When it comes to holiday movies for kids, Christmas movies get all the attention. They come out every year, packed with big stars and sporting even bigger budgets. But Christmas isn’t the only holiday when families want to gather around the TV to wind down after a busy day. The best Easter movies for kids are harder to find, but they’re out there if you know where to look.
While the Easter bunny has a more mysterious backstory than Santa Claus, there are some family films out there that explain how he came to be, or explain the origins of other Easter traditions. For those looking for something with a religious bent, there are many films that help tell the story of Jesus and the Resurrection. And then there are a few that don’t really have much to do with the Easter holiday at all, but feel thematically appropriate (i.e. are about rabbits). There are specials that are geared for toddlers with shorter attention spans, and longer, more serious selections for families with tweens and teens. Once the plates for Easter brunch is cleared, the egg hunt is over and the kids’ Easter gifts have been opened, just plop on the couch, throw one of these on, and you’re good to go.
1
Hop (2011)
There are many, many movies that tackle the question of who takes up the Santa mantle after he retires, but this one brings the same conundrum to the Easter bunny. “E.B.” doesn’t want to be the next Easter Bunny — he’d rather be a rock and roll drummer.
2
It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974)
It just wouldn’t be a holiday without a Peanuts special. In this one, all the Peanuts gang gets ready fo Easter, dying eggs and organizing a hunt, but Linus is convinced the Easter Beagle will bring them all treats.
4
The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town (1977)
Rankin and Bass are known for their stop-motion holiday specials, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or The Year Without a Santa Claus. But they did lend their skills to Easter specials, too — like this one, which gives fictional, non-religious explanations for the origins of various Easter traditions, like painted eggs, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.
5
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
When an evil spirit named Pitch Black tries to shroud the world in darkness, it’s up to all the magical beings — the Easter Bunny, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and even Jack Frost — to team up to stop him. It’s like The Avengers for holidays.
6
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
One of the first DreamWorks movies, The Prince of Egypt tells the story of Moses in the Book of Exodus — not an Easter story specifically, but an Easter-time tradition all the same. The original song from the film, “When You Believe” performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, is also a good addition to any Easter playlist.
7
Easter Parade (1948)
Fred Astaire and Judy Garland star in this classic about a dancer (Astaire) looking to team up with a new partner (Garland). In addition to the famed title song, this film is filled with musical numbers, including staples like “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” and “I Love a Piano.”
8
An Easter Story (1984)
Paul Fusco, creator of ALF, stars in this 30-minute holiday special. It imagines a world where the Easter bunny is caught without enough eggs or dye right before the holiday, leading kids to do something drastic: color their own eggs.
9
The Dog Who Saved Easter (2014)
A sequel to ABC Family’s The Dog Who Saved Christmas, this direct-to-video feature follows Zeus the labrador retriever, a retired police dog. This time, Zeus has to foil a plot by robbers to disrupt a doggie day care. Mario Lopez provides the voice of Zeus.
10
The Ten Commandments (1956)
In some households, Easter means the yearly rewatch of The Ten Commandments, listening again to the story of how Moses led his people from enslavement in the Book of Exodus. Though it’s rated G, it’s probably still too intense for the littlest family members (and too long, clocking in at more than three hours).
11
Daffy Duck’s Easter Egg-Citement (1980)
You’d think Bugs would be the one to emcee Looney Tunes’ Easter festivities, given that he’s a rabbit and all, but the holiday is actually Daffy’s time to shine. The 40-minute special features three cartoons by Fritz Freleng, all about Easter and spring.
12
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
13
Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure (2012)
Swiper, no swiping … the Easter eggs! When the mischievous fox hides the basket of Easter eggs, it’s up to Dora, Boots and their bunny friend to go on a journey to get it back.
14
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (2016)
Sid and the rest of his Ice Age pals are tasked with a rescue that turns into the world’s first egg hunt. (And yes, Scrat gets in on the fun, too.)
15
Yogi the Easter Bear (2005)
Did you know that it was actually Yogi the Bear’s ancestors that got the Easter Bunny started? When Yogi and Boo-Boo come out of hibernation on Easter, Yogi tells the story of how his family was instrumental in kicking off the Easter tradition.
