10 Great Animated Kids’ Films To Watch During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and that means time spent with the family cozied up on the couch for a night of movies that fit the occasion. It can be hard to decide which films are the best picks, but one can never go wrong with animated family flicks from days gone by.

Here are a list of excellent animated movies that are perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday. With so much turmoil in the world right now, it’s good to go back to basics with some warmhearted stories that remind us all of what it means to be truly thankful.

10 A Land Before Time (1988)

Animation legend Don Bluth, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas joined forces to bring this 1988 animated classic to life. The story centers around a group of young dinosaur children who are forced to relocate to the Great Valley, a place where prosperity awaits them.

It’s a timeless and warmhearted tale of courage, friendship and thankfulness for family and friends. It also helped teach children a valuable lesson about accepting each other for who we are with open arms. The original would spawn an entire franchise that continued the journeys of Littlefoot and his pals.

9 The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Undoubtedly Don Bluth’s finest masterpiece, The Secret of NIMH is a classic animated tale that fits in perfectly with the theme of Thanksgiving. A young mother mouse must find a way to move her family’s home before the local farmer’s plow destroys it. However, her youngest son Timmy is sick with pneumonia and cannot be moved.

She seeks out the fabled rats of NIMH, who are super-intelligent rodents with heightened cognitive abilities, thanks to human genetic testing. The film is both eerie and charming, but its main themes of family and love are absolutely timeless.

8 An American Tail (1986)

This “tail” is one for the ages – another Don Bluth classic that puts the emphasis on the importance of family. It’s a story about Fievel, a young Russian-Jewish mouse who sets sail for America with his family, only to become separated from them during the journey.

The film’s vintage feel and heartwarming animation style are simply irresistible, as is the tale of a brave little mouse who would go up against all odds to make it back to his family – something anyone would be thankful for.

7 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Charlie Brown has become synonymous with the holidays, and for good reason. Decades later, these vintage classics are still being played not just at Christmas, but Thanksgiving, as well.

The gang try to put together the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s a mess from the start, thanks mostly to a menu that doesn’t belong. When things go bust, Charlie Brown is blamed for the disaster, but things are soon patched up and a happy ending ensues in typical quirky Peanuts fashion.

6 Garfield’s Thanksgiving (1989)

Garfield had a busy decade during the 1980s with a total of 12 television specials before 1991 arrived. This story finds the fat cat going on a diet – much to his horror – on the eve of Thanksgiving, no less. Meanwhile, Jon’s pathetic attempts at securing a date with veterinarian Liz somehow pay off, and he decides to cook Thanksgiving dinner himself.

Naturally, Jon is a wet noodle in the kitchen and things soon go pear-shaped, forcing Grandma Arbuckle to rush in and save the day. It’s a slapstick film with tons of laughs, loads of sarcasm and a happy ending that only someone as disreputable as Garfield would enjoy.

5 The Last Unicorn (1982)

Peter S. Beagle’s classic fantasy novel got a magnificent animated adaptation in 1982, and it’s still one of the most powerful and mature family films ever conceived. It’s a story about a unicorn who learns that she has become the last of her kind. Unnerved by the news, she leaves the safety of her forest to find out what has happened, only to become the target of a terrifying monster known as the Red Bull.

The Last Unicorn is definitely not for younger viewers. It contains intensely disturbing scenes best suited for children above the age of eight. However, its themes of loneliness, regret, happiness and courage fit perfectly with the theme of Thanksgiving – especially during the final act.

4 Peter Pan (1953)

Sometimes, the best Thanksgiving movie is one that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the holiday at all. Peter Pan is just such a film. It comes from the Golden Age of Disney classics and continues to inspire awe and wonder in children, even to this day.

The classic story about the boy who never ages and his fight against the menacing Captain Hook is as captivating as ever. Follow it up with the live-action sort-of-sequel Hook (1991), starring Robin Williams, and your family is in for one special night.

3 The Aristocats (1970)

This excellent Disney classic is often overlooked by fans searching for a little animated nostalgia. It tells the story of Madame Bonfamille, a wealthy retired opera singer who crafts a will leaving her entire fortune to her cat Duchess and her three little kittens.

Enraged, the selfish Edgar plots to get rid of the cats so that he can claim the inheritance for himself. The cats make their arduous journey back home with the help of an alley cat named Thomas. The film ends with Madame Bonfamille opening up a charity foundation for stray cats, which is a wonderful lesson in philanthropy and the joys of using one’s wealth to help others voluntarily.

2 Pinocchio

No one character knows more about thankfulness than Pinocchio, a marionette given life by a Blue Fairy. His maker Geppetto wishes nothing more than for Pinocchio to become a real boy, and the film centers largely around events that allow him to prove his worthiness for such a gift.

Pinocchio awakens in the final act of the film as a real boy, much to his delight. It’s one of Disney’s most recognizable and beloved works, even if it does depict G-rated children’s characters getting hammered while smoking cigars.

1 WALL-E

WALL-E remains one of Disney/Pixar’s absolute-best animated films of all time – one that perfectly recaptures the warm-hearted magic of the 1950s Golden Age. It’s a contemporary take on the themes of friendship, companionship and love, with a lot of laughs along the way.

Little WALL-E is a garbage robot left on a devastated Earth who spends his days cleaning up trash and watching his favorite black and films of old. That is until a sleek new robot arrives on the planet and the two embark on an exciting adventure together. The film’s final act is a tear-jerker with a happy ending that spells out the spirit of Thanksgiving in the best possible way.

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