5 Feel-Good Thanksgiving Movies To Watch With Your Family

It's almost Thanksgiving, and you know what that means: it's time for families to sit around a table filled with turkey, stuffing, and whatever sides their hearts desire to give thanks for all that they have. It's also time, as it happens, to watch some Thanksgiving movies.

Now, to be clear, a "Thanksgiving movie" is a very niche genre, and some of them aren't necessarily a good fit for younger audiences (Eli Roth's bloody "Thanksgiving," for example, comes to mind). With that said, this collection of must-watch movies for this cozy holiday season has a little variety in it, but the good news is that everything in the films below is suitable for young children (even if some of the jokes in a few of the films might go over their little heads).

Once the whole family is full of turkey and gathered around the television for a movie, pop on one of these choices, from fantastical stories about fictional candies to a true animated Thanksgiving classic. Here are five family-friendly favorites to watch on or around Thanksgiving.

You simply cannot have a list of Thanksgiving classics and not include "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," a major part of the "Charlie Brown" holiday canon (along with, of course, its Halloween and Christmas-themed installments). This charming cartoon, which was released in 1973 and written by original "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz, features everyone's favorite gang of kids — Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franklin, Linus, and the titular Charlie Brown alongside his faithful dog Snoopy and his sisdekick Woodstock — as they celebrate Thanksgiving, complete with a cold open where Lucy offers to let Charlie kick a football to commemorate Thanksgiving (only for her to, as usual, yank it away).

Besides the traditional football gag, the crux of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" centers around an impromptu holiday dinner that Charlie finds himself hosting despite the fact that he can't cook; after they try to feast on snacks, there's a scuffle over the fact that Peppermint Patty invited herself and caused this whole thing before they all decamp to Charlie's grandmother's house (sorry, condominium) for a proper meal. Add in a final scene where Snoopy and Woodstock make their own Thanksgiving dinner and you've got a perfect Thanksgiving movie, even if it is a little weird that Woodstock, a bird, gleefully splits a fellow bird's wishbone with Snoopy.

Ask any Thanksgiving fanatic what the best movie to celebrate the holiday might be, and they'll probably tell you it's the John Hughes classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." A clever mix of an odd-couple story and a Thanksgiving parable, the movie introduces us to uptight ad man Neal Page (Steve Martin), who's trying to head home to see his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving when he faces a number of obstacles to even begin his journey. Not only can he not get a cab to the airport, but when he gets to New York's LaGuardia, he realizes his flight is delayed; that's when he meets Del Griffith (the late, great John Candy), a shower-ring salesman who, as it turns out, cut in front of Neal earlier and stole his cab.

Together, the two oddly-matched men board a flight to Chicago but are then stuck together when the flight is diverted to Kansas due to excessive snow — and after they're forced to share a hotel room, they board a train together and then end up sharing a rental car (fulfilling the movie's title, of course). Candy and Martin are so funny in this movie, and it really does have an unexpectedly touching message when all is said and done: be grateful for companionship in your life, and be willing to open up and meet new friends even if the potential friend in question is your polar opposite.

"Paddington" doesn't take place at or around Thanksgiving, but it is a movie centered around the importance of family, a movie about how food can bring people together, and most importantly, really fun for the entire family. Based on the children's book character created in a series of books by Michael Bond, Paul King's 2014 take on "Paddington" brings this brave little bear hailing from "darkest Peru" to the big screen with Ben Whishaw as his voice. After leaving Peru in the wake of his Uncle Pastuzo's (Michael Gambon) sudden and tragic passing — leaving his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) behind there — Paddington tries to make it on his own in London but does, understandably, find that quite challenging. Luckily, he's discovered at Paddington Station — which gives him his name, as his Peruvian bear name is unpronounceable for humans) by Mary and Henry Brown (Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville) and their children Jonathan and Judy (Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin).

Despite Henry's initial reluctance to let a bear live in his London home, Paddington eventually wins all the Browns over with charm, love, and hefty helpings of homemade marmalade sandwiches. Frankly, all of the "Paddington" movies are worth watching. "Paddington 2," which might be even more charming than its predecessor, is a delight that also places an emphasis on food bringing people together, and "Paddington in Peru," the third installment, introduces audiences to a fantastical new world. Start at the beginning on Thanksgiving, but consider a movie marathon if you've got the time.

Foxes are natural predators, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the autumnal, cozy Wes Anderson film "Fantastic Mr. Fox" — based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name — has a pretty heavy focus on food. It also does, however, put a really big focus on togetherness and the importance of one's family. Anderson's absolutely stunning Claymation retelling of Dahl's story casts George Clooney as the titular "fantastic" Mr. Fox, whose wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) makes him promise, early in their marriage, that he'll stop undertaking dangerous missions to steal food and settle down peacefully by her side. Unfortunately for Felicity, Mr. Fox decides to move the entire family — including the couple's son Ash, voiced by Jason Schwartzman — into a tree that's perilously close to multiple fox-hunting farmers, putting them all in mortal peril.

The Fox family particularly loves chickens, so while they may not be eating Thanksgiving turkeys, it's pretty easy to see how "Fantastic Mr. Fox" would make a perfect Christmas movie, and it'll keep adults and their kids entertained at the same time. Looking for a touching story about family, fortitude, survival, and lots and lots of poultry? Give "Fantastic Mr. Fox" a go.

There are arguments to be made that the 2023 take on Willy Wonka directed by Paul King, simply titled "Wonka," is a Christmas movie — and that's valid! Still, there's a different argument to be made that "Wonka," which casts Timothée Chalamet as a younger version of the aspiring chocolatier, is about passing on culinary traditions through generations, which is a pretty on-brand message for Thanksgiving, a holiday that typically includes a heavy emphasis on family recipes. In Chalamet's capable hands, the character of Wonka takes on new life as we watch him try to navigate the world of chocolate before he opens his own factory, including his arrest for selling chocolate without a storefront ... an arrest that's secretly engineered by a shadowy group known as the "Chocolate Cartel" that hopes to put the wide-eyed young man out of business.

Chalamet is rarely bad, even if the movie around him doesn't rise to the occasion; thankfully, "Wonka," which is just as whimsical and delightful as King's two "Paddington" flicks, is breezy, fun, silly, and even dark (although, again, it's the kind of darkness that most little kids probably won't even catch). For something offbeat but comforting this Thanksgiving, consider something sweet and put on "Wonka."