The best Easter movies to watch with the kids

What’s a holiday without the iconic Peanuts gang? Spring is here, and Charlie Brown and co are getting creatively busy for an egg-citing Easter – Peppermint Patty shows Marcie the ropes on how to decorate eggs, and Snoopy builds a birdhouse for Woodstock. But not Linus. He’s convinced (and even tries to convince Sally) that they don’t need to colour eggs as the Easter Beagle will handle everything itself.

It's springtime at the Hundred Acre Woods. Roo, along with Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore, decides to visit Rabbit to celebrate Easter. But it seems that Easter is cancelled when Rabbit declares it Spring Cleaning Day instead. As if things can't get any worse, Rabbit makes Roo and co scrub and clean alongside him. Unhappy with this, they decide to bring remind Rabbit of the joys of spring and restore the Easter spirit.

Catch your favourite Ice Age characters take on a daring rescue mission that turns into a massive egg hunt. It all starts with harried mother Ethel entrusting her precious, soon-to-hatch egg to Sid who has a booming new egg-sitting business. Things take a turn when all the eggs go MIA – only to find Squint stealing and hiding them. Manny, Digo and the game team up to rescue the eggs.

Root for Judy Hopps as she goes forth to pursue her passion for justice as the first rabbit to join the police force in the animal metropolis Zootopia. On her quest to prove herself, she hops at the chance to take on a mysterious case with a cynical fox, making it all harder than she initially anticipated.

Though the main character is an adorable deer named Bambi, don’t rule this Disney classic out. Bambi’s BFF Thumper is just as adorable in this springtime, coming-of-age flick. Explore the forest with the dynamic duo and their skunk friend Flower as they learn that both joy and tragedy are inevitable in their forest world.

This modern take on Beatrix Potter’s classic tale comes complete with an intricate animation that takes you on a sweet-natured journey from start to finish. Featuring the voice of James Corden as the titular bunny, follow Peter Rabbit’s adorable shenanigans including his face-off against the sour Thomas McGregor as they vie for a gorgeous patch and the attention of the human next-door neighbour.

Topped with elaborate Easter confection, Hop is a fun mix of live-action and CG-animation which bounces along with a modest spring in its step. It tells that of the heir to the Easter Bunny crown as he hops off the family candy factory on Easter Island a day before assuming the mantle from his father. Why, you say? To follow his dreams of becoming a drummer in LA. Bada-bum-tsst.

If you think this is more of a Christmas movie, hear us out. This versatile festive film sees Santa joined by four more benevolent childhood characters – Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and the Easter Bunny – for a showdown against every child’s worst nightmare: the Boogeyman. Together, this dazzling animation is an effervescent dose of fantasia that’s pretty hard to dislike. Unless, of course, you’re a cynical grump.

This one’s best to watch with your little bunny. Based on Richard Adam’s 1972 novel, Watership Down – both the 1978 animated feature and the new, star-studded Netflix series – is one for both children and adults. Denser than your usual kids show, it focuses on a group of rabbits in search of a new home. Instead, they are met with all kinds of terror – we’re talking about other rabbits that are downright nasty (and scary).