When spooky season comes to a close but it’s still too early to dive into the chaos of Christmas shopping, that can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is officially upon us!
As any fall fan can attest, autumn is the perfect season to pour a bowl of Count Chocula, light that Sweater Weather candle, and kick back in front of the TV with some cozy classics. Though Halloween and Christmas boast larger catalogues of seasonal content for viewers of all ages to enjoy, Thanksgiving does have its own slice of the holiday pie, thank you very much. There are dozens of films for adults to enjoy this time of year ⏤ don’t you just love New York in the fall? ⏤ but what about younger audiences?
Despite each passing year making us feel like we’re inching closer to the apocalypse, kids thankfully have plenty of films to enjoy while the adults are busy savoring cool breezes, plaid cardigans, and those last sips of pumpkin spice before the Christmas flavors come to town. If you’re looking for something to play for your little ones while you put off the card-writing and gift-wrapping, here are 10 turkey-themed movies that are sure to keep them entertained.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
It’s not a proper Thanksgiving without Snoopy and the gang, which is why you should follow up your yearly viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This holiday classic finds Charlie Brown rushing around to prepare for a Thanksgiving dinner he didn’t know he was hosting until Peppermint Patty calls him up and invites herself over (rude). Luckily for Charlie Brown ⏤ whose cooking skills are questionable at best ⏤ Snoopy and Woodstock come to the rescue and prepare a feast of toast, popcorn, and jelly beans. Sensible!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fans of Roald Dahl’s children’s book about a remarkably clever fox are in luck, as Wes Anderson finally adapted Fantastic Mr. Fox into a stop-motion spectacle in 2009. The film follows the titular fox as he tries to protect his family and neighbors from three nearby farmers who are hell-bent on capturing them. The eccentric and visually stunning animation captures the whimsical spirit of Dahl’s book, which your kids should definitely read given that it’s one of Dahl’s best. Filled with chicken dinners, tunnel-digging, and a colorful cast of characters, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wonderful reminder of the importance of community this time of year.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is currently available to stream on Max.
Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving
Does it get any cozier than Winnie the Pooh? I think not. Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving invites kids to journey back to the Hundred Acre Wood and join their favorite pals Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore as they prepare for the changing seasons. One of the episodes in this animated musical is A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving, which finds the friends gathering special items for their Thanksgiving feast. The film also includes an episode that takes place closer to Christmas, making for a nice collection to enjoy between the two holidays. Pooh and the gang always learn valuable life lessons during their adventures together, and Seasons of Giving offers enough upbeat, friendship-themed songs to keep your kids singing for weeks! (Lucky you!)
Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving is available to rent on Vudu.
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story
One of the best kids movies to come out of the ’90s is We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, which features an unforgettable cast of prehistoric protagonists who eat a magic cereal that gives them human-level intelligence and the ability to talk. After discovering that they’re heading to New York City with a time-traveling scientist, they land smack in the middle of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! It’s there that they sing “Roll Back the Rock,” a song you won’t be able to get out of your head for the rest of your life (fair warning!). Over the course of their adventure, the dinosaurs learn a thing or two about humanity, especially when they meet a creepy villain, an upper-class girl with an absent family, and a runaway boy in search of a friend.
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, and Vudu (and honestly, it’s so good that you may just want to buy it).
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow
If you ask your kids to put down their devices this holiday season and they engage in some casual kicking and screaming, odds are they’ll relate to the siblings in Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow. The film follows Tim and Annie as they travel to visit their Aunt Cly on her farm in Turkey Hollow, a town that — gasp! — doesn’t have internet. While there, they stumble upon forest monsters, a creepy sheriff, an evil turkey farmer, strange-looking pumpkins, and the legend of the Howling Hoodoo, who Tim and Annie hope to prove does exist despite the townspeople’s insistence that the Hoodoo is only a myth. Ludacris narrates this fuzzy family film, which also stars Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen.
