Easter is coming up, so it’s time to decorate the eggs and put on your Sunday best. Easter is a unique festival in terms of how it is observed. Holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and others are enjoyable for both children and adults because of how their meaning can change as people become older. Easter is different from other holidays in that it can’t get any more enjoyable as you get older, like New Year’s Eve.
As a youngster, it conjures up images of Easter egg hunts, sweets, and gift baskets, but as an adult, it has a very different meaning. While it may be a meaningful day for individuals who come from a religious background, to others who don’t, it may just appear like another ordinary Sunday. Easter, however, is a celebration that means different things to different individuals. as a representation of rebirth and renewal, particularly in light of spring or Christianity. The harsh winters give way to a lovely spring that can be enjoyed with loved ones as life blossoms. One thing to do is watch a movie with loved ones, friends, or even by yourself.
April 7, 2023 update: This post has been updated to include new movies to see this Easter as well as the most recent Easter weekend releases from previous years.
Easter weekend is great real estate for major theater releases, so Hollywood is aware of the importance of the holiday. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which targets families, is the biggest Easter release for 2023. Adult audiences can watch on Amazon Air over the Easter holiday. Nevertheless, if you’re searching for something else, such as a movie with a blatantly religious tone, a secular mood, or something fun for the whole family, have a look at these Easter movie suggestions.
Christopher Robin
Although there are many animated adventures of Winnie the Pooh to pick from, something about Disney’s live-action adaptation of the narrative in Christopher Robin seems especially appropriate for Easter. The Winnie the Pooh property has always had a natural spring aesthetic.
The movie serves as a prequel to the first The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and depicts a grown-up Christopher Robin who has lost his sense of creativity. Ewan McGregor plays the role admirably. He is reunited with Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings), an old friend, and is forced to go back to 100 Acre Wood to rediscover his pals and learn how to be a better husband and parent while also remembering who he is.
Even while the film’s dreary London setting doesn’t immediately conjure images of Easter, its spirit of innocent wonder and outdoor adventure do. Christopher Robin gives viewers a lesson that is related to Easter as a holiday: just because one is an adult doesn’t mean they have to give up the pleasure and delight of discovery that life brings. Childhood has some aspects that are worth preserving. So grab the family and settle down to watch a joyful story starring Pooh Bear, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and the rest of the crew.
Easter Sunday
Just ask John Carpenter’s Halloween, which is essentially required viewing for the whole month of October, a movie with the same name is always a sure bet. The stand-up comedian Jo Koy’s experience growing up in a Filipino family is a loose inspiration for the movie Easter Sunday.
The most recent addition to the list is Easter Sunday, and in a strange choice, Universal Studios decided not to release the movie around Easter but instead chose a release date in late summer. Although the picture was a box office dud, moviegoers may still enjoy it on home video and streaming as a film they go back to for a good chuckle every Easter season.
Hop’
Family-friendly offering 10 Hop Hop delves deeply into contemporary Easter ideas, including the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny has a lot of promise, despite the fact that many movies focus on the legend and mythology of Santa Claus. In this 2011 movie, a young rabbit named E.B. (Russell Brand) abandons his life on Easter Island to pursue his aspirations of becoming a drummer rather than taking over his father’s role as the Easter Bunny. He eventually finds a human named Fred (James Marsden) who accepts the role in his place.
The movie has a lot of fun playing with various Easter imagery, such as rabbits, chicks, and Easter eggs. It is the only Illumination Entertainment production to include CGI and live-action aspects. Hop is quick, lighthearted fun for the entire family.
Rise of the Guardians
As The Avengers of children’s icons, Rise of the Guardians centers on a group of childhood myths, including Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman. They enlist Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to help them fight Pitch Black (Jude Law), who wants to dispel children’s belief in them so that he can engulf the world in darkness.
The movie takes place close to Easter even though it was released in November to capitalize on the holiday season and has a winter feel. The Easter Bunny, who serves as the movie’s protector of optimism, gives the ideal description of the event when he says that Easter is about fresh starts and new life.
