Ask most parents what their favorite Christmas movie or show to watch with their children is, and you’re likely to get a wide variety of answers.
From “Elf” (the demonstrably incorrect answer) to “It’s a Wonderful Life” (the objectively correct response, though the 1966 animated film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is also an acceptable answer), you will hear a lot of different movie titles rattled off. But one thing every single movie will have in common is that the response will be snappy, and generally need little more than just a thought or two.
Now, ask those same parents what their favorite Easter movie or show to watch with their kids is… and you’re likely to get a blank stare.
Yes, virtually any film that focuses on the life of Jesus Christ could reasonably be construed as an Easter movie, and that brings a number of quality movies to mind.
But luminary films like “The Passion of the Christ” aren’t exactly kid-friendly, which is to be expected given the seriousness of the subject matter.
(And it’s highly doubtful that a sequel to “Passion” will be kid-friendly either.)
To be sure, Easter certainly doesn’t lend itself to idle time to watch much of anything with your kids.
Do you enjoy Easter egg hunts?
Easter Sunday service and worship, Easter brunch (or lunch or dinner), the vital Easter egg hunt and general family time will make for a plenty busy enough day.
But if you do have some time between activities, here are five (sort of) things you can watch with your children on Easter — and for your convenience these are all fully accessible straight from here.
5. My young son’s input: The reason this list isn’t truly just five items is that I asked for my son’s input on this list and he refused to split hairs.
So without further ado, here are two things that a young child simply can’t choose between:
That’s “Pete the Cat” and “Bluey,” a pair of staple characters for many young children today, with breezy takes on the fun that can be had on Easter.
4. “The Easter Bugs Bunny”: Ah, the “Elf” of this list.
This entry on the list is a tidy five minutes of irreverent slapstick from a veritable legend of the cartoon world. That being said, it also has the least to do with Easter itself and is mostly just an exercise in chaos.
It is, however, a friendly reminder of how much better cartoons used to be.
2/3. A pair of 1970s gems: Both of the following movies came out in the ’70s and are fully available for free.
Here’s “Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail,” which came out in 1971:
And “The First Easter Bunny,” which debuted in 1976:
1. An ’80s classic with an added bonus: This is purely a matter of personal preference, but few books resonated with this writer more than “The Berenstain Bears” books. So naturally, anything involving those bears and Easter is an easy list topper for me.
But this entry also has the added bonus of including those halcyon commercials of the ’80s that should be an especial treat for readers of a certain age:
Happy Easter, everyone!