16
Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)
Danny Kaye narrates this Rankin/Bass stop-motion-animated special, based on the book The Easter Bunny That Overslept by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich. It follows the Peter’s quest to take over Easter Bunny duties, a job he has to earn by defeating a sinister rival bunny, January Q. Irontail.
17
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
For a different take on Jesus’s life, this George Stevens-directed epic starts with the nativity story and ends with the Ascension. As with the other Biblical epics, it’s a long one — more than three hours — and is best viewed with older kids over multiple sittings.
18
Peppa Pig: The Easter Bunny (2018)
If you’re looking for something to watch with toddlers, this Peppa Pig special is as gentle as they come. Peppa joins her friends and family for Easter fun, including an egg hunt, gardening with her grandparents and, of course, splashing in muddy puddles.
19
‘Twas the Night Before Easter/An Easter Carol (2011)
The characters from Crisper County star in two Easter stories inspired by classic works of litearature. In the first, Petunia Rhubarb sets out to save the town’s historic theater before it shuts down. In the second, cranky zucchini Mr. Nezzer must learn that Easter is about more than candy and treats.
20
Guess How Much I Love You: An Enchanting Easter (2018)
You don’t think of the Little Nutbrown Hare as an Easter character, but he fits perfectly in the occasion. When he sees a white fawn, the creatures of the forest get a special Easter surprise.
21
Easter Someday (2021)
Talk about falling down a rabbit hole: When a young girl is tired of her parents’ high expectations of her, she accidentally wishes herself into a world called Someday. In order to get home, she must decipher clues from a magic book — and complete challenges given to her by a giant rabbit.
22
The First Easter Rabbit (1976)
Though it’s 2D animation, this is another Rankin/Bass special — and it’s narrated by Burl Ives, just like Rudolph. It’s a spin on a Velveteen Rabbit story, where a stuffed bunny goes through a transformation to become the real Easter Bunny.
23
Davey and Goliath “Happy Easter” (1967)
You have to skip to episode 66 to see a very special Easter episode of Davey and Goliath, from Gumby creator Art Clokey. The title is somewhat ironic since Davey has to learn how to cope with his grandmother’s death, which he grapples with while learning about the importance of Easter.
24
The Easter Promise (2006)
Most religious offerings about Easter are geared toward much older kids. This one is aged much younger, weaving the fictional story of a boy named Jerem, who wants to be a soldier for a king, together with the Biblical account of Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Sunday school teachers say they often use this one in their classes.
25
Curious George: Egg Hunting (2017)
There are six toddler-friendly springtime stories in this collection — enough to entertain a little one long enough for you to set up a quick basket, or even longer if need be. In it, George and the Man in the Yellow Hat search for an egg’s missing nest, rescue hungry bunnies and more.
26
The First Easter Egg (1999)
When a young bunny looks for a present for his mom, he finds the perfect egg. On the way home, though, he runs into characters that each have designs for his gift, and it gets cooked, painted … you see where it goes from there.
27
Easterland (2019)
This is another movie where other holiday favorites, including Santa Claus, have to band together to save Easter — this time from Bad Clyde, who banished the Easter Bunny to a harsh realm.
28
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
There are no egg hunts or treat-filled baskets to be found in this Aardman stop-motion animated movie, but bunnies abound. When a town is overrun by rabbits, Wallace and his dog Gromit investigate — and find out a beast has been destroying vegetable patches in the run-up to a garden competition.
29
Watership Down (1978)
Don’t let these cuddly-looking bunnies fool you — this movie is intense, and better for your tweens and teens. It follows a community of rabbits who, in the face of human developers and violence in their group, have to find a new place for their warren.
30
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
It’s Santa who makes an appearance in this movie, not the Easter bunny. But when the four Pevensie siblings head through a wardrobe to the magical world of Narnia to help defeat a winter-making White Witch, you can see parallels to the Easter story — especially regarding the noble lion Aslan, who experiences a resurrection. Time to teach those kids about allegories!
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor Marisa LaScala covers all things parenting, from the postpartum period through empty nests, for Good Housekeeping; she previously wrote about motherhood for Parents and Working Mother.
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