Thanksgiving Movies for Kids + Family That'll Make Everyone Grateful For Streaming
We promise: No turkeys here!
Posted on Nov 3, 2025 | 09:00am
It’s that time of year again – the time for basting, baking, and, okay, maybe just a dash of bickering. That’s right, it’s Thanksgiving time. And nothing says festive like gathering around a screen with the family to enjoy sweet, savory movies – plus, a couple of TV classics! – that are all streaming now on Paramount+.
We rifled through our mountain of movies and shows, and selected six titles to add to your Thanksgiving menu. Our picks range from options for you and the little ones, to picks that’ll even get the seal of approval from your teens. Read on for our curated list. And even if your Thanksgiving dinners occasionally come with a side of grumbling, these faves will give everyone something to agree on.
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1. Snow Day (2000)
Ah, snow days. Even if you’re from a place where the climate doesn't lend itself to such magical events, you can imagine the elation of waking up to a blanket of white, and knowing that, as a result, your school day would be replaced by hours of outdoor play and sibling roughhousing. Sounds a little like Thanksgiving weekend, huh?
The warm family comedy Snow Day follows siblings Hal (Mark Webber) and Natalie (Zena Grey) after an epic snowfall that’s shut down schools all across Syracuse, New York. Hal decides that this surprise day off from school is the perfect opportunity to woo his longtime crush, Claire (Emmanuelle Chriqui), and enlists the wooing help of his best friend, Lane (Schuyler Fisk). Meanwhile, Natalie declares war against Snowplowman (Chris Elliott), a local villain whose efficiency with his vehicle (a snowplow, natch) has ensured that there hasn’t been a second snow day in years. As the kids are going about their respective missions, their father, Tom Brandston (Chevy Chase), has his own snow day goal: to prove himself as the superior local weatherman when a rival takes credit for his work.
With Jean Smart as the Brandston family’s workaholic matriarch, Snow Day captures the excitement and fun of a little vacation. Its breezy humor, wintertime setting, and themes of camaraderie and adventure make it an enjoyable flick for all ages. Silly antics mixed with heartwarming moments? The ultimate winter weekend vibe. Pass the cocoa.
WATCH NOW: Snow Day
2. The Loud House Thanksgiving Special (2022)
You know them. You love them. You may very well compare your own family to theirs. They’re the Louds, the household at the center of the long-running Nickelodeon animated show, The Loud House. And The Loud House Thanksgiving Special, a 22-minute watch, featuring clips from Loud House episodes of yore, puts the 11-sibling brigade smack dab in their element: havoc. What parent (or elder sibling) can’t relate to the dream of crafting a seamless holiday event – only to have that vision bump up against a chaotic reality?
Middle-child Lincoln Loud gets it. The special finds him and his friend Clyde attempting to work out the recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving, but feeling discouraged by memories of all the Loud family’s past hijinks and mishaps. Ultimately Lincoln and Clyde realize that what’s really important is togetherness, and that a family’s quirks are what make it special. After all, what’s more memorable than silliness?
Kids will love the vibrant animation style and engaging, relatable young siblings. Grownups like you, meanwhile, will rest easy in the knowledge that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be flawless to be fantastic. Yep. Just keep repeating that mantra as you’re cutting bubble gum out of the cat’s fur …
For more Loud Turkey Day merriment, check out the full The Loud House Season 3 episode, "The Loudest Thanksgiving," also now streaming on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: The Loud House Thanksgiving Special
3. Mousehunt (1997)
It is not funny when your Thanksgiving bird comes out burnt, traffic prevents a beloved relative from arriving on time, or the family dog destroys Grandma’s famous gelatin salad. But it’s hilarious watching disaster befall someone else – namely, two bumbling brothers with a vendetta against a rodent.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, the slapstick comedy Mousehunt, rated PG, stars Nathan Lane and Lee Evans as Ernie and Lars Smuntz, siblings who inherit a crumbling estate. Though they see dollar signs flash before their eyes as they make plans to renovate and sell the place, there’s a small problem – mouse-sized, to be precise. A furry tenant refuses to leave the premises, and the vermin proves far more clever than the Smuntzes – and their exterminator, Caesar (Christopher Walken) – ever thought possible.
