Family DVDs arranged beside spring flowers for an Easter movie night.

Best Easter Movies for Families (Clean & Meaningful Picks on DVD)

March 7, 2026

Updated September 2026

The Best Easter Movies for Families, at a Glance

The best Easter movies for families run from gentle spring specials like It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown to faithful tellings of Holy Week such as The Miracle Maker, Jesus (1979) and Risen. Most families want a bit of both. Here are fifteen we recommend on DVD, grouped by age, with the rating and the scenes a parent should know about.

Film	Year	Rating	Best for
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown	1974	TV special (not rated)	3+
Here Comes Peter Cottontail	1971	TV special (not rated)	3+
VeggieTales: An Easter Carol	2004	Video release (not rated)	4+
Hop	2011	PG	5+
Rise of the Guardians	2012	PG	7+
The Miracle Maker	2000	TV-G	7+
Jesus	1979	G	8+
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	2005	PG	8+
The Ten Commandments	1956	G	9+
Easter Parade	1948	Not rated	All ages
The Case for Christ	2017	PG	12+
The Robe	1953	Not rated	12+
The Gospel of John	2003	PG-13	12+
Risen	2016	PG-13	13+
Son of God	2014	PG-13	14+

Films released before the MPAA rating system began in 1968, and specials made for television, carry no MPAA rating. For those, we've relied on the content itself.

In this guide:

Gentle Picks for Preschool and Early Elementary
Telling the Easter Story to Children
For Teens and Adults: Holy Week on Film
A Note on The Passion of the Christ
Making an Easter Movie Night a Tradition
Picking Up Easter DVDs Secondhand
Frequently Asked Questions

Gentle Picks for Preschool and Early Elementary

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974)

This 25-minute Peanuts special first aired on CBS in April 1974. Peppermint Patty and Marcie can't figure out how to dye eggs, Linus insists the Easter Beagle will come, and Snoopy delivers. It's the easiest first Easter movie there is. Parent note: nothing to worry about. Lucy is bossy, and Charlie Brown gets no egg, which is very Charlie Brown.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)

A Rankin/Bass stop-motion special narrated by Danny Kaye, with Vincent Price as the villainous rabbit January Q. Irontail. Peter loses the Chief Easter Bunny contest and time-travels through the calendar trying to deliver his eggs. It's charming and very 1970s. Parent note: Irontail is a pantomime villain. Very young kids may find his voice spooky, but nothing more.

VeggieTales: An Easter Carol (2004)

A spin on A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Nezzer wants to tear down a church to build a theme park, and an angel named Hope shows him what Easter is really about. This is the best pick for teaching preschoolers the Resurrection in a way they'll follow. Parent note: none. It's VeggieTales.

Hop (2011, PG)

The Easter Bunny's son, E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), would rather be a rock drummer in Hollywood than take over the family business. It's pure candy, with no religious content. Parent note: rated PG for some mild rude humor, including a jelly-bean joke you can guess at. There's also slapstick and some bumbling-adult humor.

Rise of the Guardians (2012, PG)

Santa, the Tooth Fairy and a boomerang-throwing Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) team up with Jack Frost against the Boogeyman. The middle act is an Easter sequence where Pitch wrecks the egg hunt. Parent note: Pitch and his shadowy nightmare horses are genuinely scary for under-6s, and there's plenty of action fighting.

For the rest of the year, our G-rated movies on DVD guide has more films gentle enough for this age group.

Telling the Easter Story to Children

The Miracle Maker (2000, TV-G)

If we could recommend only one film for children ages 7 to 11, it would be this one, and it belongs on any shelf of Christian family movies on DVD. A British-Russian stop-motion production, with Ralph Fiennes as the voice of Jesus, it follows the life of Christ through the Crucifixion and the empty tomb. It uses hand-drawn animation for the parables. It premiered on ABC in April 2000. Parent note: the Crucifixion is shown, but not graphically. It's handled with great care for a young audience.

Jesus (1979, G)

This one sticks closely to the Gospel of Luke, and the dialogue comes straight from the text. It's often called the most translated film ever made. It's plainly filmed and a little slow for modern kids, but it's faithful and easy to follow alongside a Bible. Parent note: the Crucifixion is depicted soberly, with little blood.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, PG)

Not an Easter film on the surface, but C.S. Lewis wrote Aslan's death at the Stone Table and his return at dawn as a picture of Good Friday and Easter morning. Plenty of families watch it during Holy Week for exactly that reason. Our Chronicles of Narnia books in order guide explains where this story falls among the seven books. Parent note: a large battle, the witch's cruelty, and Aslan's death scene, which is sad and a bit frightening for sensitive kids.