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Ratatouille
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be half as meaningful (or delectable) without the tradition of breaking bread with loved ones. That’s exactly the spirit Remy the rat imbues in Ratatouille. Remy wants to become a real-life cook and make special dishes for people from all walks of life, and when he meets Linguini ⏤ a human who can’t cook half as well as Remy can ⏤ the duo proves that sometimes the tastiest fusions occur with a little bit of creativity and a lot of hair-pulling. This spirit of togetherness is perfect Thanksgiving fare, and Ratatouille’s many kitchen scenes are enough to make anyone’s mouth water. If your kids want to help you stuff the turkey and mash the potatoes this year, Ratatouille is the perfect appetizer to give them a taste of what it takes to create a meal to remember.
Ratatouille is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Dora’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
To entertain your little ones (or just the ones who are too stubborn to admit how much they still love Dora), look no further than the Thanksgiving episode of Dora the Explorer, Dora’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This special finds Dora and Boots trying to save the Pirate Piggies after they float away on the float that Dora made for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Will they be able to get the Piggies back and save the day? One can only hope.
Dora’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is available to stream now on Paramount Plus, and if the special’s sense of adventure leaves your kids wanting more, have them check out Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the character’s first live-action film, available to rent or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV Plus.
Garfield’s Thanksgiving
TV’s hungriest cat is about to face the biggest challenge of his life: going on a diet. That’s right, there will be no turkey dinner for Garfield this year. After a check-up at the vet’s office the day before Thanksgiving, Garfield is told by Dr. Liz that he needs to start eating healthier. Yikes. Unlike his owner Jon, who is smitten with Dr. Liz and thrilled that she’s agreed to come over for Thanksgiving dinner, Garfield is miserable that he won’t be able to indulge in the meal. Will he find a way to convince Dr. Liz to let him enjoy the feast? Will there even be a feast, with Jon being such a terrible cook, or will Grandma have to step in and save the day?
You’ll find out when you watch Garfield’s Thanksgiving, available to stream on Peacock.
National Treasure
Nothing says Thanksgiving like a centuries-old treasure hunt illuminating America’s rich history, am I right? National Treasure is an action-packed adventure starring Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a treasure hunter in search of a hidden bounty his grandfather told him about when he was a kid. Studying clues the Founding Fathers left behind on dollar bills and the back of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin hopes to find the loot before a rival band of hunters does. Luckily for you, your kids can watch this film and its sequel and its spinoff show all in one place ⏤ and learn a bit of American history in the process. That’s like a quadruple win, if you think about it.
National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and National Treasure: Edge of History are all available to stream on Disney Plus.
Free Birds
It’s easy to understand why turkeys aren’t as gung-ho about Thanksgiving as the rest of us, and in the animated sci-fi adventure Free Birds, two of them actually go back in time in an effort to alter the first Thanksgiving and take themselves off the menu entirely! (The audacity.) While most adults likely can’t imagine Thanksgiving without the main course, kids will root for these warm-blooded vertebrates voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson. Even if you and your kids don’t want the birds to succeed in their mission (what else would we eat?!), their tale has plenty of goofy jokes and beautiful fall foliage to enjoy along the way.
You can watch these fowls try to free themselves on Hulu if you have the Starz add-on or rent it on Amazon. (We love options.)
Addams Family Values
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, but somehow we always keep coming back to see what they’ll do next. Following their first eccentric film together, the Addams Family returns in Addams Family Values, which finds Uncle Fester in the spidery clutches of a con artist out to steal his money and Wednesday and Pugsley attending their first summer camp. It’s there that the kids perform in a hilarious, if politically incorrect, Thanksgiving play with famously disastrous results, and if you’re worried about your kids getting a few dastardly ideas of their own, hiding the matches should do the trick.
Addams Family Values is available to stream on Paramount Plus, and for an extra special treat, your kids can follow it up with the newest Addams Family computer-animated adaptation starring Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron, also available on Paramount Plus.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Look, you’re an amazing parent who can do literally anything, right? Then there’s a 100 percent chance you can put up with three squeaky, high-pitched voices for an hour and a half! Alvin, Simon, and Theodore’s first live-action adaptation stars Jason Lee as Dave, a down-on-his-luck songwriter who meets the musically inclined chipmunks and realizes that they can help him turn his life around. Chaos inevitably ensues (how can it not with Alvin around?), but together Dave and the chipmunks learn the meaning of family, something that will inspire your kids to give you an extra tight hug before asking if they can watch the sequels (plural) next. Wheee!
You can catch Alvin and the Chipmunks on Prime Video or Vudu.
