It’s that time of the year, magic is in the air, and the buying spree is in full force. Holiday movies are one of the best ways to spend time together and what can be better than an animated movie? From Mickey and Minnie’s heartfelt story to the magic of visiting the North Pole, here are some animated classics for your holiday binge.
The Grinch
The Grinch is a Christmas icon and rightfully so, while the character has had many iterations the 2018 animated comedy film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the titular character is definitely worth a watch. The Grinch retells the classic story of the Grinch, posing as Santa to take away the Christmas cheers from Whoville with a punch. The movie grossed over $526 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation. The feature is directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney and also casts the voices of Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, and Angela Lansbury.
The Rise of the Guardians
Another beloved is The Rise of the Guardians which sees immortal Guardians like Santa, Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy overseeing the children worldwide from darkness and despair. However, things take a turn when evil Pitch Black schemes to overthrow the Guardians and it falls on Jack Frost to stop Pitch’s plans and save the Guardians and kids from destruction. The movie has a brilliant voice cast including Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, and Hugh Jackman. Though the movie did not do wonders at the box office despite critical acclaim the arrival of the home video made it a fan-favorite Christmas feature.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Grinch isn’t the only one trying to sabotage Christmas plans, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas also presents a well-loved protagonist Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, who stumbles upon nearby Christmas Town and tries to take over the holiday. The movie is a classic and includes behemoths like Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Ed Ivory in the voice cast. Years over years fans’ love for the feature keeps growing as one generation introduces this feature to another and is undoubtedly one of the best watches.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
Disney always does Christmas in style, but the 1999 Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas is certainly one of their best. The movie is an anthology with three stories ‘Donald Duck: Stuck on Christmas’ that features Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Daisy Duck, and Scrooge McDuck. Next is ‘A Very Goofy Christmas with Goofy, his son Max, and Pete and ‘Mickey and Minnie’s Gift of the Magi’ which features Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Pete, Daisy, and Mortimer. While it did not receive a great box office run, it certainly was discovered by the audience upon home release and over the years has become a cult classic.
The Polar Express
The 2004 adventure fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis is hands down a must-watch during this time of the year. The sense of adventure, magic, and kindness are the core themes of the feature which presents the story of a young boy, who gets invited on a mysterious train to the North Pole and joins other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas. The movie was critically acclaimed upon its release and is loved by fans to this day.
