Grab your eggs and your baskets because Easter is here!
HOLLYWOOD, FL – MARCH 28: Darlene Eddy uses a brush to remove chocolate shavings from an Easter bunny that she made in her store Amazing Chocolates on March 28, 2013 in Hollywood, Florida. Americans spend roughly $1.9 billion on Easter candy, second only to Halloween in candy consumption. Around ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year, from white to dark chocolate, and with an unlimited varieties of styles. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
There are plenty of movie options to chose from to celebrate the holiday, to family-friendly rabbit-focused features, to more reflective stories on the spirit of the holiday.
Check out our list of the top 7 movies for the holiday below!
The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town
“The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town” from 1977 gives unique origins to Easter traditions. (Courtesy ABC/Rankin/Bass)
In the tradition of other Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated movies like “The Year Without a Santa Claus” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” “The Easter Bunny Is Coming’ to Town” provides an origin story for the Easter Bunny that explains the reasons behind Easter traditions, like dying eggs or eating jelly beans, in a charming, if not entirely historically accurate, tale.
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” works for both Easter and Halloween! (Courtesy: Dreamworks)
While also a fitting option for spooky season, “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” is also a perfect fit because it’s ultimately all about bunnies! There are adorable bunnies everywhere in this movie from the stop-motion masters at Aardman studios, including the not so scary giant Were-Rabbit that loves cheese more than carrots.
Easter Parade
Easter Parade, poster, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Peter Lawford, 1948. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)
“Easter Parade” is a classic MGM musical that lets its stars, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, do what they do best: sing and dance their hearts out in lavish music numbers that also became radio hits. You’ve undoubtedly heard “Stepping Out with My Baby” on everything from the oldies station to a commercial, and the movie’s title song, “Easter Parade,” is a popular ode to going out in your finest on the holiday.
The Ten Commandments
LOS ANGELES – OCTOBER 5: The epic movie “The Ten Commandments”, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Seen here, Charlton Heston as Moses at the parting of the Red Sea. Initial theatrical release October 5, 1956. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
“The Ten Commandments” turns 70 this year and remains a popular Easter watch thanks to its epic scale and annual showings on broadcast TV. The movie is a classic that stands the test of time thanks to, of course, its enduring story and memorable performances by Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner as Moses and Rameses. It earned seven Oscar nominations and won for Best Visual Effects.
The Prince of Egypt
Val Kilmer provided the voice of Moses in an all-star cast in “The Prince of Egypt” (Courtesy: Dreamworks)
“The Prince of Egypt” tells the story of Exodus in a more kid-friendly way than “The Ten Commandments,” but doesn’t shy away from the important parts. Stunning animation and an A-List voice cast including the late Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Sandra Bullock, set the film apart, as does its soundtrack, which includes the Oscar-winning Best Original Song, “When You Believe.”
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Max Von Sydow carries a cross in a scene from the film ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’, 1965. (Photo by United Artists/Getty Images)
“The Greatest Story Ever Told” looks at the life of Jesus in total, from His birth through the Ascension, another classic epic that remains well-loved to this day. It also features a cast of A-listers lending their talents, including Max von Sydow as Jesus, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer, Telly Savalas, Marin Landau, and Charlton Heston, playing John the Baptists several years before his more memorable turn as Moses.
Risen
Joseph Fiennes plays a Roman soldier tasked with finding Jesus’ body after the Resurrection in “Risen.” (Courtesy: Sony Pictures)
“Risen” is a newer entry into the Biblical epic genre that follows a Roman soldier’s search for Jesus’ body after the Resurrection. Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius, the soldier tasked with solving the mystery who begins to doubt his own convictions and believe the miracle others share with him.
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