Spring is in the air and if you’re like me, you’re glad it’s finally here. As much as I appreciate winter, I can’t deny that my heart does a little dance when I see the first signs of spring. Spring means longer days and shorter nights, it means sunshine and flowers and showers, it means flowy dresses and outdoor activities. And while you may find it hard to fully appreciate spring (because it also usually means allergies), I wanted to share with you a few ways you can romanticize this season. A spring starter pack, if you will.
Pin this Post for Later
My spring starter pack is a list I compile of movies, TV shows, music, and activity ideas that make me think of spring. Each part of this list highlights the best parts of this season and can help you make the most of it this year. So let’s dive into the movie recommendations first.
Pride & Prejudice (2005 Version)
It’s not spring if you’re not watching a Jane Austen film adaptation and the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice is one of the absolute best. This movie is perfect for spring because it has everything you need for a spring movie: gorgeous cinematography, the English countryside, and a heartwarming love story. Just in case you’ve never read (or watched) Pride & Prejudice, here’s a short synopsis of the film: when Elizabeth Bennet meets the surly Mr. Darcy, she’s not intrigued, but the more she gets to know him the more she realizes that maybe there’s more to Darcy than meets the eye. Will they ever be able to overcome their differences or will their pride and prejudice keep them apart?
Emma (2020 Version)
My next film recommendation is the 2020 version of Jane Austen’s Emma. While there are a few adaptations out there of Emma, this version is my favorite for spring because it’s full of bright colors and beautiful English manors. Emma Woodhouse is a self-proclaimed matchmaker who always gets what she wants. But her world is turned upside down when she realizes she can help everyone but herself.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Nothing makes me think of spring quite like a Studio Ghibli film and Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the best to watch this time of year. It follows a young woman named Sophie who meets a wizard named Howl and the Witch of the Waste who turns her into a 90 year old woman. Desperate to break the curse, Sophie joins Howl and the inhabitants of his strange moving castle on an adventure she will never forget.
Marie Antoinette
This historical drama is based on the life of Queen Marie Antoinette. It follows Marie’s life from when she first weds the King of France all the way to the French Revolution. The history is interesting but the main reason I recommend this movie is the fashion and the food. Each dress Marie and her ladies-in-waiting wear are absolutely stunning and the bright colors make it ideal to watch in the springtime.
A Bug’s Life
Spring means flowers and bugs and no movie gives you the best of bugs like Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. In case you haven’t seen this movie before (or in a really long time), let me tell you a little bit about it. It follows an ant named Flik who inadvertently hires a troupe of circus bugs to fight and defend his colony from ruthless grasshoppers who force the ants to provide food for them every summer. Can this ragtag group of bugs save the day? You’ll just have to watch and see.
The Sound of Music
Nothing says spring like The Sound of Music. Starring one of my favorite actresses, Julie Andrews, I knew I had to include it on this list. It follows a free-spirited woman named Maria who’s studying to become a nun. But her plans change when she becomes governess to the seven children of a retired naval officer Captain George von Trapp. As Maria grows closer to the von Trapp family, she teaches them that sometimes the simplest things in life are the best. If you’re a fan of musicals, I would highly recommend watching this movie on a bright and sunny spring day. It’ll put you in a good mood.
The Secret Garden (1993 Version)
When a recently orphaned girl named Mary is sent to live with her uncle in England, she’s not sure what to make of her new surroundings. Mary has lived in India for most of her life and it takes her some time to find her place at her uncle’s home. Things slowly begin to get better for Mary when she stumbles upon a mysterious, abandoned, secret garden and decides to bring it back to life. You can actually find several versions of this film but the 90s version is my favorite due to nostalgia. Definitely a good spring film for millennials.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
The next movie on this list is perfect if you love spring but you also love all things homey, cottagecore, witchy. This movie follows Kiki, a young witch who has to leave her family and home and spend a year in a nearby town making it on her own. When she arrives in the town, she quickly becomes friends with a lovely couple who own a bakery. In exchange for a place to stay, Kiki offers to deliver their baked goods by – what else – broomstick. Thus, Kiki’s Delivery Service was born. Watching this movie always makes me feel all warm and cozy, so I highly recommend watching it on a cool, spring afternoon.
Tuck Everlasting
Loosely based on a book by the same name, this next movie is one of the best to watch if you are a cottagecore/fantasy fan. When 15 year old Winnie (played by none other than Rory Gilmore, herself, Alexis Bledel) sees Jesse Tuck drinking from a spring near her home, she’s not sure what to think. Jesse explains that the spring water gives you the ability to live forever and introduces her to his family, the Tucks, who live deep in the forest. As Winnie grows closer to the Tucks, she soon realizes that she has a choice to make – live forever or make the most out of the life she already has.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Disney 1937 Version)
Out of all of Disney’s animated movies, I think this one is the best for spring. I mean, it’s filled with singing animals and the most wholesome protagonist ever – Snow White. Just in case you’ve never watched this animated classic, it’s about Snow White, an orphan who lives with her evil stepmother. Jealous of Snow White, her stepmother hires a huntsman to end Snow White’s life, but the huntsman betrays the queen and lets Snow White go. As Snow White runs for her life, she meets seven dwarves who work in the diamond mines and makes a home with them. But will she be able to keep her happy home or will her stepmother have the final word?
The Secret World of Arrietty
The last movie I’m recommending is another Studio Ghibli film. It’s about a boy named Sho who spends the summer at his great aunt’s home and meets Arrietty, a tiny borrower who secretly lives with her family in the house. At night, Arrietty and her dad, Pod, go on missions throughout the house, “borrowing” what they need to survive. Against her dad’s wishes, Arrietty becomes friends with Sho, but their friendship is put to the test when his aunt discovers Arrietty and her family and calls pest control. With Sho’s help, Arrietty and her family go out into the big wide world on an adventure like no other.
Instead of giving you a brief synopsis of each show, I’m going to give you 3 terms that best describe each one.
Bridgerton
Regency ~ Romantic ~ Steamy
The Buccaneers
American ~ Historical ~ Colorful
Sweet Magnolias
Friendship ~ Small-town ~ Family
Lost in Austen
Time travel ~ Jane Austen-inspired ~ Enemies-to-Lovers
Queen Charlotte
Royalty ~ Romantic ~ Love Story
Emily in Paris
Bubbly ~ Perky ~ Will-They-Won’t-They
Selena: The Series
Musical ~ Family ~ Love
This playlist consists of the songs that give me all the spring vibes, making it the perfect soundtrack to listen to this season.
- Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
- Love Story – Taylor Swift
- I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
- Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & the Waves
- Grazing in the Grass – The Friends of Distinction
- Blackbird – The Beatles
- Daylight – Taylor Swift
- Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield
- Fearless – Taylor Swift
- Spring Vacation – The Beach Boys
- April Showers – Bing Crosby
- Mine – Taylor Swift
- Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
- You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall & Oates
- Today Was a Fairytale – Taylor Swift
- Something That I Want – Grace Potter
- Spring Affair – Donna Summer
- Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae
- Have a picnic
- Go to a park
- Pick some wild flowers
- Attend a flower festival
- Visit your local zoo
- Start gardening
- Bake something with berries
- Fly a kite
- Decorate Easter eggs
- Read a Jane Austen book on your front or back porch
- Listen to the birds chirping
- Go for a bike ride
- Drive with the windows or top down
- Go fishing
- Read Anne of Green Gables outside (anywhere you can hear birds chirping)
- Visit a thrift store
- Read books set in Spring
- Paint some coffee cups
- Make pressed flower bookmarks
- Hang clothes on the line
Verse of the Day: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