Mousehunt’s color palette is decidedly autumnal, with the browns and deep reds of the characters’ musty mansion, and the story certainly involves Thanksgiving-centric themes of togetherness and family bonding. It’s also simply a hilarious battle of wits between two buffoons – played by performers with impressive physical comedy chops – and an adorable mouse. But what makes this PG-rated film extra-perfect for Turkey Day viewing is watching a plan that’s supposed to go off without a hitch spin out of control. No matter how off the rails your Thanksgiving gets, it won’t ever approach a debacle of this magnitude. Probably.
WATCH NOW: Mousehunt
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4. Home for the Holidays (1995)
Family is the reason we gather, celebrate, and give thanks. But, yeah, also, arguably, it's the thing that causes stomach-roiling stress. The Jodie Foster-directed Home for the Holidays understands all the complicated feelings associated with kin, especially when the entire brood – including spouses, kids, and everybody’s respective dietary requirements – is gathered around a single table.
Featuring an all-star cast that includes Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Bancroft, and Charles Durning, this PG-13-rated comedy is about single mom Claudia Larson (Hunter). Ditched by her teen daughter (Claire Danes) on Thanksgiving weekend, and smarting from a recent firing, Claudia travels solo to the home of her parents (Bancroft and Durning), where she suffers days of indignities and dysfunction known as Thanksgiving time.
Love your relatives, but don’t always love your relatives? Home for the Holidays is the perfect movie for the time of year where everyone you cherish – plus all their opinions and habits – is packed together in one small space. Pass the eggnog.
WATCH NOW: Home for the Holidays
5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Want to get in that festive mood, but outside forces, particularly of the traffic kind, conspire against you? Have we got a Thanksgiving road-trip comedy for you. In the John Hughes classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles, marketing exec Neal Page (Steve Martin) sets out from New York City to celebrate Turkey Day in Chicago with his family. But inclement weather, money mishaps, and transportation disasters thwart him at every turn, keeping his Windy City destination – and that warm turkey dinner – just out of reach. What’s more, fate throws him together with Del Griffith (John Candy), a chatty shower-curtain-ring salesman with whom Neal has nothing in common. Or so he thinks …
It’s impossible for your spirits to remain unlifted in the face of Martin's and Candy’s uproarious chemistry, just as it's impossible to resist rooting for their characters' unlikely friendship. If you’re feeling slow to experience a sense of conviviality this year, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (rated R for one scene in which Martin's character conjugates a certain four-letter word multiple times) is your fast track to joy.
WATCH NOW: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
6. "Thanksgiving Orphans," Cheers
Family comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, for instance, it’s a cluster of bar buddies who, having nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, gather at the home of a mouthy waitress struggling with an undercooked turkey. This is the plot of the charming Cheers Season 5 episode, “Thanksgiving Orphans.”
The story finds Carla (Rhea Perlman) hosting every member of the Cheers gang at her home for Turkey Day. Sam (Ted Danson), Cliff (John Ratzenberger), Norm (George Wendt), Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), Diane (Shelley Long), and Woody (Woody Harrelson) bring their appetites, and emotional baggage. When the holiday meal is delayed – and delayed some more – awkwardness and hunger give way to bickering, and the group can’t help but let fly a few zingers, right before they let fly a few other things. Let’s just say, no side dish is safe …
The Cheers cast is known for its impeccable ensemble chemistry, and nowhere is that comedic crackle more evident than in “Thanksgiving Orphans.” Combine that electricity with the physical humor of airborne food, and you have sitcom gold on your hands. You also have evidence that family ain’t just biological. Circumstances can make a family, too. Even if those circumstances are that each one of you is covered in mashed potatoes.