Superman Returns
Following Superman: The Movie and Superman II, Superman (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth in Superman Returns and must now find his place in a world that has moved on without him. Apart from the revival of the Superman franchise at the time, religious symbolism is widely used in the movie. Although the origin of Superman is similar to that of Moses, many writers have long envisaged the character as a Christ-like savior; throughout the movie, characters refer to Superman as a savior.
In his battle with Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), Superman gets stabbed in the side with a piece of Kryptonite, alluding to the Crucifixion. Superman then gives his life to save the inhabitants of Earth. Superman learns he had a son named Jason with Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) in the movie, and Jason appears to have inherited Superman’s superhuman abilities. As he learns about Jason’s ancestry, Superman recalls the lesson his father Jor-El (Marlon Brando) taught him: “The son becomes the father, and the father the son,” a very Christian statement. Superman Returns is a wholly Easter-themed movie.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, which is based on the wildly popular novel of the same name, follows the Pevensie kids as they travel to a mythical place called Narnia through a wardrobe entrance and become embroiled in a battle with the wicked White Witch. To put a stop to the land’s perpetual winter and bring back the sun, the four kids—two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve—must band together with the enigmatic and mighty Aslan (Liam Neeson).
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, like a few other movies on the list, is suitable for both Christmas and Easter. Aslan sacrifices himself and is reborn against the backdrop of winter giving way to the coming of spring. The religious beliefs of author C.S. Lewis had a significant role in both his writing and personal life, and he developed a contemporary Christian allegory that both people with faith and those without them could appreciate.
The Last Temptation of Christ
It can be challenging to choose just one movie about Jesus because there are so many that have been made. Nonetheless, it is challenging to make a mistake while working with renowned director Martin Scorsese. In 1988, the director oversaw the making of a film version of the contentious book The Last Temptation of Christ. The story centers on Jesus (Willem Dafoe) and his battle against various types of temptation, such as melancholy, lust, and self-doubt.
Despite a disclaimer at the opening of the movie stating that it is a fictitious tale and not based on any scripture, Scorsese received death threats for the movie, and there was a significant backlash against its release. Even for secular audiences, the movie is a gripping story that examines a character through the eyes of one of cinema’s best living directors, even though it may not be for everyone.
The Matrix
Warner Bros. realized The Matrix had a theme when it was released over the 1999 Easter weekend. The plot centers on Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a computer hacker going by the alias “Neo,” who learns that his reality is a computer simulation made by machines that have ruled humanity. According to prophecy, Neo is The One, the person who will use Trinity to help humanity escape the Matrix.
There are religious undertones to both The One and Trinity. The Matrix contains a lot of religious symbolism and references, so much so that The Matrix Resurrections examined many interpretations of it. As it is, The Matrix offers a fantastic substitute for viewers seeking spiritual content in addition to offering some mind-bending action that continues to wow viewers after all these years.
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music, one of the most popular films of all time, is the tale of Maria (Julie Andrews), a young Austrian postulant in 1938 Salzburg, Austria, who is brought to the home of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plumber), a retired naval officer and widower, to be governess to his seven children.
She marries Captain Von Trapp, who also transforms the family’s existence, and the couple and their kids manage to survive the Nazis’ takeover of their home country. Due to years of television airing, the movie is frequently regarded as an unofficial Christmas picture; nevertheless, several networks now air it at Easter, and the movie’s expansive green backdrop makes it the ideal springtime treat.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Easter is the second-most popular holiday for kids to associate with confectionery after Halloween. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a wonderful choice for an Easter screening because of this. The 1971 film was a financial failure at the box office, but because to frequent television airings, it went on to become an instant classic.
The video not only has a lot of sweet delights, but it also has a spring-like style with a warm warmth. With just the proper amount of whimsy to make one’s heart soar and make them believe in a world of pure fantasy, the movie’s score provides for the ideal Easter soundtrack.
