The 10 Best Thanksgiving Family Movies

It’s not quite A Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, but this Peanuts classic is a fun tale. Our titular character attempts to put together a Thanksgiving feast, with his trademark jitters, of course. This Emmy-winning movie is worth a watch – it’s a feel-good flick for the whole family.

Jim Henson’s legacy lives on in this lovely story. The Emmerson family decide to pay their aunt Cly and her farm a visit for Thanksgiving. The town of Turkey Hollow seems normal, but siblings Anne and Tim get curious. They set out to look for the Howling Hoodoo, a local monster that they think might be more than just a myth. However, they stumble upon something much bigger that could threaten their aunt’s farm when they discover an illegal turkey scheme. Check it out for some fun and mystery!

In this classic 1987 holiday flick comedian Steve Martin is Neal Page, a man determined to get home to his family for the upcoming holiday. But a snowstorm threatens to mess up his plans and he has to try nearly every method of transport there is to make it home. He’s helped – or hindered – along the way by the late John Candy, who plays bluff Del Griffith.

This is a hilarious movie that everyone is sure to love! The voice cast boasts celebrities like George Takei, Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson and more. This fun, animated comedy follows the adventures of Reggie, who was pardoned by the President of the US, and his paranoid friend, Jake. Jake believes in promoting the Turkey Freedom Front, a group set up to end Thanksgiving for good. Together, they build a time machine and make their way back to the past in an attempt to visit the very first Thanksgiving.

While widely regarded as a classic Christmas film, this movie begins at the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The famous department store has to replace its rather inebriated Santa. The stand-in says his real name is Kris Kringle, and claims he is the real Father Christmas. When he’s institutionalized, he needs legal representations. A real classic and definitely worth watching.

Another great comedy, this movie begins with our main character Claudia who is glad to come home and see her family for the Thanksgiving holiday. But she is not necessarily ready for the ever-present family shenanigans that always seem to ensue.

This Emmy-nominated, made-for-TV movie finds us in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh and his friends are preparing and prepping for the big dinner ahead of them. While most of the characters bring a different food item, Rabbit informs the others that Thanksgiving is a rather special time of year. A time that should include special things. So, Pooh and the gang set off to in search of them.

Ed O’Neill, of the hit American television show Married With Children shines in this comedy. O’Neill’s character and his girlfriend’s snobby son are trying to make it home for Thanksgiving. During their adventures, they end up forging a lifelong friendship. A real feel-good film.

This movie explores the roots of our ancestors and the very first Thanksgiving and is essentially a live-action Pocahontas. When English settlers began to set up a colony in the ‘New World’ it was much to the dismay of the Native American tribes already living there. Captain John Smith is caught and brought to the Native American chief Powhatan (Pocahontas’ father.) A great lesson in history.

If you remember watching The Waltons and following their adventures on Walton’s Mountain, then this movie will be a treat for you! It follows the adventures of the adult children and what they are doing now. Set in November 1963, the family returns to Walton’s Mountain for Thanksgiving.

Also read:

• 13 Must-See Family Movies On Netflix
• 3 Fun Detective Games For Kids That They’ll Love