Top 10 Disney Christmas Movies
If you’re like us, Thanksgiving weekend marks the start of Christmas movie season. In this post, we compile our favorite Disney Christmas films and holiday specials, many of which are available free via streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon.
We aren’t ashamed to admit that we have an extensive collection of Christmas movies, specials, and even television episodes. To the contrary, I’m actively proud of our huge Christmas media collection. While binging on Muppet Christmas classics, we noticed that we have several Disney Christmas movies/specials…enough to make a top 10 list!
Some of the entries on this list are obvious titles that every Disney fan has probably seen. For other choices, we went with some deeper cuts that are not commercially available or are just lesser-known. The good news is that over half of the list is now available streaming, so you don’t have to chase down a rare DVD or scour YouTube for obscure titles…
In large part, this is thanks to the launch of Disney+, which already features a formidable lineup of holiday titles. By my count, there are over two dozen Christmas titles on the new service (unfortunately, there’s no Christmas collection, so you have to search for various keywords or click on one holiday film and see what else is in the “suggested” tab.
Disney+ Christmas movies that didn’t make this list include several versions of A Christmas Carol, a bunch of cheesy-but-heartwarming made for television movies, as well as a bunch of titles included thanks to the acquisition of 20th Century Fox. As much as we love Home Alone and Miracle on 34th Street, we’re excluding these from the list because they weren’t in any way associated with Disney for the first several decades of their existence.
Anyway, here’s the list of what does make the cut for our favorite Disney Christmas movies and specials…
BONUS: Holiday Time at Disneyland – I can’t help but get chills when watching Walt Disney’s opening of this episode. That, alone, ensures this a spot the list. It doesn’t rank higher because a lot of this episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color has nothing to do with Christmas, but if you haven’t seen many episodes of this, it’s well worth watching. This promotes a lot of the new offerings at Disneyland under the guise of holidays, and there’s some excellent footage.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Disney+ thus far is the lack of this and other classic Walt Disney-hosted television programming. As Disney’s streaming service is still in its infancy, here’s hoping that’s remedied before next Christmas!
10. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas – As is probably clear if you’ve read our review of this blu-ray, we aren’t the biggest fans of this direct to video sequel of the animated classic Beauty and the Beast. The plot is flimsy, the animation is sub-par, and a lot of the humor is suspect.
However, it also features some beautiful scenery, familiar and beloved characters, and a sufficient dose of yuletide glee. It’s pretty far from being a classic, but the Enchanted Christmas has its moments and is worth putting on in the background while you’re preparing a Christmas feast. (With all of that said, I’ll Be Home for Christmas might be more deserving of its spot, and perhaps is deserving of a rewatch now that we have it on Disney+.)
9. From All of Us to All of You – This reminds me of a television version of World of Color. It’s not great, but the clips tug at your heartstrings. Per Christmas Special Wiki: “The special has been shown infrequently in the US in recent years, but in the Nordic countries…the show has been broadcast every year since 1959, and has become a holiday classic.
Ratings show that around 40% of all Swedes watch it on Christmas Eve, the record (in 1997) being just over half the population.” Now, we all know wiki sites are the paramount in scholarly credibility, but even if that’s a slight exaggeration, it’s pretty remarkable. It took me a good amount of searching to find this full episode, and it’s no longer available commercially. Yet, it not only airs annually in other countries, but is a bonafide Christmas classic there. Pretty wild!
8. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street* – Okay, so this one is an exception. Most Disney fans probably know that Disney was on the precipice of acquiring The Jim Henson Company when its founder passed away in 1990, causing the deal to fall through. When Disney finally acquired the Muppets over a decade later, Sesame Street (and other properties) were not part of the deal.
Nevertheless, I think in heart and spirit, Henson’s creations are all in the Disney family (c’mon, if we consider Darth Vader and Ivan Vanko “Disney characters” we better give Oscar the Grouch the same respect). As such, I’m counting this; it’s a heartwarming tale of Big Bird being perplexed over how Santa fits down chimneys, with a lot of fun from the denizens of Sesame Street along the way. I fondly remember watching this as a kid, and Sesame Street is as “relevant” today as it was then.
7. Mickey’s Christmas Carol – I’ve tried to otherwise exclude <30 minute shorts from this list, but I’m making an exception copping out for this because it’s a time-honored classic and because the Mickey’s Christmas Carol 30th Anniversary Blu-ray includes a couple other holiday shorts, most notably “Pluto’s Christmas Tree.”
These are true Disney animated Christmas classics, and deserve a place on this list…particularly when that list has otherwise bended to include a couple of titles that technically aren’t even Disney. 😉
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas – I’ll admit that it wasn’t until fairly recently that I came around on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. When I was younger, I never really got “into” this movie. I don’t know if it was too dark or just felt too Halloween-y, but it was a one and done for me as a kid.
