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Thanksgiving weekend has typically been a time when movie studios make their greatest box-office numbers, and watching family-friendly Thanksgiving movies together is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Plan your holiday entertainment with this list — Thanksgiving movies to watch with friends and family — and settle in with a cup of coffee and some pumpkin pie.
We tend to underestimate the power of a good flick to bring our families together on Thanksgiving. "As far as holiday-themed movies go, the attention is always on Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. The best Thanksgiving movies for families are far less considered," Anna Moeslein wrote for Glamour. "And that's a shame considering all the drama — or joy! — that comes with putting your entire family in a room filled with turkey and potatoes."
If you don't feel like leaving the house to see a film at a movie theater, this list of family Thanksgiving movies can be watched right from the comfort of your home.
Family-friendly movie options for young kids
Animated movies are a hit no matter your age, and if you've got a wide range of ages gathered for the holiday, these Thanksgiving-themed movies should keep everyone happy and engaged.
1 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
The quintessential Thanksgiving movie A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, until recently, could be found on network television in the days leading up to the holiday. For families looking to watch it now, you'll have to stream this favorite on Apple TV+.
2. Free Birds
Owen Wilson voices a quirky turkey named Reggie who is recruited to travel back in time to help change history to keep turkeys from ever becoming part of the Thanksgiving menu in the first place. History buffs may want to look beyond the inaccuracies of the plot — the first Thanksgiving would have included fish and seafood rather than turkey — and just enjoy it for the silly family-friendly Thanksgiving movie it is.
3. Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
Perfect for those with a love of all things Jim Henson, you'll notice a nod toward his classic Labyrinth in this made-for-TV Thanksgiving movie from 2015.
4. Garfield's Thanksgiving
If you know anything about this orange tabby cat, it's that he loves his food. So when Garfield's owner, Jon, falls for a veterinarian and puts the plump cat on a diet, you can pretty much imagine the Thanksgiving challenge that presents for the lasagna-loving feline.
5. Dora the Explorer: Dora's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Perfect for the toddlers in the family, your littles will join Dora as she works to rescue her friends from a balloon float in time for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Best Thanksgiving movie choices to watch with older kids
Once the kids get to be a certain age, your options for family movies about Thanksgiving open up quite a bit. Of course, animated movies are fun no matter your age, but sharing the classics with your kids is great too.
6. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
"With teens, our tradition is to watch 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.' It's one of the only Thanksgiving movies out there," Gina Lincicum told Mom.com. If you like a good comedy, you'll enjoy this one. Steve Martin and John Candy team up in this John Hughes classic. Martin plays a man just trying to get home to his family for Thanksgiving, but John Candy makes things more difficult than they need to be.
7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Kevin James plays a mall security guard just trying to live his life and make ends meet during the holidays who finds himself entangled in a hostage situation at the mall. He may just be the guy to save the day, however.
8. The Blind Side
Even though this true story of first-round NFL draft pick Michael Oher plays into white-savior tropes, it's a family-friendly Thanksgiving movie centered on football with a poignant Thanksgiving Day scene.
Put these on your watch list: Thanksgiving movies for grown-ups
Sometimes you just need to watch a movie made for adults, but with everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner, it's imperative that it's family-friendly. This list of Thanksgiving movies is safe to watch even with little ones in and out of the room.
9. Best Leftovers Ever
The Netflix series Best Leftovers Ever might just inspire you to create something amazing. In this series, home cooks compete to turn leftovers into something new in hopes of going home with the $10,000 prize.
10. Home for the Holidays
Holly Hunter plays single mom Claudia, who travels without her teen daughter to her childhood home to spend the holiday with her dysfunctional family.
11. Dutch
Ed O'Neill (Dutch) finds himself in charge of driving his divorced girlfriend's snobby teen son from his private school in Atlanta to his mother's home in Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday.
12. You've Got Mail
The classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan pairing never disappoints. This movie may even have you feeling nostalgic for the old days of dial-up internet.
13. Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
In true Hallmark Channel holiday movie fashion, this boy-meets-girl Thanksgiving movie from 2012 begins with a misunderstanding but blossoms into something more.
