We need more Groundhog Day themed movies – here are a few great ideas for some
Every year dozens, if not hundreds, of new Christmas themed movies are produced for channels such as Hallmark and Lifetime, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. That’s great and all, but Christmas is not the only holiday out there! And there’s one holiday in particular that we feel could really benefit from having more films created about it. You can probably guess what it is – after all this site isn’t called Countdown to Arbor Day! That’s right, we here at Countdown to Groundhog Day really feel like there should be more Groundhog Day themed movies!
Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Groundhog Day with Bill Murray already exists. That movie is perfect! Why do you need any other Groundhog Day movies?” Well it’s true that Groundhog Day is great! But there are tons of great Christmas movies as well, and that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from making more of them. After all, Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life exist, but thousands of additional Christmas movies have been made and will continue to be churned out for the remainder of time. So why shouldn’t there be additional films created about the best holiday that there is? After all, there are still plenty of Groundhog Day related themes and ideas to explore.
Whatever channel or service jumps on the Groundhog Day film making bandwagon first is bound to reap the rewards of getting on board early, and make unlimited amounts of money. And we’re here to help. We’ve put together some pitches for Groundhog Day themed movies (or limited series) to get the ball rolling. Check them out below:
The Queen of Groundhog Day
The recently crowned Queen of a small but powerful nation has had only one dream since she was a young princess: To attend the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day celebration. Unfortunately she was always forbidden to go, as her family and advisors thought it would be beneath her status to be seen at such an event. Now that she’s Queen, she orchestrates a royal visit to Washington D.C. in late January. When she arrives in the US, with the help of her most loyal advisor, she manages to escape from her royal escort and hops on a train to Punxsutawney. Pretending to be a commoner, she learns about groundhogs, love, and life, in the tiny Pennsylvania town during the days leading up to the holiday. Complicating things, of course, is the need for her to evade her own security forces who are frantically trying to track her down, and the assassins that her sister has hired to murder her so that she can become Queen.
Shadowless in Buffalo, NY
The social media managers for the two most powerful groundhogs in New York state are fierce rivals, and are constantly one upping each other when it comes to getting media attention for their respective groundhogs. They hate each other with a passion. Or at least they think they do! Looking for love, they both join a Groundhog Day themed dating app, where they instantly match and make a connection. When they finally meet in person, they’re shocked and horrified to realize that they’ve fallen for their mortal enemy. But soon they’ll learn that it doesn’t matter which groundhog you believe in, as long as you believe in love.
Groundhog on strike!
After 130+ years of providing a Groundhog Day forecast every February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil wants a break. He’s tired of doing the same thing year after year, and dreams of just relaxing on a tropical beach for the holiday. A week before the celebration he breaks out of his home at the Punxsutawney Library and hops on a jet to Hawaii. Things are going great until he meets Waipahu Wikolia, a Hawaiian honeycreeper who is desperately trying to become Hawaii’s official Groundhog Day forecaster. Although annoyed by Wikolia at first, her optimism and passion for the Groundhog Day tradition eventually rubs off on him, and he remembers the true meaning of Groundhog Day. With hours left to spare, will he be able to make it home to Punxsutawney in time to give his prediction, or will the world be doomed to be stuck in a perpetual winter? Note: this can be fully animated or live action with CGI animals.
And that’s just the tip of the groundhog! We have a ton of additional Groundhog Day related ideas that could be made into movies or shows. If you work for a media company and want to discuss these concepts further, you can get in touch here!
What do you think of these concepts? Which one would you be most excited to watch? Let us know in the comments!
Tags: groundhog, groundhog day, groundhog day movie, groundhog day movie ideas, hallmark, lifetime