After an agonising wait, Christmas is finally here. It’s taken some time, but we can finally kick back, eat prawns on the beach, drive to the most impressive Christmas lights and celebrate the silly season. But at the end of a big day of important Christmas activities, is there anything better than settling in to watch a holiday classic? We think not. New streaming powerhouse Disney+ has got you sorted, with a massive range to satisfy the entire family.
Here’s a list of the top 10 Christmas movies to watch on Disney+:
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- Home Alone
- Noelle
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Die Hard
- LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Jingle All the Way
- The Santa Clause
- Miracle on 34th Street
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Marvel fans have a new Christmas classic to add to their rotation, with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This shorter feature isn’t quite as long as an MCU movie, but does have its place in the timeline of recent MCU features (if you haven’t watched Avengers: Infinity War or Endgame, you’ll want to steer clear of this one).
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still reeling from the events of Avengers: Endgame, so Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista), decide to find Quill the perfect Christmas gift. As you’d expect from a Guardians feature, this Disney+ exclusive is packed with plenty of laughs and Christmas cheer, and features a cameo from the one and only Kevin Bacon. It’s a must for any Marvel fan looking for something a little more festive to watch this Christmas.
Home Alone
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. It’s time to revisit Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), the nine-year-old who stole everyone’s hearts in the holiday classic, Home Alone. The 1990s movie follows Kevin as he tries to survive the holiday season after chaos at the airport causes him to stray from his family and accidentally get left behind. As every last-minute shopper knows, the festive period can be a hectic time — especially if you’re forced to go up against a couple of dim-witted burglars (Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci) and helping deliver a Christmas miracle to a misunderstood neighbour named “Old Man” Marley.
Noelle
From Pitch Perfect to Noelle, Anna Kendrick sings a perfect tune in this new Disney+ Christmas flick. Wanting to follow in the footsteps of her father, Kris Kringle, Noelle (Kendrick) wishes she could do something “important” just like her brother Nick (Bill Hader). When Nick crumbles from the pressure of becoming the new Santa, she tries to help by suggesting he spend a weekend away. But things go down the chimney when he doesn’t return, causing chaos in the North Pole. Thankfully, Noelle is there to pick up the reigns for an emergency rescue mission. But can she bring her brother back in time for Christmas?
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Before there was the Grinch, the world had Ebenezer Scrooge. Rediscover the true meaning of Christmas by watching a unique take on the Charles Dickens’ classic tale in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Follow Scrooge on his journey as he transforms from a miserly character to a kind, sympathetic, and affectionate man as a result of a few memorable visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, as well as Kermit the Frog of course.
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| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month or year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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min. cost $13.99 over one month |
4 | $13.99 |
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min. cost $139.99 over one year |
4 | $139.99 |
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Die Hard
There’s no debate needed. Die Hard is unquestionably, undeniably, undoubtedly, a Christmas movie, and that’s that. If Die Hard has somehow slipped your Christmas watch list year after year, or been avoided because you think it doesn’t quite fit the vibe, then I’m here to tell you, as John McClane will, “Welcome to the party pal!”. At its best, it will bring a warm glow of violent Christmas cheer to your living room and at it’s worst, it will make your Christmas family lunch feel peaceful.
LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
No, it’s not THAT Star Wars Holiday Special. It’s a LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special — injected with plenty of the humour and silliness that we’ve come to expect from anything LEGO Star Wars.
The animated special takes place after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and revolves around festive plans to celebrate Life Day — a homage to the original Star Wars Holiday Special. It follows Rey across galaxies and time as she tries to find a way to better train Finn as a Jedi, while Poe sets up the Life Day party at Chewbacca’s home on Kashyyyk.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
What do you get someone who loves Halloween? The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+ will probably go down a treat. Jack Skellington, otherwise known as the Pumpkin King, is tired of the “same old scare-and-scream routine” and just wants to share the joy of the festive season. But this isn’t easy, especially when his attempts to escape the holiday rut begins to put Santa in danger and creates a nightmare for good boys and girls.
Jingle All The Way
Some might say ‘tacky’, others might say ‘classic’ when it comes to the Arnie flick Jingle All The Way. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Howard Langston, a workaholic who struggles to make time for his wife and son. When realising that he has let down his son Jamie, he resolves to do better and seek out the hottest toy in town — the Turbo Man action figure.
As you might expect, the last-minute dash to buy the Turbo Man doll is greeted with sold out stores at every turn, as Howard goes to whatever lengths he can to secure the doll for his son, while competing with postal worker Myron — who also wants the doll — and any other obstacles thrown his way. It might be seen as a comment on Christmas consumerism and the pressures that parents feel to get their child the perfect toy, but it’s a nice bit of tacky Christmas fun for the whole family.
The Santa Clause
What’s not to love about this Tim Allen classic? The Santa Clause follows Scott (Allen) a divorcee who is spending Christmas Eve with his 6-year-old son Charlie (who has been told by his mother and her new husband that Santa isn’t real). Scott explains that Santa is in fact real (despite not believing that himself) and sends Charlie to bed. Moments later, an unexpected visitor lands on their roof. When the man is startled by Scott’s screaming out, he falls off and disappears – leaving behind a reindeer sleigh, a Santa Claus suit and a note with instructions to put the suit on and that the ‘reindeer will know what to do’.
Scott and Charlie are magically transported to the North Pole, where he is informed that he is the next Santa. Scott originally doesn’t believe it, but after some obvious transformations Scott is forced to believe it – and work hard to keep his secret from his suspecting family and the children of the world happy at Christmas.
Miracle on 34th Street (original and remake)
Is there a more quintessential Christmas classic as Miracle on 34th Street? Disney+ has both the original 1947 version, along with the 1994 remake, so you can watch your favourite version — or just enjoy watching what both have to offer.
If you’re not familiar with the story, it centres around a man by the name of Kris Kringle, who is hired to play Santa at the iconic Macy’s department store in New York City (which is changed to a fictitious store in the remake). During his time playing the department store Santa, Kris insists that he is the real deal but is then fired from the job. He is then caught up in a trial, centering around whether he is, in fact, the real Santa. We’re not going to spoil the rest if you haven’t seen either version, but it’s definitely a Christmas staple.
What else can you watch on Disney+?
While there’s plenty to keep you on the couch over Christmas, Disney+ also has plenty of originals from your childhood and new releases to keep you going long after the Christmas tree has been packed away for another year. If you’re interested in seeing what else Disney+ has to offer, check out our best movies article, but if you’re really in the Christmas spirit, check out our articles on Stan Christmas movies or BINGE Christmas movies.
Original Author: Maddy Morwood
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