This Easter weekend, you might want to slow down from egg-hunting and ham-cooking to watch a movie with your family.
If so, hop on down the bunny trail to Netflix to watch one of these fun, kid-friendly movies that adults will be sure to love too.
Not only do these three flicks all feature bunnies (of one kind or another), they have great messages, fun writing and captivating stories.
‘Peter Rabbit’ (2018)
A fun, fluffy romp based on Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s book, Peter Rabbit stars James Corden as the fun-loving veggie thief who delights in stealing from Old Mr. McGregor. But when McGregor’s younger nephew, Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson), inherits the property and decides to up his anti-pest measures, it leads to an escalating war with the local wildlife. Bea (Rose Byrne), his next-door neighbor, is a friend to animals and humans alike and gets caught between her budding romance with Thomas and her loyalty to her bunny friends.
Peter Rabbit is the perfect Easter film — whimsical, lighthearted and full of adorable animals. (Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, and Elizabeth Debicki are particularly endearing as Peter’s sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.) It’s a whole garden’s worth of fun.
Peter Rabbit is streaming on Netflix.
‘Rise of the Guardians’ (2012)
In this movie, mythical figures like Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Sandman and the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) secretly use their powers to protect children as the Guardians of Childhood. Jack Frost (Chris Pine) has never wanted the responsibility of being a Guardian and claims not to care if children believe in him. But when the evil Boogeyman (Jude Law) begins using nightmares to stop children from believing in the Guardians, weakening their powers, Jack must step up to the plate and protect the wonder, memories, dreams and hope of the world’s children.
Rise of the Guardians features beautiful animation, fun visual gags (the non-verbal Sandman uses sand to communicate in pictures, which is always entertaining) and a powerful message about the beauty of childhood innocence. It’s a good watch any time of year, but Jackman’s hilariously stoic Easter Bunny performance means you’ve got to check it out for the holiday.
Rise of the Guardians is streaming on Netflix.
‘Nimona’ (2023)
In an imaginative world that blends futuristic tech with medieval knights, kings, and queens, Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a girl who just doesn’t fit in. She’s a shapeshifter, capable of becoming any animal. (She does so constantly — and hilariously — throughout the film.) When common-born knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is framed for killing the Queen (Lorraine Toussaint), Nimona sees a kindred spirit in the “villain” and declares herself his sidekick. Nimona is mischievous and destructive, with a love of fighting and chaos. Ballister has no desire to be a villain, but the more he learns about the circumstances of the Queen’s death, the more he realizes his kingdom isn’t the perfect place he believed it to be.
As they team up to prove Ballister’s innocence and take down the villainous Director of the Elite Knights (Frances Conroy), Ballister and Nimona form a true friendship. Nimona features a creative, chaotic animation style, an important message about being true to yourself and a twist ending that will bring a tear to your eye.
Nimona is streaming on Netflix.