The Ten Commandments (1956, G)

Cecil B. DeMille's Moses epic runs well over three and a half hours and has been a long-running Easter-season television tradition. It connects the Passover to Holy Week, which is worth explaining. Parent note: the plagues, including the death of the firstborn, are frightening for young children. There's also slave-driving violence and a mildly sensual golden calf sequence. We'd watch it in two sittings.

For Teens and Adults: Holy Week on Film

The Case for Christ (2017, PG)

This is the true story of Chicago Tribune journalist Lee Strobel. He sets out to disprove the Resurrection after his wife becomes a Christian and ends up convinced. It's the best film here for a teenager with real questions, because it treats the evidence seriously. Our list of Christian books for teens has more for a teenager working through the same questions. Parent note: medical descriptions of crucifixion, a police-shooting subplot, drinking, and marital strain.

The Robe (1953)

Richard Burton plays the Roman tribune who wins Christ's robe at the foot of the cross and can't escape what he saw. It was the first film released in CinemaScope and a Best Picture nominee. The sequel is Demetrius and the Gladiators. Parent note: released before the rating system. Expect period-epic violence and a martyrdom ending, but nothing graphic.

The Gospel of John (2003, PG-13)

This three-hour film is a word-for-word adaptation of John's Gospel from the Good News Bible, narrated by Christopher Plummer. It's ideal for families who want Scripture exactly as written, and it's also a good fit for a Bible class. Parent note: rated PG-13 for the violence of the Crucifixion. It's restrained compared with films made for adults, but real.

Risen (2016, PG-13)

Joseph Fiennes plays Clavius, a Roman tribune ordered by Pilate to find the missing body of Jesus before the rumor of a resurrection spreads. It's essentially a detective story, and that's why teenage boys tend to like it. Parent note: an opening battle and the Crucifixion, both violent but not gory.

Son of God (2014, PG-13)

This theatrical film was cut from the 2013 History Channel miniseries The Bible, with Diogo Morgado as Jesus and Roma Downey as Mary. It covers the full life of Christ. Parent note: the scourging and Crucifixion are intense and bloody. This is the most graphic film on our list, so it's best for 14 and up.

A secular classic: Easter Parade (1948)

Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in an Irving Berlin musical that ends on Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday. There's nothing religious in it, but it's a lovely Easter-afternoon film for grandparents and grandkids. Parent note: romantic mix-ups and some drinking in a bar scene.

A Note on The Passion of the Christ

Many readers ask about The Passion of the Christ (2004). It's rated R for its graphic violence, and it earns that rating: the scourging scene is long and brutal. We don't consider it a family film, and we'd only suggest it for adults and older teens whose parents have seen it first. If you want a teen to understand what the Crucifixion involved without that intensity, Risen or The Gospel of John are better choices.

Making an Easter Movie Night a Tradition

A few things that have worked for families we know:

Split the week. A light film like the Charlie Brown special on Saturday, and a Holy Week film on Good Friday or Easter evening.
Read first, then watch. Read the Passion narrative from one Gospel before The Miracle Maker or Jesus, and have kids spot what the film added or left out.
Pair Narnia with the book. Read chapters 13 through 15 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the night before the movie.
Plan for the long ones. The Ten Commandments has an intermission, so use it as a natural break for dinner.

Picking Up Easter DVDs Secondhand

Seasonal discs are one of the best things to buy used. Most of these get watched once a year, so secondhand copies are usually in great shape. Look through our holiday DVDs for the Peanuts and Rankin/Bass specials, family and animation DVDs for the kids' titles, and drama DVDs for the biblical epics. Shipping is free on orders over $15. Stock is one-of-a-kind, so it's worth checking a few weeks before Easter rather than the week of.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Easter movie for young kids?

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown and VeggieTales: An Easter Carol are the safest picks for preschoolers. For the religious story at a child's level, The Miracle Maker (2000) is our top recommendation for ages 7 and up.

Is there an animated movie about Jesus' death and resurrection?

Yes. The Miracle Maker (2000) is a stop-motion film with Ralph Fiennes voicing Jesus. It covers His life through the Crucifixion and Resurrection and is gentle enough for elementary-age children.

Is Risen appropriate for kids?

Risen is rated PG-13 for battle and crucifixion violence. It's not gory, and most families find it fine for ages 13 and up. Younger kids may be upset by the opening battle.

Is The Passion of the Christ OK for teenagers?

It's rated R for graphic violence, and the scourging scene is prolonged and brutal. We'd only suggest it for mature older teens after a parent has watched it first.

Is The Gospel of John word for word?

Yes. The 2003 film uses the complete text of John's Gospel from the Good News Bible as its script, narrated by Christopher Plummer. It runs about three hours.