Now, I have a much greater appreciation for the artistic side of the film, and also like the characters and fairly unique concept. If I’m being objective, this should probably be a top 5 entry on the list.
This was one such film, and I absolutely loved it. I still find it to be a ton of fun and I think it has aged pretty well, all things considered. I’m not sure it’s an all-time live action Christmas classic, but it’s as a sappy Christmas movie with heart, it remains something I’ll watch once per Christmas season.
4. Noelle – I’ll admit to being biased here. I think Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader are both hilarious (who doesn’t love Stefon from SNL or Barry?!) and Noelle was the very first thing on Disney+ that we watched. It’s predictable from the first scene, derivative, and a bit cheesy. However, Noelle is also heartwarming, humorous, earnest, and endearing. It also makes the most of what’s clearly a healthy budget with some nice special effects and one of the most adorable CGI characters in recent memory.
With Noelle, Disney+ mixes the formulas of Elf and Hallmark movies to create something unique, memorable, and charming. Unlike Netflix, which gently skewers the holiday genre with films you can laugh at (such as A Christmas Prince or Christmas Chronicles), Noelle is a heartfelt and irresistible movie that you’ll also laugh with. Much like the Santa Clause, this is “Disney” at its heart–which is also evident from the outset, thanks to things like hidden Mickeys and Duffy plushes in the sets.
3. Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas* – Another title that was not part of Disney’s acquisition of the Muppets, this has resulted in home releases that cut the intro/ending with Kermit (which is, interesting, still present when ABC Family airs the movie).
Nevertheless, this twist on the classic “Gift of the Magi” has the endearing charm, personality, and magic of Henson characters, and some catchy musical numbers. While it lacks the humor that typifies the Muppets, it’s more heartwarming, and for a Christmas film, that is a perfectly fine trade.
2. A Muppet Family Christmas – Unless you like to drop stacks-o-hundos on low-quality DVDs of television specials, you might not be familiar with this one. That is, unless you’re a child of the late 1980s/early 1990s. For us, it was a Christmas staple. I had a VHS recording from the television with this, Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas, and A Garfield Christmas.
This special has it all–from the Muppets to Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock…to even Jim Henson, himself! The musical numbers are memorable, and there’s some great humor in here. The writing lags a bit as compared to the top 2 on this list, but it’s every bit as memorable, and remains a Christmas staple in our household.
1. The Muppet Christmas Carol – This is the seminal and most faithful adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which is surprising given that it stars the Muppets. There are a number of reasons why the The Muppet Christmas Carol is #1 on this list. First is the sprawling musical numbers, taking place in multiple settings and involving a variety of Muppets, with minor characters stealing the spotlight.
Second is the performances of the three main characters: Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, and Michael Caine. Having Gonzo play Charles Dickens was a bold move that paid off and provides several brilliant comedic moments. Finally, Brian Henson’s work as director is impeccable and worthy of his father’s legacy. I belabor these and several other points in my lengthy Muppet Christmas Carol Review, but suffice to say, this is the best Disney Christmas film by a wide margin.
That’s it for the list. In addition to what’s here, I’d give a few more honorable mentions to A Magic Kingdom Yuletide Special (a show that reminds me a lot of “Celebrate the Season” mixed with a big dash of 1980s), Babes in Toyland (even though I’m not a fan, I recognize it has a place in Disney history and others love it), and Prep & Landing. I know there are countless other Disney Christmas specials that didn’t make the cut–at one point there was a new one every year, plus the parade–but I either don’t remember those or they aren’t available now…or both. Here’s hoping additions to the Disney+ catalogue over time remedy this, and we’ll be back with another update and expansion to this list!
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your favorite Disney Christmas movies, television specials, etc? Think the Muppets are deserving of a clean sweep of the top 3? What about Noelle? Any other holiday movies you’ve watched on Disney+ thus far? Anything we’ve snubbed that you think deserves to make the list? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Fans of The Muppet Christmas Carol should watch this recent critique of the costumes by a dress historian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O_mL1X4UMI
It will make you appreciate it even more!
And thank you, Tom, for all your invaluable tips for the Asian parks. They all came in handy for our multiple trips to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo over the last couple years. We even took your suggestion of staying near Fushimi Inari and got to walk the path early morning and in the evening with barely anyone else there (never mind the wild boars that cut our evening hike short)!
Just watched one of my favorites “Pluto’s Tree” on Disney+. It is a classic that I remember watching as a kid. Chip and Dale are just the best!
