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Are you looking for something meaningful to watch with the kids tonight? Today's episode is something really special. The Velveteen Rabbit from 1985 is a genuine gem of an animated film. It's based on the classic children's book and is perfect for ages 10 and under. I'll share why this is the best version of the story, the themes your kids will actually learn. And best of all, the surprising connection to The Sound of Music. Welcome to Wholesome TV Picks, the only podcast where every recommendation comes from 35 plus years of watching wholesome TV your family can actually trust. If you want clean, uplifting content for family movie night without endless scrolling, I'm here to help. And hey, before we dive in, make sure you follow the show so you never miss a weekly pick that makes family time easy. Let's get into it.

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The Velveteen Rabbit from 1985 is about a boy who receives a stuffed bunny rabbit as a birthday gift. Like Pinocchio, The Velveteen Rabbit wants to become real. In the book by Marjorie Williams, the story takes place at Christmas time. However, in the film, they change it to his birthday. Maybe it was to make it more relevant at any time of the year, and I thought it was a great bridge between Christmas and the New year. As a child, I watched this movie over and over again to the point where the VHS tape was eaten by my VCR, and I would constantly frequent the local video store and library to find it and borrow it. When I look at the comments in YouTube, it's flooded with so many people that feel the exact same way that I do. Many people say that they didn't remember the words, but they remembered the feeling from watching this film. And now as adults, the meaning clicks, it became part of their emotional journey.

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Watching it with their mom, grandma, or aunt, it was always tied to a special person that made this movie so meaningful and brings back wonderful memories. I'll be the first to admit that this movie still makes me cry. Grown men in their forties on YouTube say they haven't seen this in years, and when they watched it again for the first time in years, they bawled like a little baby. Even though there are other versions of this movie, this is the best one of all. Primarily because it's hand animated, which adds so much more heart and depth to the film. You can call this movie the Toy Story before Toy Story because you see some of the toys talking when people are not around. Themes like love, loss, jealousy, and meanness are all things that children can pick up on and learn from.

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There is so much love shown in the movie. You see the love between the boy and the Velveteen Rabbit, you see love his nana has for his wellbeing. You even see love among the toys in the nursery, even though bits of jealousy and scheming are in the air at times. These are all things our kids will face in life. And I think it's a great teaching moment to show them how to deal with those emotions. And towards the end, we see the not-so-nice characters change their tune from being mean and conniving to actually helping and liking The Velveteen Rabbit. Loss. We all know loss is a part of life. We have life and death, and I'm not going to share how the boy loses The Velveteen Rabbit. But it's bittersweet and there's something about this part of the story that stirs your imagination and your emotions.

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This story is so powerful that it's actually mentioned in another show that I talked about. Back in episode 16, I talked about the TV show, Cold Case, which, by the way, is a phenomenal show that parents can enjoy together. Let me give you a quick background. The main character in Cold Case is Detective Lily Rush. Throughout four seasons, we see the rocky, distant relationship with her alcoholic mother and the emotions that go along. From time to time, Lily has memories of the good times she had with her mom when she was sober. One of those memories being when her mom read to her. At the end of season four, Lily is opening an old box from her childhood, and at the very top is a worn copy of The Velveteen Rabbit. Lily mentions it to her mom, and her mom's reply is one you and I can relate to. She replies, "You made me read it to you a hundred times."

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As Lily and her mom briefly recall the story of the boy who loved his rabbit so much, and the rabbit who never forgot him, is eerily a reflection of their own relationship. I talked about connection, right? That's what this podcast is about. Connecting with your kids, and Lily and her mom had a small and happy connection from this story. When I showed this scene to my kids for the first time, they got all giddy saying, "Hey mom, we have that book. We know that story! That's cool." It's a special memory and it really emphasizes how important a classic story like this is that it's woven into a popular TV show's storyline. It just shows how The Velveteen Rabbit transcends across generations. If you're interested in learning more about Cold Case, go back and check out episode 16 where I go into depth about why it's such a great show for couples to enjoy together and connect over.

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If you wanna connect with your child and create a lasting memory, take 30 minutes, sit with your child and watch this film. You will be pleasantly surprised and moved. You don't have to read the story beforehand. Your children will learn about love, loss and friendship and learn that love makes you real and worthy. If any of my picks have helped you in any way, I'd love it if you could support my 50 reviews by episode 50 challenge by heading over to Apple Podcasts and leaving a review. It's a great way to say thank you and it helps other parents find the show. Now, did you guess what the connection is between this movie and The Sound of Music? It's Christopher Plummer who played Captain Von Trapp as the narrator. I think that was one of the best voiceover casting that was ever done. His voice just adds a special something to this film, so don't skip it. I promise you won't regret it. It's about 30 minutes and you can watch it for free on YouTube by clicking the link in the show notes. That wraps it up for today. Make sure to join me next week for a family comedy that will leave you laughing out loud. It ran for seven seasons and was appointment TV at its finest. Thanks for listening. Remember, your values matter and your TV should too. Take care and I'll catch you next week.