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!
The VHS/DVD versions of Muppet Family Christmas are missing scenes. Best bet is to go to YouTube for multi part versions taped from TV.
And I often find myself quoting Sam Eagle’s “Why am I here?” line – even if no one else gets the reference!
My favorite Disney/Jim Henson Christmas movie is a rare one. It’s “The Christmas Toy”. It’s about a Play room of kids toys that come to life every night. The toys are adorable and the story is so heartfelt. If the toys are seen by a human they go limp and are never brought to life again. One of the main characters is Rugby the Tiger that was the best Christmas present the year before. He has an adventure with Mew The cat’s catnip toy. It’s so special. I got it for my niece and nephews a few years ago. They loved it. I gave it to them on Thanksgiving and they watched it through Christmas.
I also love The Muppet Family Christmas. The whole Jim Henson’s ensemble with the Sesame Street gang with the Muppet’s and Fraggle Rock included. Would love to see it again. Amazon prices are really high for the DVD. I just don’t have the money with Christmas coming and I’m saving for a Disney Cruise. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford it.
Love Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. It’s so cute and heartwarming. I also remember the John Denver Christmas one with the Muppet’s. Loved The old time songs in that.
Great Christmas memories. Thanks for putting the list up. *<l:{)}} <Santa Claus LOL
You should do a list on Top Disney Christmas shorts since you could easily come up with 10 great ones. Too bad I am 1 year late to this list. This list is solid and I can relate to as a child of the late 1980s/early 1990s. I had a similar VHS recordings from taping off CBS Christmas specials. My VHS included Garfield, Claymation, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Wish for Wings that Work, and Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too. I also had another VHS taping of Muppet Family Christmas. Its too bad those VHSs broke but thank god for YouTube where I rediscovered these classics. (10) I would bump Beauty and Beast from your list and include Babes in Toys Land instead due to lack better options haha. BITL is not a very good movie but I did enjoy the acting of Ray Bolger, Gene Sheldon, Henry Calvin, and Ed Wynn. Those guys gave me a couple of good chuckles throughout the movie. Also, the March of the Toys scene is wonderful. (9) I enjoy From All of Us to All of You even though I know its only compilation of shorts and clips from non-Christmas movies. Jiminy Cricket’s ending is very heart warming. Its too bad Freeform channel cannot work this into their rotation and take a break from constantly overplaying other Christmas movies. (6) Similar to you I saw Nightmare Before Christmas when it came out and I found it disturbing. It took me probably 20 years to rewatch it and now I think its OK. It is a yearly Halloween tradition for me to watch due to lack of better not so horror options on Halloween. Your Top 4 is excellent and I could make an argument for either one of those 4 being number #1. I love Mickey’s Christmas Carol and if it wasn’t under 30 min long, it would easily be #1. The animation is impeccable and I adore the cameo of not-so-well-known Disney characters in the street scenes and the Fezziwig party scene. A Muppet Family Christmas is fantastic. This special has lots of fun clean humor plus pulls at your heart strings with ending singing of the carols and the Jim Henson cameo. I hope it never gets removed from YouTube since I doubt it will ever be shown on TV or released on DVD/BluRay fully intact due ownership differences of Muppets, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street.
I sure wish that we could get the movie “John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together”!! That is the ULTIMATE Christmas movie, however not Disney at the time. I have the soundtrack & used to have a vinyl copy of it when I was little. It used to come on with Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas following… such great memories. I am probably a bit older than you & Sarah though 🙂
Thanks for the list & downloads – Merry Christmas!!
I was thrilled to see that you included “From all of us..” in your list! It is THE Christmas classic here in Norway, but most Americans have never seen it. It is always shown on TV here in Norway on Christmas Eve. Last year it had 716 000 viewers – pretty good for a country with only 5 million inhabitants…
In 1989, the national broadcasting company lost the contract with Disney to show “From all of us…”. Disney opted instead to sign a contract with a small TV channel many Norwegians didn’t have access to. What?? Thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against this outrage, you don’t mess with people’s Christmas traditions! Some swore they would never buy a Disney product again . And we all made a VHS recording of the last showing, which we continued to see every Christmas Eve further on. By 1996 “From all of us…” was back on the regular TV channel… but we all keep a ripped-off copy on our computers now just in CASE this tradition on TV isn’t a forever thing.
Yes, we’re nuts. But isn’t everybody, when it comes to Christmas traditions?
Ps. Next year we’ll go to Disneyland Paris for Christmas. So we’ll have to watch “From all of us…” some days earlier (you know – the ripped off copy). No Christmas without it…!
