‘Tis the season for holiday viewing, so here are our favorite Christmas movies on Disney+.
What kind of Christmas movies are on Disney+?
Disney+ has a wide selection of Christmas movies, but its strength lies in – surprise, surprise – animation and family films. If you’re looking for a less conventional Christmas library, check out our 10 Must-Watch Christmas Movies on Hulu.
10 Christmas movies to watch on Disney+ this year
Animated Christmas movies on Disney+
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Nominated for the Best Animated Short Oscar, this retelling of the Dickens classic has been a holiday tradition going on 40 years. Mickey plays Bob Cratchit while Scrooge McDuck (obviously) stars as Ebenezer Scrooge.
If you’re looking for Mickey and Friends in a holiday flick longer than 22 minutes, Disney+ also has Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.
A Christmas Carol (2009)
It’s the tale that keeps getting told – with at least 135 film versions at last count – and this $200 million computer-animated feature is by far the most expensive.
With gorgeous art, dazzling effects, and brilliant voice performances by Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman, it doesn’t deserve its stigma of a box office bomb. It’s one that kids and parents can both enjoy.
Prep & Landing (2009 – 2011)
We’re cheating a little bit, but not enough to get on the Naughty List. Prep & Landing isn’t a movie, but a trilogy of annual Christmas shorts.
The series started with the 22-minute Prep & Landing in 2009, followed by Operation: Secret Santa, which is a mere 7 minutes long. The third installment, Naughty vs. Nice in 2011, is as long as the first, making the entire trilogy watchable in under an hour.
The bite-sized stories are perfect for those in-between times and kids who can’t sit still for a full-length feature.
Christmas comedies on Disney+
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Ernest was a big thing in the 80s. The character, created by an ad agency for TV commercials, miraculously spawned 10 feature films and a Saturday morning TV show.
This goofy holiday installment has Santa forget his sack in Ernest’s taxi cab. Upon discovering the sack’s magical powers, Ernest embarks on a mission to return it to its owner and – of course – save Christmas.
It won’t spark any deep conversations or pull at too many heartstrings, but Ernest Saves Christmas is packed with enough silliness to keep the kids giggling for 90 minutes straight.
The Santa Clause (1994)
After accidentally injuring the real Santa on Christmas Eve, salesman Scott Calvin and his son are forced to take the reins of Santa’s sleigh and save Christmas. He then finds out the job is his – permanently.
With kid-friendly humor, this is one for the whole family to watch together. It’s a good primer for the upcoming Disney+ miniseries The Santa Clauses, which continues the story 30 years later on November 16.
Noelle (2019)
Santa passes away during the offseason and by the time Christmas rolls around, his heir-apparent son isn’t up to the task. So it’s up to Santa’s spoiled daughter to get things back on track and save Christmas.
It’s a familiar plot line, but Noelle is a warm and friendly, easy-to-watch holiday film for the entire family.
Family Christmas movies on Disney+
Home Alone (1990)
The second-highest-grossing Christmas film of all time made Macaulay Culkin an overnight star. If you somehow don’t know, Culkin stars as 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, whose parents don’t notice he’s missing until their flight is halfway to Paris.
Jim Pesci and Daniel Stern are comedy gold as a pair of bumbling burglars who meet their match when they set their sights on the McCallister home. Everyone in the family is bound to enjoy this on an annual basis.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Our third entry of Dickens’ holiday classic is a musical comedy starring Michael Caine as Scrooge – and everybody’s favorite puppets are nearly everyone else. Kermit plays Bob Cratchit, of course, with Miss Piggy as his wife. And Gonzo narrates – as Dickens himself.
And if you’re looking for more Muppets holiday cheer, Disney+ also has the 2008 made-for-TV special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
A sequel getting its own entry? Seeing as it’s the third-highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, it’s earned it.
Director Chris Columbus and writer John Hughes don’t mess with a good thing in this quick follow-up set the year after the first film. It’s full of familiar gags and clever traps – except they’re in the Big Apple. Even Pesci and Stern return as the recently escaped (and renamed) Sticky Bandits to do battle with young Kevin.
Critics may call it derivative, but to that we say bah humbug!
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Written and produced by Home Alone’s John Hughes, this reimagining of the 1947 classic sees the inimitable Richard Attenborough take on the role of Kris Kringle.
When 6-year-old Susan meets a department store Santa claiming to be the real St. Nick, she has him prove it. With dashes of comedy and a whole lot of feels, it’s a worthy alternative to the original – which is among the Christmas classics streaming on Prime Video.
Our takeaway: Get Disney+ for kid-friendly Christmas movies
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Disney's streaming platform is geared toward animation and family-friendly content. It’s the essence of the brand. But most of these Christmas movies can be enjoyed by all ages.
If Disney+ doesn’t have what you’re looking for, check out our Top 10 Christmas movies on Prime Video or our favorite Christmas movies on Hulu. We’ve also got our 25 Best Christmas Movies across all streaming services.
Douglas Wright
Douglas Wright is a freelance writer based in Japan. A former web designer and technical writer, he left beautiful Vancouver for bustling Tokyo, where he spent a decade recruiting for software and high-tech firms. No longer commuting through the world’s busiest train station, he writes fiction and a wide range of formats for clients around the world. When he gets AFK, he’s either outdoors with his two boys, streaming a show with his wife, or reading a book over a French-pressed, hand-ground coffee.