Muppet Christmas Carol has been #1 in our house for years. My youngest (now 25) also has fond memories (oldest not so fond) of Emment Otter’s Jug Band Christmas since I bought the DVD 2 decades ago. I watched it when I was young and remembered loving it – my oldest wanted to know what was wrong with me (now 28), lol. I got the DVD with the out takes – if you can find that one, it is PRICELESS. Sooo funny, we still watch this every year! I was also taken by surprise when said youngest pointed out a nod to this classic in Disney Springs on the xmas tree trail (a poster on a fence). Finally some love!! Henson was a singular genius!!
Muppet Family Christmas is THE BEST christmas special ever made. my parents were human-dvrs in the 80s and recorded everything and we had the vhs tapes for years and years. my mom bought a vhs-dvd converter for home movies a number of years ago and the first things i transferred was our 1987 taped-off-tv muppet family christmas, complete with commercials because i feel it’s incomplete without them. we found a dvd of MFC once but it was the biggest disappointment in history. due to music distribution rights, a good chunk of the songs, and therefore the story, are missing and it’s basically worthless. however, as a christmas surprise last year, my husband was able to combine the higher quality dvd version (not static-y like the vcr version) but took the vcr version and used it for the missing portions (and the commercials). so now we have a complete version with most of it higher quality. it’s the BEST.
It’s not a Disney movie I guess, but it is on Disney plus, but for a cute not too saccharine rom com, give While You Were Sleeping a try. It is in the holiday list.
Ahhh yes- a salute to all great Disney Christmas films, but mostly just the Muppets!
Prep and Landing (and sequels) are the best 30 minute Christmas movies to come out with original characters in 30 years, so I’d be breaking the rules for those masterpieces as well. They’re cute and funny and perfect for all ages. It’s soooo tinsel!
We love Prep and Landing! Watch it (and sequels) if you have not seen it. Very well done and loads of fun!
Very nice list Tom. I suppose that it’s required that TNBC be on any Disney list, though I don’t care for it. So based on that I thought you had it a bit too high. I personally would have left it off. As for Noelle…I found ti to be a cute movie, but not great. I found it to be on the same level as a decently good Hallmark Christmas Movie. I might have ranked it #10. I thought they underused the talent in this movie. Anna Kendrick was good and that was about it. This movie held so much promise for me, but unfortunately fell short.
Hey Tom,
Disney must be reading this because now there is a “Holiday Movies Collection” option on the Disney+ search tab! 🙂
Love Muppet Family Christmas!! We got our VHS copy converted to DVD and then uploaded to watch on our Apple TV. It’s such a sweet hilarious perfect TV holiday special!
Noelle was the first thing I watched on Disney+ as well. Super cute!
Beauty & the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas will always have a place on my top 10 list because…Tim Curry! Evil and singing!
My mom and I watched Noelle last night! Super cute! As a yogi, I definitely loved those scenes!
My all-time favorite Disney Christmas movie, which is also my #2 favorite movie in general, is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Halloween is my jam, so obviously. My cubicle is decorated for both Halloween and Christmas year round. Jack and Sally are always my priority meet and greet, and I will stand in line in the rain for an hour if I have to (and I have).
I haven’t see The Muppet’s Christmas Carol in YEARS, but it’s definitely on my list for this season. Along with I’ll Be Home For Christmas, which is probably my second favorite Disney Christmas movie ever.
Muppet Family Christmas! I wore out the VHS! It has really held up too.
A Muppet Family Christmas is my all time favorite hands down. I wish I could find it somewhere that won’t cost me my first born child – may have to spend the holidays searching through my parents house for the VHS recorded from TV!
Watch out for the icy spot!!
I loved Garfield and Claymation as a kid. Always a must-see on my VHS. Here is my list:
1. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
2. Muppet Family Christmas
3. Muppet Christmas Carol
4. Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas
5. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
6. Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
7. Babes in Toyland
8. From All of Us to All of You
9. Holiday Time at Disneyland
10. Magic Kingdom Yuletide Special
Honorable mention: Mickey’s Nutcracker 1990s TV Special, Santa Clause Trilogy, Mickeys Twice Upon A Christmas
Never seen or cant remember from your list: Beauty and Beast Enchanted Christmas, Noelle, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Saw B&B Enchanted Christmas and Noelle on Disney + in Dec 2019 and neither would crack my Top 10 or honorable mention. I do complement the cameo of Duffy and Shellie May in Noelle.
Home Alone 1 & 2 (I will not mention anything beyond that) has been added to the service, too. Watching it right now, actually.
#8 and #2 All. Day. Long! We had these on VHS, taped from television, and part of the fun of rewatching was the old commercials! I could probably recite some now but shall refrain!
Thanks for this list. I had totally forgotten about many of them. Many are favorites from my childhood that I loved. I’m going to try and watch most of these this holiday season. Hopefully the new Disney streaming service will have these on there too!