41 Best Christmas Movies on Disney+ Filled With Holiday Magic
Get ready for a festive movie marathon with these new specials and seasonal classics.
Even the most dedicated Christmas fans know that there's only a short amount of time to binge-watch all the best holiday movies out there. That's why you need a succinct list that tells you exactly what to watch on your favorite steamer. For the best Christmas movies on Disney+, you've come to the right place.
For starters, Disney+ is home to some of the best Christmas movies for kids, including funny family favorites and animated flicks. There are also a ton of feel-good holiday rom-coms for when you want to curl up on your couch and dream of meeting your soul-mate in the most festive way possible. And, of course, because it's Disney, you'll find all of your holiday classics, from Home Alone to Mickey's Christmas Carol. Another great thing about Disney+ is that they often have new Christmas specials and movies released each year, so you're bound to find something you haven't seen before.
After you're done watching everything here, be sure to steam the best Christmas films on HBO Max, Amazon Prime and Netflix. And for even more, don't forget that Hallmark has its own slew of great holiday movies to binge, too!
Dashing Through the Snow (2023)
If you're looking for a film that reminds you about the joy and magic of the holiday season, you'll want to put this new Disney+ film on. Eddie Garrick, played by Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, loses the true meaning of Christmas and must go on a journey to restore his faith alongside his daughter.
Frozen (2013)
Wintertime means Frozen is on your kids' mind. In the film, Anna must save her hometown from an eternal winter created by her sister, Elsa. Anna's journey leads her to meeting new friends like Olaf, a talking snowman. Her adventures don't stop here and continued in Frozen II, where she seeks unknown lands beyond her hometown with Kristoff, Sven, Elsa and Olaf. And if that's not enough Olaf for your kids, they can follow the two films up with Olaf's Frozen Adventure and Once Upon a Snowman.
Jingle All The Way (1996)
Just as any loving parent desiring to fulfill their child's Christmas wish would do, businessman Howard Langston (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) finds himself on a wild goose chase to find a sold out toy on Christmas Eve. Don't stop the holiday adventures there, follow it up with the sequel Jingle All The Way 2.
The Santa Con (2014)
A con man (played by Jaleel White) becomes an unlikely helper after his parole officer orders him to take a job as a mall Santa. What lengths will he go to in order to reunite a young boy's estranged parents? It'll take a Christmas miracle.
The Small One (1978)
A young boy learns the true meaning of Christmas after he is tasked with selling his father's donkey, Small One. After failing to find a buyer in a Jerusalem market, he finally meets a man named Joseph who takes on Small One to become an important figure in a larger story.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and all the rest of the Muppet friends teach Scrooge — played by Michael Caine, who takes his role as seriously as any other and doesn't do any winking just because he's acting with Muppets — the true meaning of Christmas. In addition to the iconic holiday story, this version of A Christmas Carol features original songs by Paul Williams (who wrote "Rainbow Connection"). For diehard fans, a deleted song, "When Love Is Gone," was added to the film's extra's page on Disney+ late last year.
If you just can't get enough of the Muppets, you can also watch A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, which features cameos from stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman and more.
Home Alone (1990)
When you think of Christmas, you think of getting cozy, relaxing on the couch and foiling some robbers. Well, now that Home Alone has been a staple for more than 30 years, you do. In this holiday classic, Kevin McCallister learns about the importance of family — and gets the upper hand on some burglars — when he's accidentally left alone to defend his house over the holidays. Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3, Home Alone 4 and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist are all also on Disney+, but you'll have to look elsewhere for Angels With Filthy Souls.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The only Christmas move you can appropriately start watching in September, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop-motion holiday mash-up. If someone tells you it's too Halloweeny for December, point out that it's the movie that gave us "What's This?"— aka one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time.
Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
Nothing screams Disney more than Mickey Mouse. After Pluto causes Santa to crash his sleigh and lose all his presents, Mickey and his pals must travel to the North Pole and save Christmas. With this 22-minute holiday special, your kids won't have to sit for hours in front of the TV to watch Mickey attempt to save the day.
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
There have been dozens of adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic of the years — and the Muppet version may have claimed the top spot on this list because of its feature length — but some (me) might say that this one is the best. It distills all the essential elements of the story into 25 all-killer-no-filler minutes. Plus, Goofy is Jacob Marley!
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The Santa Clauses (2022)
This is kind of a cheat, since it's actually a TV series, and not a movie. But hey, isn't everything a movie if you sit on your couch all day and watch it all in one go? In it, the Santa played by Tim Allen starts to think about hanging up the red suit and finding a successor. Season 2 was released on Disney+ on November 8.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Can the Guardians of the Galaxy also be the Guardians of the Holiday Spirit? Will Rocket learn to have some holiday cheer? Will Groot wear a string of Christmas lights? This 2022 Disney+ special can even be enjoyed alongside the LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy advent calendar.
LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)
The original Star Wars Holiday Special was notoriously bad, so the LEGO crew took a big risk by attempting another one. This time, it works! It follows Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose and Chewie for a "Life Day" adventure with the signature zany LEGO sense of humor (and plenty of delicious tip-yip).
Prep & Landing (2009)
This funny, 22-minute short follows the elves that prepare houses for the arrival of Santa's sleigh. If it's a hit in your house, you can follow it up with Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.
Babes in Toyland (1961)
In some parts of the country, it's an annual tradition to watch Babes in Toyland as the first movie of the holiday season with a yearly viewing on Thanksgiving Day. (There's also an earlier, 1934 version often shown on Turkey-Day, but unfortunately that one's not on Disney+.) When Mary Contrary, Tom Piper and a host of other storybook characters getting mixed up in a fantasy story that takes place in an enchanted Toyland, it takes a holiday-worthy march of wooden soldiers to set things right.
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Yes, another Dickens inspired film — it seems you can watch a different take on A Christmas Carol every week from Thanksgiving to New Year's and never run out of options. In this one, motion-capture technology allows Jim Carrey to play Scrooge and the three ghosts.
Duck the Halls (2016)
This animated short stars Mickey and his pals, but it's anything but sweet and treacly. In it, Donald decides he wants to stay home for Christmas instead of migrating south — but he can't really handle the cold. The resulting travails are silly in a way that's almost more reminiscent of shows like Ren and Stimpy than your typical Mickey movie. If your family finds it hilarious, The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse is done in the same style.
The Santa Clause (1994)
Re-watch the OG as well as the new series. Tim Allen plays a toy salesman who, through a wacky turn of events, winds up taking up the reins as the next Santa Claus. If Allen is your preferred Kris Kringle, Disney+ also has The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
Noelle (2019)
This was Disney's first big, original holiday movie for Disney+ way back when the service debuted. It centers on Santa's children: His son, Nick (Bill Hader) goes missing when he's supposed to take over as Santa Claus and his daughter, Noelle (Anna Kendrick), has to put things right to save Christmas.
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
If you only have a little bit of time and need a quick dose of Christmas cheer, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is an hourlong anthology of holiday-themed shorts starring classic Disney characters. You can follow it up with Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, which is also in the anthology format, or Pluto's Christmas Tree (from the '50s!), which is just six minutes long.
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