The Best 4th of July Movies for Kids to Watch This Holiday Weekend
They can still watch fireworks on screen.
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We all want our Fourth of July celebrations to be outside, full of barbecues with families or trips to see fireworks high in the sky. But sometimes Mother Nature has other plans, and there's a lot of hours in a long holiday weekend to fill.
For heat waves, thunderstorms, or to occupy the hours before and after other July 4th celebrations, throw on one of these great Fourth of July movies for kids. Some of them will teach little cinephiles a bit about our nation's history. Others are just fun stories set during the season of fireworks and BBQs. Press play, and pretend you can feel the movie-theater air conditioning.
This Is America, Charlie Brown (1988)
Fine, this is an eight-part miniseries series, not a film—though the short runtime of each episode makes it a better fit for the littlest viewers. Each half-hour installment focuses on a different time period in American history, from the voyage of the Mayflower, to the creation of the Constitution to the creation of the NASA space station. It first aired in 1988 and 1989, but Apple is bringing it back to streaming starting on July 3. Rating: Not Rated
The Sandlot (1993)
"You're killing me, smalls," may not be up there with "When in the course of human events," as one of our country's foundational texts, but what could be more American than a good baseball movie? In this one, a shy fifth grader comes out of his shell when he's invited to play baseball with the other neighborhood kids—and their summer adventures definitely overlap with the Fourth of July, at least partially. MPAA Rating: PG
National Treasure (2004)
This movie is appropriate for the Fourth of July because it's is all about the Declaration of Independence—though it's really about the treasure map that's on the back of the founding document, which may not be historically accurate in the strictest sense. But throughout the Indiana Jonesesque adventure to unearth the treasure, the film does include some nuggets about the country's history. MPAA Rating: PG
The Music Man (1962)
The Fourth of July provides a backdrop for Harold Hill's con, where he uses anxiety over the opening of a local pool hall to sell a small own on marching band equipment an uniforms. But will the American spirit force him to have a change of heart? Either way, the musical numbers in this are toe-tapping. MPAA Rating: G
My Girl (1991)
Like The Sandlot, My Girl is more of a coming-of-age story that takes place over he course of a summer, including the Fourth of July, than a movie focused on our national holiday. Still, the exploits of young Vada Sultenfuss and her best friend, Thomas J, are perfect for kids who like experiencing big feelings. (Have tissues on-hand.) MPAA Rating: PG
Hamilton (2020)
For the older ones, Lin-Manuel Miranda's blockbuster musical interprets the founding of the United States through hip-hop music, and a filmed performance with the original cast is available to watch on Disney+. And if it's a hit, they can move on to Miranda's other musical, In the Heights. That one doesn't actually take place on Fourth of July, but it's set during a heat wave, and there's a big scene involving fireworks. Close enough! MPAA Rating: PG-13
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Kids may already know the words to the song, but do they know where it came from? Reach back to this classic, in which James Cagney is a man who's about to receive recognition from the president for writing patriotic songs. (How fitting!) In addition to the tile number, the movie also includes "Over There" and “You’re a Grand Old Flag." Rating: Not Rated
Independence Day (1996)
Action, aliens, and one of the most rousing speeches from a movie president ever put to screen—who could ask for more? This big-budget summer blockbuster finds a marine (Will Smith) and a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) teaming up o protect planet from extra-terrestrials bent on Earth's destruction. MPAA Rating: PG-13
An American Tail (1986)
This film portrays the American immigrant experience, as seen through the eyes of a family of animated mice. It takes place in the 1880s, not 1776, but it does feature the Mousekewitz family visiting one of America's greatest national symbols—the then-newly-built, copper-colored Statue of Liberty. MPAA Rating: G
1776 (1972)
John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson are the stars of this '70s movie musical, about the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. While his movie is PG-rated, it was made before the creation of the PG-13 rating, and it's full of bawdy humor and some profanity, so it's better for the older ones. MPAA Rating: PG
...and a few more for the olders
These may not be fun for the whole family, but if there are teens or young adults at home, they might enough this not-for-little-kids fare.
- Jaws, rated PG (but made before the creation of PG-13)
- Born on the Fourth of July, rated R
- Widow's Bay, a series, rated TV-MA
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