WATCH NOW: Cheers Season 5, Episode 9, “Thanksgiving Orphans”
Get Started
We rifled through our mountain of movies and shows, and selected six titles to add to your Thanksgiving menu. Our picks range from options for you and the little ones, to picks that’ll even get the seal of approval from your teens. Read on for our curated list. And even if your Thanksgiving dinners occasionally come with a side of grumbling, these faves will give everyone something to agree on.
Thanksgiving Movies for Kids and Family (and One TV Special, Too)
Best kid-friendly Thanksgiving movie to pair with a giant mug of hot chocolate
1. Snow Day (2000)
Ah, snow days. Even if you’re from a place where the climate doesn't lend itself to such magical events, you can imagine the elation of waking up to a blanket of white, and knowing that, as a result, your school day would be replaced by hours of outdoor play and sibling roughhousing. Sounds a little like Thanksgiving weekend, huh?
The warm family comedy Snow Day follows siblings Hal (Mark Webber) and Natalie (Zena Grey) after an epic snowfall that’s shut down schools all across Syracuse, New York. Hal decides that this surprise day off from school is the perfect opportunity to woo his longtime crush, Claire (Emmanuelle Chriqui), and enlists the wooing help of his best friend, Lane (Schuyler Fisk). Meanwhile, Natalie declares war against Snowplowman (Chris Elliott), a local villain whose efficiency with his vehicle (a snowplow, natch) has ensured that there hasn’t been a second snow day in years. As the kids are going about their respective missions, their father, Tom Brandston (Chevy Chase), has his own snow day goal: to prove himself as the superior local weatherman when a rival takes credit for his work.
With Jean Smart as the Brandston family’s workaholic matriarch, Snow Day captures the excitement and fun of a little vacation. Its breezy humor, wintertime setting, and themes of camaraderie and adventure make it an enjoyable flick for all ages. Silly antics mixed with heartwarming moments? The ultimate winter weekend vibe. Pass the cocoa.
WATCH NOW: Snow Day
Best kid-friendly Thanksgiving special to put on while scrubbing your children’s hand-turkey art off the walls
2. The Loud House Thanksgiving Special (2022)
You know them. You love them. You may very well compare your own family to theirs. They’re the Louds, the household at the center of the long-running Nickelodeon animated show, The Loud House. And The Loud House Thanksgiving Special, a 22-minute watch, featuring clips from Loud House episodes of yore, puts the 11-sibling brigade smack dab in their element: havoc. What parent (or elder sibling) can’t relate to the dream of crafting a seamless holiday event – only to have that vision bump up against a chaotic reality?
Middle-child Lincoln Loud gets it. The special finds him and his friend Clyde attempting to work out the recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving, but feeling discouraged by memories of all the Loud family’s past hijinks and mishaps. Ultimately Lincoln and Clyde realize that what’s really important is togetherness, and that a family’s quirks are what make it special. After all, what’s more memorable than silliness?
Kids will love the vibrant animation style and engaging, relatable young siblings. Grownups like you, meanwhile, will rest easy in the knowledge that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be flawless to be fantastic. Yep. Just keep repeating that mantra as you’re cutting bubble gum out of the cat’s fur …
For more Loud Turkey Day merriment, check out the full The Loud House Season 3 episode, "The Loudest Thanksgiving," also now streaming on Paramount+.
WATCH NOW: The Loud House Thanksgiving Special
Best kid-friendly Thanksgiving movie for those who like a little chaos with their cranberry sauce
3. Mousehunt (1997)
It is not funny when your Thanksgiving bird comes out burnt, traffic prevents a beloved relative from arriving on time, or the family dog destroys Grandma’s famous gelatin salad. But it’s hilarious watching disaster befall someone else – namely, two bumbling brothers with a vendetta against a rodent.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, the slapstick comedy Mousehunt, rated PG, stars Nathan Lane and Lee Evans as Ernie and Lars Smuntz, siblings who inherit a crumbling estate. Though they see dollar signs flash before their eyes as they make plans to renovate and sell the place, there’s a small problem – mouse-sized, to be precise. A furry tenant refuses to leave the premises, and the vermin proves far more clever than the Smuntzes – and their exterminator, Caesar (Christopher Walken) – ever thought possible.
