Without a doubt, the holidays are a time for tradition, and one that won’t go away is enjoying a Christmas movie or TV special with friends and family. We all have memories of gathering around the TV and enjoying the glow of the Yule Tide animation. Families everywhere are entertained every year with time-tested holiday tales woven by the likes of Rankin/Bass and Charles Schultz. While these films are certainly no problem and make our list of the best hits for feeling good at the most beautiful time of the year, there are others that deserve the same attention. Come and adore this selection of some of our favorites.
Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)
Mr. Magu has found his place in a series of successful theatrical shorts, and this look at Charles DickensThe story was the first animated Christmas special to be released for television. Your familiarity with the misadventures of J. Quincy Magoo is irrelevant here, don’t worry. This slightly chaotic adaptation remains relatively faithful to the original with lines taken directly from Dickens’ writings while making a story of its own with catchy original songs. Indeed, how Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol Considered a classic of the 1960s, this special edition didn’t get the credit it deserved as it paved the way for the popular games we all know and love.
The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005)
Emily Kapnekfrom As Ginger said and suburb fame, serving as the creative producer and writer of the latest iteration of the legendary Christmas character, and joined by an excellent cast. Burt Reynolds sits as a narrator a la Fred Astairethe role of S. D. Kluger in Santa Claus rides to the city. The characters are voiced by cartoon royalty. Bill Fagerbakke starring with Tom Kenny, Gray DeLisle, Tara Strong, other. Kapnek’s addition to Frosty’s bloodline stands out for its fun take on the snowman’s natural chaos, and is the only sequel that directly references the original, albeit in a general way. This is a fun family game with a sense of humor that both adults and children will enjoy.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Charles Dickens’ Noel retold countless times. Disney’s spin on this tale made the list as it’s probably one of the best choices you can find. It’s 25 minutes long, but this short film places Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer and feels like a feature film. The animation is great and the story is told reasonably considering its short length. Its cast showcases several classic Walt Disney characters and even features a rare animated appearance of Mickey’s nephews, Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse. On a personal note, this is the writer’s favorite version of the Dickens story, as it both emphasizes the enormity of the intended message and serves us as Big Bad Pete at its, well, worst, with a very intense depiction of the Ghost of a Future Christmas.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
He is rotten and dirty, and for that we love him! Original How the Grinch Stole Christmas had such a social impact that not only did it become a meme, but this particular chapter became such a hit that it received both a prequel and a sequel, and there have been two adaptations since. With Boris Karloff narrates and voices the Grinch, uncredited, sings Thurl Ravenscroftand Chuck Jones - whom Sneaky can thank for his green fur coat - at the helm of translating a story from book to TV, it’s no surprise that this is one of the most popular holiday cartoons to date. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, this cartoon made the studio a cool $300,000; which corresponds to a present-day value of over $2 million.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
If there was ever an animation for Christmas, this is it. The cutest loser in the world begins to question his own holiday spirit and, at Lucy’s suggestion, takes over the production of a new Christmas play. Despite the special’s own hardships with CBS and hurdles in animation, its unexpected success opened the door for further Peanuts animation. A Charlie Brown Christmas took such a special place in our hearts that it aired publicly until 2020, when Apple TV+ acquired exclusive streaming rights. This sparked massive fan backlash, forcing the service to partner with PBS to air the short until 2021. Although this partnership has ended, anyone without an Apple TV+ subscription can still purchase it as part of the Peanuts Holiday DVD Collection.
A Year Without Santa Claus (1974)
No one captures the spirit of Santa Claus like the late great Mickey Rooney. In the second recording, narrating a stop-motion version of Saint Nick for Rankin-Bass, Santa takes a vacation due to a cold on the advice of his doctor, who convinces him that no one cares about him the way they used to. With Christmas canceled, Mrs. Claus and the elves, Jingle and Jungle, go on a mission to get Santa to do better for the holiday season. As sad as the premise sounds, this is a warm tale that, with its sense of humor and catchy songs, revives the spirit of Christmas in the audience and introduces the world to the now popular Miser Brothers.
Klaus (2019)
Sergio Pablos’reimagining Santa’s origins tells the story of Jesper Johansen (Jason Schwartzman), the lazy and titled son of the Postmaster General of Norway, who is sent to the dreary town of Smeerensburg to be trained in the duties his father wants him to take on. While there, he not only finds love, but also friendship with Klaus (J.K. Simmons), a lumberjack and toy maker who the world will recognize as Santa Claus. Pablos’ story is a hit for sleep, and his characterization of Santa comes from more traditional lore. Claus is a sharp but familiar departure from the red-and-white version that Coca-Cola saturates the holidays with. Combine its unique visuals with a captivating and endearing story and you have a wonderful Netflix movie for the whole family.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Pumpkin King’s Adventure in Christmas Town and subsequent misadventures is another annual event. It started out like a poem. Tim Burton and that’s usually what people think of when they think of the term “Burton-esque”. Although the famous artist is often mistaken for a director, Henry Selick is actually at the creative helm of the film, and later becomes a director James and the Giant Peach (1996). The nightmare before christmas It may look creepy and scary, but it’s the complete opposite. This is a great family adventure, perfect for Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
Red-nosed Reindeer Rudolph (1964)
Rankin-Bass created a Christmas legacy that transcends the production company’s existence and Red-nosed deer Rudolph is a perfect example of this. The TV special is the longest-running Christmas-themed special ever, and its success led not only to sequels, but to the production of other Rankin-Bass films, some of which were a bit wild, to say the least. To this day, Rudolph remains a seasonal success and is highly respected by critics and viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, which is impressive considering it was only created as a marketing ploy for the Montgomery Ward department store.
Frozen / Olaf’s Frozen Adventure (2013/2017)
Okay, so this one is more “next to Christmas”. The Christmas short is here for real Olaf’s Ice Adventure. The story takes viewers back to Arendal during their first royal feast since the original film. During the preparation of the event, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) realize they don’t have their own Christmas customs (other than making a snowman, apparently. Don’t worry, this is covered later in the movie), so Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven took it upon themselves to find out the traditions of the townspeople and adopt them. The short film is only 20 minutes, but it’s worth watching to appreciate it. frozen first. Of course, Christmas is not exactly what frozen just about, but it’s still a great movie set in the winter. Just swap the deer for moose and the elves for Olaf and a few trolls, and let it go.
Disney Christmas Carol (2009)
Say what you want Robert Zemeckischoice with digital animation, but its adaptation Noel remains almost exactly true to the original’s story, extracting visuals, scenes, and lines directly from it. Preparing for the role of Ebenezer Jim Carrey was strongly influenced by Alastair Simportrayal of Scrooge from the 1951 adaptation, considered the industry’s finest performance of the character. Visually, and also through the way Carrey portrayed the curmudgeon, this is one of the best depictions of Scrooge - despite his wealth, there is clearly nothing likable about the man until the very end. It is also one of the few versions to draw on the “ghost” aspect of the story, allowing it to stand out in this way. Joining Kerry is a string of stars lending their talents such as Cary Elwes, Gary Oldmanand being late Bob Hoskins.
Source: Collider
