Looking for kid-friendly Thanksgiving movies in 2023? If you need some good family Thanksgiving movie recommendations, I’ve got you covered. From Charlie Brown to Free Birds, here is a list of the best Thanksgiving movies for kids, tweens, and teens and where to stream them!
Best Thanksgiving Movies For Kids
This holiday season, it’s time to relax after (or before) your Thanksgiving feast! Some of these cartoon specials I enjoy watching with my kids to learn about different Thanksgiving traditions. This Thanksgiving season, put on your stretchy pants, grab some pumpkin pie, laugh at Thanksgiving memes, and sit down on the couch to watch some Thanksgiving movies with your entire family after the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade.
Then comes Christmas movies!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
This one is always at the top of my list. Rated G and 25 minutes long, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a hit for the whole family. It doesn’t get any more classic than this.
Peppermint Patty invites everyone to Charlie Brown’s for Thanksgiving even though he’s going to visit his grandmother. But does Woodstock really eat that turkey? A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the perfect way to celebrate and you can even talk about the show around the dinner table since it’s so short.
Stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on AppleTV+.
A Looney Tunes Thanksgiving
Not quite as popular as Charlie Brown, it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. If you like the Looney Tunes style, then this will bring the laughs. At 48 minutes long, you get two features – Bugs Bunny’s Thanksgiving Diet and Daffy Duck’s Thanks-for-giving Special. Rent a Looney Tunes Thanksgiving for $2.99.
An Arthur Thanksgiving
Arthur and his family are getting ready for Thanksgiving, but Pal disappears to go on his own adventure. Family and friends and the rest of Elwood City must then try to get Pal home. Will Thanksgiving be ruined? Little fans of the Arthur books will enjoy seeing their friends on the screen.
You can stream An Arthur Thanksgiving on Apple TV+, or rent it on Amazon Video.
Free Birds
Two birds from from opposite sides of the track must get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good! Reggie (Owen Wilson) meets up with Jake (Woody Harrelson), who has a magic doorknob that leads them to a time machine that takes them back to the very first Thanksgiving. Free Birds is all about turkeys AND stars Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler, so you know it’s going to be funny!
Free Birds does have some rude humor and one scene where a character dies, so just be aware of that for kids.
Free Birds is rated PG and is streaming on Netflix or you can rent it on Amazon for $3.99.
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow
Rated PG, Turkey Hollow is one for the older kids who want something other than a cartoon. Two kids go to visit their aunt in a town without much technology and find themselves tracking a local monster that residents believed to only be a legend.
There is some language with hells and damns and some mildly scary scenes for children.
You can find Turkey Hollow on Amazon. It is 1 hour and 27 minutes long.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a great Thanksgiving movie for tweens and teens. It’s still rated PG, but has some Kevin James humor in it. When a shopping mall is taken over by a gang of organized crooks, it’s up to a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.
There is a Black Friday shopping scene which screams Thanksgiving, and there’s a lot of physical comedy to keep the older kids amused. Is it a silly movie? Sure, but sometimes those are the ones you quote forever.
Addams Family Values
You would think an Addams Family movie would be more Halloween, but there is a Thanksgiving scene that gets it added to the list. Addams Family Value is rated PG-13, so I’d reserve this one for tweens and teens.
The Addams Family try to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold-digging new love, a black widow named Debbie. Addams Family Values is more of a dark comedy and mentions sex and have has some violence used for humor, like trying to burn someone at the stake, blowing things up, and electrocution.
You can stream Addams Family Values on Netflix or Paramount+.
Thanksgiving Football Movies For Kids
Ok, we’ll stretch a little here. Some family members love watching football on Thanksgiving. I am not one of them, but I’ll certainly watch a movie about football! Maybe the little ones (or teens) don’t feel like watching college football, then here are some great Thanksgiving movies about football for kids.
Remember the Titans
Remember the Titans ranks up there as one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s rated PG and can be streamed on Disney+.
Denzel Washington plays an African-American football coach in the 1970s at a high school in Virginia for their first season as a racially integrated team. White and black players must learn to play together, and it’s not easy. Remember the Titans is a family favorite! It has humor, heart, and frankly, teaches very important lessons.
You can find it on Disney+ as well as other favorites that were added for Disney+ Day!
Safety
A newer Disney film on Disney+, Safety is based on the true story of Clemson football player Ray McElrathbey, who had to battle extreme family adversity to play for the Tigers. When his mom is in jail, he must raise his little brother while also going to college.
This film really shows the meaning of family.
Safety is rated PG. You can also find Safety on Disney+.
The Blind Side
This one may be for the older kid crowd as it’s rated PG-13. The Blind Side is a great Thanksgiving movie for teens and even includes a Thanksgiving scene, so it’s a double winner.
Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This is for the people who want Christmas now! If you want some laughs and need a movie for older kids or teens, then watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s totally inappropriate, totally Chevy Chase, and you may want to check out an edited TV version.
Here are some Christmas Vacation quotes to laugh at and give you an idea of the age appropriateness for younger kids. It’s not really kid-friendly for them.
Happy holidays and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope these films help you discover the true meaning of the holiday, whatever that means for your families!
Enjoy these funny Thanksgiving memes, too. And if you really have some time on your hands, here are the most kid friendly Marvel movies to start with before you watch all the Marvel movies in order. It’s a tall order, but while school is out, it’s a great time to start.
