With the holiday season approaching, it’s that time of year again to crack out the classic Christmas films. Whether you’re a fan of the animated shorts like A Charlie Brown Christmas or you prefer newer films like The Christmas Chronicles, it’s time to sit back with some hot cocoa and get into the holiday spirit. What better way to do that than to explore all the holiday content available, including holiday spin-offs.
While the classics always produce the nostalgia that has long been associated with the holiday season, newer holiday content brings a modern view of the meaning of Christmas. Another way to get into the Christmas spirit is to watch a holiday special of a fan favorite film/TV franchise, like The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (featuring Kevin Bacon, no less). This MCU special brought laughs with our favorite characters in a holiday theme to get us in the mood for the season. Other franchises have done just this, but there are some that deserve a holiday special and haven’t gotten one. Here are seven major franchises that need a holiday season movie.
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The Avengers
Marvel Studios
One of the biggest franchises in cinematic history is The Avengers. With several films and countless spin-offs, The Avengers is undoubtedly one of the most lucrative franchises on the market. A holiday Avengers film would bring a new level of connection between the viewers and the characters, making room for Christmas in the realm of superheros and supervillains. While it may not seem feasible to bring Christmas into The Avengers universe, a holiday film would bring an extra layer of cheer to the franchise, giving viewers something to watch as the holiday season approaches. Wouldn’t it be cool to see the Hulk and Captain America fight alongside Santa? It wouldn’t exactly be a stretch, considering Santa is actually one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful mutants (via CBR).
Toy Story
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Toy Story is a Disney-Pixar franchise that began in the 90s and only recently came to a close with Toy Story 4 (via IGN). These films are not only popular with children, but have a certain appeal to adults as we’ve all wondered what our toys do when we’re not around. While a few holiday shorts related to Toy Story have been created, a feature film would no doubt be a great addition to the franchise. Seeing our favorite toys get up to some holiday mischief would not only be a joy to watch, but would also help to get kids into the holiday spirit. It also would allow the franchise to potentially introduce holiday-themed toys like elf-on-a-shelf.
Batman
Warner Bros Pictures
Considering that the newest installment of the Batman franchise, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, is a very dark iteration of the classic hero, the addition of a holiday film may seem like a bit of a stretch. That being said, in the original comics, there were a number of Christmas-themed comics that Batman was featured in. While some may argue that Batman Returns was basically a Christmas movie, it would be interesting to see Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman in a Christmas-themed film. Not only would it be a holiday treat, but this concept has the potential to bring a dark spin on the classic holiday cheer.
X-Men
20th Century Fox
The X-Men is another long-running superhero franchise based on the comic books by Stan Lee. The franchise is jam-packed with a variety of characters with special powers as a result of the X-gene. The addition of a holiday-themed film to the franchise may seem like a bit of a stretch, considering the content of the films, however, much like The Avengers, there are several holiday-themed X-Men comics. Featuring Santa and other holiday-themed heroes, it would be interesting to see Wolverine interact with holiday-themed characters like Santa and Jack Frost.
American Pie
Universal Pictures
The American Pie franchise features a number of outrageously sleazy comedies that revolve around the sexual activities of a young group of men. The franchise is hypersexual and is often referred to as raunchy, and while it seems that those things may not coincide well with a holiday film, the reality is that the addition of an American Pie holiday-themed film would show us some of the realities of the holidays. Perhaps showing a focus on the trouble that visiting family can cause as seen in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Needless to say, an American Pie holiday film would be a welcome comedic addition to any library of Christmas movies.
Fast & Furious
One of the most popular franchises of all time is the Fast & Furious film franchise, revolving around a group of characters who carry on with their lives street-racing, pulling off heists, and acknowledging the true meaning of the word family. With a total of nine films and a number of shorts and TV series, the addition of a holiday film seems to be long overdue. While not entirely reasonable, it would be interesting to see the classic characters drifting through the snow to try and save Christmas.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Walt Disney Pictures
One franchise that was met with surprising success was the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Thanks to its star-studded cast and exciting adventure stories, Disney has managed to snag a total of five films out of the franchise, and while a sixth was rumored, it was ultimately scrapped. That being said, the Pirates franchise could do with a holiday-themed film. While the modern concept of Christmas is quite different from what it would have been during the time in which Pirates of the Caribbean is set, it would still be interesting to see how Disney would pull it off. Can you imagine Jack Sparrow running around a holiday film alongside Santa?