Good list! In my house (I have a 5yr old and 3yr old), we have to watch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas every time it comes on the Disney Channel!! My girls love it and it is also entertaining and heartwarming for adults who are Disney fans!
There is lot of fun to enjoy in Disney World but live movies are more interesting for the viewers. Santa Clause is one of interesting movie that most of the people like very much. The movies you have mentioned no doubt really amaze to watch. Let’s see what is new management have to bought us for more fun. Good blogging!
You should also make a top 10 worst Disney Christmas movies list. Suggestions include One Magic Christmas (quite possibly the least “Disney” movie of all time, involving the drowning of two children during a bank robbery attempt on Christmas Eve), 1978’s nightmare inducing TV special Christmas at Walt Disney World, and of course the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Muppet Family Christmas is the absolute perfect Christmas movie! Top of our list! Our copy of it as actually a copy that an uncle got from someone overseas. We had a VHS copy that was missing some of the funnier bits: Animal and Gonzo on hangers for example. I think I learned a majority of carols just from watching this movie so many times as a kid!
So, BIG yes to Muppet Family Christmas– but the reason I’m commenting is because you validate my never-seen-since-childhood FAVOURITE – that Garfield Christmas special- -where they go the farm and Garfield makes Odie a back scratcher? It made me cry as a kid and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere!
(Even though Muppets are part of Disney now, I still lump them together with the Sesame Street bunch. I was huge into the Muppets as a kid and thought of them as equally magical as Disney stuff, but decidedly different)
I know that it is not a Disney or Muppet show, but since you mentioned Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Special, I have to pitch in. This thing is a gem. We burned a DVD from a VHS recorded from a broadcast, and watch it every year. I can’t hear “We Three Kings” without picturing jazz-singing camels in sneakers!
My husband’s family spend the week of Christmas singing “Ooo-ooh” like the camels. I’ve managed to avoid the temptation, but I only give myself another year or so.
Thanks for the Muppet Family Christmas youtube link Tom! This was my go-to Christmas movie as a child of the 90’s and have been looking for it as our old VHS has been played too much where it cuts out a lot when playing. Thanks!
A few years ago Amazon had a GREAT deal on the Muppet Family Christmas DVD – I think I was able to get it for like $15. I think no matter what I do from now on I won’t be able to top that present to my parents! And I completely agree about A Muppet Christmas Carol. I was actually just flipping channels now and saw Disney’s Christmas Carol listed on Freeform. I got super excited for a moment until I realized it wasn’t the Muppets! Gotta go find my DVD of THAT one now!
I’m so glad you included Christmas Eve on Sesame Street! It’s the first Christmas movie I watch every year, and the first one I ever watched as a child. My mom recorded it off the TV onto our VCR and 10 years later when the original VHS tape became too damaged to watch my sister and I cried for days.
Forget just Disney, Muppet Christmas Carol is the best Christmas movie of all time, period. By the widest of margins.
In my house it’s not Christmas until we see Beaker flip Michael Caine the bird! Okay, Beaker only has four fingers, so he really doesn’t have a middle finger, but the intent is there. It makes the scarf that he gives Scrooge at the end that much sweeter.
A Muppet Family Christmas is definitely my favorite! If only for the Electric Mayhem’s rendition of Jingle Bell Rock, and then the slipping on the front step running joke, and Jim Henson and Sprocket finishing up the dishes at the end… almost as good as the Muppet’s Rocky Mountain Holiday (not a Christmas movie, “holiday” as in vacation – for some reason.) I gotta go find my over-priced low quality DVD…
My admiration for you took another leap with your acknowledgement of “Muppet Christmas Carol.” In addition to the movie being an annual must-watch, its soundtrack is one of my most-played Chistmas CDs.
YES to #1 and #3 (I have a DVD rip of a friends VHS of #3, which even has a few rounds of commercials – double score!). Sam Eagle’s “Why am I here?” gets me every time.
I’d argue that Muppet Christmas Carol may be my favorite Christmas movie PERIOD (Well, favorite Christmas thing is the 5th Season episode of ABC’s Brothers and Sisters “Cold Turkey”, but that’s just me). One thing I’ve read which I love is that – when approached for the role – Caine agreed that he’d do it only if he could play it as serious as if he were in the RSC. Which – along with Gonzo – is one of the great reasons it works so well. His lack of winking allows the pathos to land and the jokes to look even wackier in comparison.
A Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies, not just Disney themed ones 🙂 I hate that they have cropped out an entire musical number and there are no unedited versions. The kid in me is sad about it, but maybe it wasn’t as good as I remember it?