Since it is the season to be jolly, we decided to compile a list of festive movies to watch. So turn on your TV , grab a bag of peppermint popcorn and a glass of eggnog and get ready for a jolly evening.
Elf
Directed by Jon Favreau in combination with writer David Berenbaum, Elf is a hilarious comedy movie about an elf named Buddy who learns that he is in fact a human who was brought to the North pole. So, he ends up leaving the North Pole to go to New York to find his real dad. However, Buddy’s father has no idea he exists. So, Buddy travels through the city to find his dad, learning about the way regular people live as he goes along. In short, Elf is a great Christmas movie that shows the themes of family, belonging and the spirit of Christmas. It is a great movie to watch when you want some laughs while still feeling festive.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
(1964)Directed by Larry Roemer and was inducted into the TV hall of fame in 2024. This film utilizes stop motion and beautiful yet simple backgrounds. The film focuses on a reindeer named Rudolph but he is special, he has a red nose that can light up. He is teased for it and eventually runs away. He ends up meeting an elf named Cornelius who also gets made fun of for aspiring to be a dentist. Both of them embark on a journey of self discovery and it’s ok to be different. With a runtime being a little shy of 50 minutes. This film is swift but leaves a mark.
The Polar Express
Directed by Robert Zemeckis with great performances from Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola and Michael Jeter, The Polar Express is a great christmas movie that uses groundbreaking motion capture technology which gives it a distinctive look. The movie follows a young boy named Hero Boy who is beginning to lose hope that Santa is real and gets on a strange train that is going straight to the North Pole with other kids who don’t believe in Christmas. On this ride, he learns about the true spirit of Christmas and he begins to believe once again. In short, The Polar Express is a great holiday movie about the true spirit of Christmas.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Directed by Ron Howard with performances by Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is an amazing movie based on Dr. Seuss’ story with the same title. The movie is about a Bitter green man named The Grinch who lives in the mountains next to the cheerful town of Whoville, where the people love Christmas. However, The Grinch does not share the people’s love for Christmas. In fact, he wants to stop Christmas once and for all. In short, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a wonderful adaptation of Dr Seuss’ original story that is made even better by Jim Carrey’s hilarious performance as The Grinch.
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. This film is only 48 minutes long but is enjoyable all throughout with its charming characters. A mailman starts to answer the most common questions he gets about Santa Claus. He starts to tell us a story about a baby named Kris and was abandoned by his mother on the doorstep of some toy makers or the Kringle family. A few years later Kris is all grown up and what’s to be a toy maker just like his family and delivers toys to the town of Sombertown. This is a great movie to watch to get in the Christmas spirit.
Photo Credits:
Polar Express:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338348/
Santa Claus is coming to town: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066327/
The Grinch: https://www.iheart.com/artist/jim-carrey-165125/albums/dr-seuss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-741824
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058536/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_5_nm_3_in_0_q_rudol
Elf: https://screenrant.com/db/movie/elf/