As Christmas inches ever closer, festive viewers around the world are consuming holiday content with every spare moment of their time.
With so many separate streaming service option out there, it can be hard to figure out where different Christmas favorites have ended up. Holiday enthusiasts with a Disney Plus subscription are in luck, because the family-friendly streaming service is offering up a solid collection of beloved Christmas classics. Here are some of the very best.
1. Home Alone
This charming Christmas classic is near the top of many people’s festive viewing lists. Released in 1990, it follows the story of young Kevin McCallister after he is accidentally left home alone for the holidays. Kevin is then forced to protect his home from invasion by a pair of bandits intent on robbing the family for all they are worth, and cleverly uses various traps and tricks to keep the bandits at bay.
Starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the Wet Bandits, and Catherine O’Hara as Kevin’s mother, this film somehow manages to never get old.
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol
There are nearly a dozen different versions of A Christmas Carol hosted on Disney Plus, but the Muppet version is by far the best. Catered to kids but enjoyable by viewers of all ages, this 1992 musical Christmas comedy is a staple of the season.
The film stars Michael Caine alongside numerous Muppet favorites, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great. It presents a charming retelling of the classic Charles Dickens story, complete with several unforgettable songs.
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Let’s just start this off by addressing the perpetual discussion among Nightmare Before Christmas fans: is it a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? It largely takes place in Halloween Town and stars a gangly, suited skeleton, which really beefs up the argument for Halloween, but I disagree. The movie is literally all about Christmas. It’s centered around the sad and world-weary Jack Skellington, who⏤upon discovering Christmas⏤becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing it to his loved ones in Halloween Town. It’s a Christmas movie, fight me.
Released in 1993, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a gorgeous stop-motion animation film. Like A Muppet Christmas Carol, it offers up a number of memorable musical tracks, which has helped the film to endure as a holiday favorite for nearly 30 years.
4. The Santa Clause
Back in the early ’90s, Tim Allen was all the rage in family-friendly films. He starred in a slew of popular hits, including as a grouchy divorcee in 1993’s The Santa Clause. The movie hasn’t aged quite as well as some of the others on this list thanks to its representation of Allen’s character Scott Calvin as a thoroughly unenjoyable person. This is clearly intentional, as he becomes far more likable and jolly as the film progresses, but also distinctly ages the film.
Despite this, The Santa Clause remains a charming, enjoyable classic. It gives a twist on the typical holiday love story by instead presenting a tale in which a regular dad is accidentally forced to take on the mantle of Santa Claus and improve his relationship with his son, who at the outset believes in the magic of the holiday a lot more than he does.
5. A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
It’s hard to beat the Muppets around Christmas. These fuzzy favorites were a staple of most of our childhoods and continue to bleed joy into our lives each time they return to our screens.
The Muppet Christmas Carol remains their most popular Christmas release, but it’s far from the only festive film featuring everyone’s favorite Muppets. Letters to Santa features all the typical favorites, with Kermit the Frog at the helm along with several original tracks that are⏤if I’m being totally honest⏤pretty terrible. The film sees Kermit, along with Gonzo and several of the other principal Muppets, set off on a mission to deliver three lost letters directly to Santa in the North Pole.
6. Godmothered
Providing a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a Fairy Godmother, Godmothered is an interesting and modern take on the idea of “Happily Ever After.”
Starring rom-com favorite Isla Fisher alongside comedian Jillian Bell of Workaholics fame, the film follows a young Fairy Godmother-in-training as she strives to make a middle-aged woman’s wish come true. The movie oozes with optimism and holiday spirit and features several delightful songs.
7. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
This 1998 film might feel a little dated for younger audiences, but should deliver a hefty dose of nostalgia among older viewers. Starring a teenage Jonathan Taylor Thomas alongside Jessica Biel and Gary Cole, the film follows a college student on his mission to make it from Los Angeles, California to Larchmont, New York in time for Christmas.
The film is full of predictable hijinks and amusing screw-ups as Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s character, Jake, strives to both satisfy his deal with his father and keep his girlfriend, Biel’s Allie, from ending up with the wrong guy.
8. Noelle
Another fun twist on the classic Christmas story sees Anna Kendrick cast as Noelle Kringle, Kris Kringle’s daughter. Several other comedic heavy hitters join Kendrick in the film, including Bill Hader, Billy Eichner, and Julie Hagerty, all of whom greatly aid the movie in being an enjoyable option for viewers of all ages.
The 2019 movie follows Noelle on her hunt for her brother, who disappears when the stress of inheriting the role of Santa becomes too much. The movie provides some fun, modern interpretations of classic Christmas tropes, like the naughty or nice list, along with plenty of laughs.
9. Santa Buddies
An excellent selection for keeping the kids distracted while you wrap some presents or enjoy a quiet moment, Santa Buddies is a Christmas-themed entry into the wealth of films in the Air Bud franchise. Plus it centers around a group of adorable puppies, which is pretty hard to beat overall.
The film follows a gang of festive pups on their quest to convince more people to believe in Christmas and stop the degradation of Christmas magic in the North Pole. It stars a number of actors who have made a name for themselves in the years since this 2009 film was released and even includes the final on-screen appearance of actor Tom Bosley.
10. Edward Scissorhands
On its own, this film deserves to be much higher on the list. Of every movie gathered here, however, it has the loosest tie to Christmas, and thus gets a spot at the bottom.
That’s because themes relating to the actual holiday don’t appear until well into the second half of Edward Scissorhands. Despite this, the overall feel of the film is very uplifting and nostalgic: perfect for the holidays. One of the film’s most iconic moments happens during Christmastime and sees Edward bringing a form of snow to the Florida suburb where the film is set, delighting its inhabitants.
All of these Christmas films, and many more beloved holiday specials, are available to stream right now on Disney Plus.
