the "This Is America, Charlie Brown!" miniseries, which centers on Thanksgiving. It's the first episode of the series and the only one with a Christmas theme. The show features characters from Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip and explores various moments in American history. CBS aired the eight-part animated television miniseries from 1988 to 1989. The first four episodes were broadcast weekly in October and November 1988, while the last four aired on a monthly basis from February to May 1989.

Watch the movie here https://www.yidio.com/show/the-mayflower-voyagers

8. Turkey Hollow (2015)

For Thanksgiving, a divorced man brings his two children to his aunt Cly's secluded farm in Turkey Hollow. However, the entire family becomes involved in an adventure centered around the "Howling Hoodoo," an elusive monster that the locals have previously dismissed as a mere myth. A cunning neighbor accuses Aunt Cly of stealing a turkey, and her beloved farm is threatened with foreclosure, making the holiday difficult for her. However, the "mythical" Hoodoo might truly exist in the real world -- and in a cuter form than anyone could have ever imagined. And it's possible that the Hoodoo will come to Aunt Cly's and her family's defense.

Watch the movie here https://tv.apple.com/us/show/jim-hensons-turkey-hollow/umc.cmc.7bjy6fttkcn3tbz54w1b977y3

9. The Mouse on the Mayflower (1968)

In the middle of a severe storm is the renowned ship known as the Mayflower. A church mouse named Willum tells the entire tale from his point of view. The story starts when the preachers, who were pilgrims, decide to immigrate to America and board the Mayflower. The ship, however, is on the edge of sinking due to the severe storm. The mouse pilgrim Willum then has an idea to save the ship. The Mayflower Compact was written by the pilgrims after they arrived safely and began building their new colony and church. However, as it is already October, they do not have a lot of food stockpiled for the winter. The pilgrims then discover how to plant crops in the spring and enjoy a large feast towards the beginning of the autumn or autumn season. They've never celebrated Thanksgiving before.

For kids, this can be worth watching because parents have reviewed that there's a lot to learn while enjoying the movie.

10. The Lion King (1994)

The 32nd film in the Disney Animated Canon, The Lion King is an animated, musical/drama feature film created by Walt Disney Feature Animation. William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth are included in the plot, which centers on a young lion prince named Simba who must overcome the death of both his father and his evil uncle, Scar, in order to succeed to the throne of the Pride Lands.

The Lion King garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, who lauded the movie for its voice acting, animation, plot, and soundtrack. Year after year, 'THE LION KING fandom has only increased.

Watch movie here https://www.hotstar.com/in/movies/the-lion-king/1660000046/watch

11. Home for the Holidays (1995)

In 1995, a family comedy-drama film titled "Home for the Holidays" was produced by Peggy Rajski and directed by Jodie Foster. The screenplay, written by W. D. Richter, was based on a short story by Chris Radant, while Mark Isham composed the movie's music. The story follows Claudia Larson, who, after losing her job, kissing her ex-boss, and finding out her daughter has other plans, travels to spend Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family. The film was released in theatres on November 3, 1995, by Paramount Pictures in North America and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment internationally. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, praising Foster's directing and Hunter and Downey's acting but criticizing the writing.

If you aren't too critical of movies, just ignore the criticism and watch this movie. It is going to make your Thanksgiving more fun for sure!

Watch the movie here https://www.roku.com/whats-on/movies/home-for-the-holidays?id=9c86cf461e1655ebb0ec8d7f7dbfd831#:~:text=Home%20for%20the%20Holidays%2C%20a,Vudu%2C%20Apple%20TV%20or%20Redbox.

12. Pieces of April (2003)

The beautiful rom-com/sitcom "Pieces of April," tells the story of a girl who invites her unsupportive family to Thanksgiving and tries to cook the ideal turkey despite their disapproval of her lifestyle. To celebrate Thanksgiving and spend time with their loved ones, people from all over the world typically travel back to their homes. The crucial Thanksgiving themes are depicted in this family. However, they're done in the opposite order! When it came to Thanksgiving, April was averse to spending time with her family, and her boyfriend had to persuade her to invite them over. The Burns families, on the other hand, were equally unenthusiastic and reluctantly agreed to spend the holiday weekend with their estranged daughter.

Peter Hedges' amusing tale "Pieces of April" portrays concepts that are opposite to those of Thanksgiving, including family breakdowns, complicated connections, and bitterness.

Here are some other classics that you can give a try.

Watch the movie here https://www.hbo.com/movies/pieces-of-april#:~:text=Pieces%20of%20April%20%7C%20Watch%20the%20Movie%20on%20HBO%20%7C%20HBO.com

• “You have got mail” (1998)
• “National Treasure” (2004)
• “Home Alone” (1990)
• “Little Women” (2019), and the list can go on…

Signing off,

Don't think that the above list is some kind of rulebook for watching Thanksgiving stories with family and kids. It is only a suggestion consisting of the classics. Today almost every one of you has access to Netflix and other OTTs, which release holiday movies every year. Keep a check on the same and choose something worthy to watch. Almost every holiday or Thanksgiving movie has the happy-go-lucky vibe, but still, be extra alert while choosing, for you won't want your family to go through a rollercoaster of emotions during the holiday.

Yes, there are many. Some of them are –

• The Humans
• Friendsgiving
• The Turkey Bowl
• The Oath
• Anne of Green Gables: Fire and Dew
• Lez Bomb
• Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
• Pieces of April
• What's Cooking?
• Soul Food
• Home for the Holidays

There are hundreds of movies with the theme of Thanksgiving, and in modern times OTT platforms release new holiday and Thanksgiving movies every year. Thus, the list will never end, and you have a buffet of options to choose from. It is only that some of these movies are very emotional and can fill your heart with heavy realizations. Better you read the synopsis and then choose a movie to watch. Also, it is a holiday movie, so do not get too critical.