Mousehunt’s color palette is decidedly autumnal, with the browns and deep reds of the characters’ musty mansion, and the story certainly involves Thanksgiving-centric themes of togetherness and family bonding. It’s also simply a hilarious battle of wits between two buffoons – played by performers with impressive physical comedy chops – and an adorable mouse. But what makes this PG-rated film extra-perfect for Turkey Day viewing is watching a plan that’s supposed to go off without a hitch spin out of control. No matter how off the rails your Thanksgiving gets, it won’t ever approach a debacle of this magnitude. Probably.
WATCH NOW: Mousehunt
Thanksgiving Movies for Teens and Family (and One TV Episode)
Best Thanksgiving movie for when your family is more thankful for some relatives than others
4. Home for the Holidays (1995)
Family is the reason we gather, celebrate, and give thanks. But, yeah, also, arguably, it's the thing that causes stomach-roiling stress. The Jodie Foster-directed Home for the Holidays understands all the complicated feelings associated with kin, especially when the entire brood – including spouses, kids, and everybody’s respective dietary requirements – is gathered around a single table.
Featuring an all-star cast that includes Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Bancroft, and Charles Durning, this PG-13-rated comedy is about single mom Claudia Larson (Hunter). Ditched by her teen daughter (Claire Danes) on Thanksgiving weekend, and smarting from a recent firing, Claudia travels solo to the home of her parents (Bancroft and Durning), where she suffers days of indignities and dysfunction known as Thanksgiving time.
Love your relatives, but don’t always love your relatives? Home for the Holidays is the perfect movie for the time of year where everyone you cherish – plus all their opinions and habits – is packed together in one small space. Pass the eggnog.
WATCH NOW: Home for the Holidays
Best Thanksgiving movie for when you’re stuck with the fam at the airport
5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Want to get in that festive mood, but outside forces, particularly of the traffic kind, conspire against you? Have we got a Thanksgiving road-trip comedy for you. In the John Hughes classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles, marketing exec Neal Page (Steve Martin) sets out from New York City to celebrate Turkey Day in Chicago with his family. But inclement weather, money mishaps, and transportation disasters thwart him at every turn, keeping his Windy City destination – and that warm turkey dinner – just out of reach. What’s more, fate throws him together with Del Griffith (John Candy), a chatty shower-curtain-ring salesman with whom Neal has nothing in common. Or so he thinks …
It’s impossible for your spirits to remain unlifted in the face of Martin's and Candy’s uproarious chemistry, just as it's impossible to resist rooting for their characters' unlikely friendship. If you’re feeling slow to experience a sense of conviviality this year, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (rated R for one scene in which Martin's character conjugates a certain four-letter word multiple times) is your fast track to joy.
WATCH NOW: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Best Thanksgiving TV episode for when the family's in the mood for a classic
6. "Thanksgiving Orphans," Cheers
Family comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, for instance, it’s a cluster of bar buddies who, having nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, gather at the home of a mouthy waitress struggling with an undercooked turkey. This is the plot of the charming Cheers Season 5 episode, “Thanksgiving Orphans.”
The story finds Carla (Rhea Perlman) hosting every member of the Cheers gang at her home for Turkey Day. Sam (Ted Danson), Cliff (John Ratzenberger), Norm (George Wendt), Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), Diane (Shelley Long), and Woody (Woody Harrelson) bring their appetites, and emotional baggage. When the holiday meal is delayed – and delayed some more – awkwardness and hunger give way to bickering, and the group can’t help but let fly a few zingers, right before they let fly a few other things. Let’s just say, no side dish is safe …
The Cheers cast is known for its impeccable ensemble chemistry, and nowhere is that comedic crackle more evident than in “Thanksgiving Orphans.” Combine that electricity with the physical humor of airborne food, and you have sitcom gold on your hands. You also have evidence that family ain’t just biological. Circumstances can make a family, too. Even if those circumstances are that each one of you is covered in mashed potatoes.
WATCH NOW: Cheers Season 5, Episode 9, “Thanksgiving Orphans”