Thanksgiving is around the corner, which means we’re heading into the most wonderful time of the year. Indeed, you’ll likely have heard your favorite Christmas songs playing on the radio, and, by extension, you’ll probably have seen shop windows dressed up for the impending occasion. It’s definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
As the holiday draws nearer, and as winter creeps closer, you’ll notice that your favorite streaming services have become inundated with festive holiday viewing options, and what better way to spend those cold winter nights than to make some hot chocolate, curl up on the couch, ditch your favorite book and watch some great movies, right?
No stranger to getting into the festive spirit, Disney+ has become a go-to platform for classic Christmas movies. Of course, the options for holiday movies, both new and old, can seem a little overwhelming. That being said, we’ve put together a list of the best of the best on offer on Disney’s streaming service. From Home Alone to The Nightmare Before Christmas, these are the best Christmas movies to watch on Disney+ this winter.
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6 The Santa Clause
Disney
With the Disney+ television series hitting the small screen imminently, why not revisit the original classic that started it all? Definitely the best in the original movie trilogy, 1994’s The Santa Clause, sees Tim Allen playing a perfectly normal average man — until one fateful Christmas Eve. After causing Santa Claus to slip and fall from the roof of his house and presumably die, Scott Calvin (Allen) puts Santa’s red suit on, which results in him officially, and unwillingly, taking over the role of Santa. This Christmas classic remains just as funny as the day it was released as we see Allen gradually growing more rotund and unable to control his ever-growing white beard to the bemusement of those around him as he comes to terms with the extraordinary changes himself. Unsurprisingly, the movie was a huge critical and commercial success.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Noelle
Disney+
Anna Kendrick shines in the 2019 Disney+ exclusive, Noelle, full of holiday cheer, humor, heart and female empowerment. She’s plays Noelle, the daughter of Kris Kringle, who finds herself searching the globe for her brother after he does a runner when expected to take over the role of Santa Claus from their father. This charming tale about self-discovery is fun for all the family, and provides 100 minutes of festive escapism perfect for a cold winter’s night.
4 A Christmas Carol
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
One of the most well-known Christmas stories of all time, this adaptation of A Christmas Carol sees director Robert Zemekis utilizing cutting edge CGI and motion-capture technology to produce an eerily dark-themed Christmas animated feature, with Jim Carrey playing multiple characters, including Ebenezer Scrooge. Other voice actors part of this impressive cast include Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, and Gary Oldman, who, like Carrey, also voices multiple characters. The film made an impressive $325 million at the box office, but when considering its enormous production budget estimated at around $200 million, it wasn’t considered so impressive by Disney. Especially when taking into consideration marketing costs, which were reported to be the reason Mark Zoradi, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group and the Head of Worldwide Marketing, resigned (via EW). Despite the bad press, the movie remains an interesting take on a classic tale and a great way to spend a couple of hours with the family over Christmas.
3 Home Alone
20th Century Fox
One of the all-time greatest Christmas movies, the hilarious and surprisingly violent family classic, Home Alone, feels just as fresh today as it did three decades ago, and remains essential viewing over the festive period. Written and produced by John Hughes, the movie sees a fresh-faced Macaulay Culkin playing Kevin McCallister, a boy who defends his family’s home from burglars after they accidentally leave him behind on their Christmas vacation. While Culkin does a fine job, it’s Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the aforementioned burglars who really steal the show as they chew through the scenery, facing all manner of sadistic traps assembled by their young nemesis. Breaking numerous box office records at the time of its release, it was the United States’ highest-grossing movie at the box office for 12 consecutive weeks during the winter of 1990-1991.
2 The Nightmare Before Christmas
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Part Halloween movie, part Christmas movie, The Nightmare before Christmas, which was directed by Henry Sellick and written by Tim Burton, has gone on to amass a significant cult following since its initial release in 1993. Fantastic stop-motion animation combined with a dark yet catchy soundtrack from Danny Elman bring to life this story of Jack Skellington (the King of Halloween) and his newfound obsession with Christmas and his plot to abduct Santa Claus, in a way that was able to bring the biggest of grins to viewers of all ages.
1 The Muppets Christmas Carol: Extended Edition
Walt Disney/Jim Henson
Perhaps the most beloved retelling of this Christmas classic features Jim Henson’s cast of lovable Muppets. Originally released in 1992, The Muppets Christmas Carol sees Sir Michael Caine take on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, as he is visited by a variety of puppet ghosts. Elsewhere, we see Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Fozzie Bear as ‘Fozziwig’ and narration from The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat. This lively adaptation features everything we want from a Muppet movie and a Christmas movie, plenty of heart and humor and some great musical numbers. Often cited as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, Disney+ has announced that they will be bringing an extended edition to the platform on December 11, which includes the addition of the song “When Love Is Gone” (via Vulture).
