With American Thanksgiving right around the corner, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite titles available to stream to get you in the holiday mood showing thankfulness and gratitude.

The first title is Home Alone. This 1990s classic shows that sometimes, thinking your family has deserted and abandoned you can make you even more grateful for them. It is a lesson of “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Through the events of the movie, Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, realizes how much he loves his family as he defends his house from intruders while accidentally being left alone when his family heads out of town on a holiday vacation.

Much like Home Alone, its sequel, Home Alone 2, also spreads the message of gratitude for family. In this second installment, the audience follows Kevin on his own vacation adventure in New York City when he is separated from his family at the airport. While gratitude for family is the overarching theme, there are a few other subtle instances that depict thankfulness. There is an exchange in the toy store showing Kevin making a donation, recognizing how fortunate he is to have what he has. Additionally, there is a scene with a homeless character where Kevin realizes how grateful he is for friendship and that sometimes friends are found in the least likely of places and regardless of what someone’s past might look like.

The next title that depicts scenes of gratitude is Coco. While this movie is heavily influenced by Dia de los Muertos and can be seen as Halloween-themed, at its heart, it is a story about family and counting your blessings. The main character, Miguel, has to almost lose everything to realize how blessed he is for the family he has. He learns how much his family had to sacrifice to become the family he knows and gains that additional sense of gratitude. He also helps his family realize how important the gift of music can be. 

Encanto is another story that centers around family; however, in this story, gratitude can be found in the unique role and skills that each family member has. For Mirabel, she is different than her family – she has no special power but in realizing that is what makes her special, the family learns how to be grateful and appreciative for each family member, recognizing them for being exactly who they are.

The last title on our list is The Santa Clause. The first movie in this trilogy even depicts a Thanksgiving dinner! It follows the transformation of self-centered Scott Calvin, played by Tim Allen, who becomes Santa Claus by accident. He learns how grateful he is for his son Charlie and gets a second chance to be a good father and to be the most-beloved figure to millions of children around the world.

Check these and other titles out now on Disney+ to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this week!

Megan Ribovich

Megan is a Disney enthusiast that enjoys checking out the latest movies, television shows, and Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is the classic "Beauty and the Beast".

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