Credit: Castle Rock Entertainment / Warner Bros. PicturesDisney+ has become one of the most reliable platforms for holiday viewing. The streaming service giant boasts slapstick favorites, animated classics, and even a certain hotly debated festive flick that still gets viewers arguing over whether it’s a Christmas movie!
Whether you’re after something cozy, action-packed, or nostalgic, these films are among the strongest entries currently streaming.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Ron Howard directs this live-action adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, with Jim Carrey buried under heavy prosthetics as the bitter resident of Mount Crumpit plotting to steal Christmas from Whoville. Taylor Momsen plays Cindy Lou Who, the young girl who questions the town’s obsession with the holidays and ends up challenging the Grinch’s cynicism.
With elaborate sets, loud slapstick action, the 2000 adaptation turns the familiar tale into a high-energy, chaotic, whimsical holiday spectacle, while Carrey’s physical performance steals the show.
Home Alone
The 1990 classic directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a young boy mistakenly left home alone while his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation.
But when two burglars known as the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), target his house, Kevin rigs up outrageous traps to defend it. Equal parts hilarious, mischievous, and surprisingly heart-warming, it remains one of the most beloved holiday classics of all time.
Jingle All The Way
This 1996 frantic holiday comedy stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Howard Langston — an absent, workaholic dad scrambling to get his son (Jake Lloyd) the hottest toy of the season: Turbo Man. Brian Levant’s Jingle All The Way is a satire of holiday consumer madness, something the Boomer generation will be all-too familiar with having been forced to search far and wide for the likes of Power Rangers and Toy Story toys during their ’90s crazes!
Related: All the ‘Home Alone’ Movies Ranked From Worst To Best
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
The 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — again directed by Chris Columbus — finds Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) winding up in the Big Apple by mistake. As carefree as his solo adventure is at first, it quickly turns into yet another festive-fueled cat-and-mouse chase when the same burglars return (this time as the Sticky Bandits), plotting a toy-store heist just before Christmas, giving Kevin another reason to lay out some mean boobytraps!
Die Hard
Though not a traditional holiday movie, this 1988 action flick — directed by John McTiernan (Predator) — has become a hotly debated classic. It stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City beat cop who must face off against terrorists in a high-rise LA office building during a Christmas party. With explosive action, it offers a very different kind of “holiday spirit,” one rooted in suspense and survival rather than snow and bells.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Brian Henson’s The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) is a playful take on Charles Dickens’ timeless tale. Michael Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge and is joined by an ensemble of beloved Muppets performing the rest of the iconic characters, from Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit to Fozzie Bear as Mr. Fezziwig. With music, humor, and heart-warming moments, the film balances the Muppets’ charm with the emotional beats of the original 1843 story.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis (the Back to the Future trilogy, The Polar Express), this motion-capture animated version of Dickens’ story stars Jim Carrey (The Grinch) as Ebenezer Scrooge, along with an all-star cast that includes Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit) and Colin Firth (Fred). The 2009 film is perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Dicken’s original ghostly tale of regret, redemption, and the true meaning of Christmas — rendered in a moody, dramatic animation style rather than cartoonish fun.
These films are now streaming on Disney+ (although availability may be subject to region).
Will you be streaming all these Christmas classics on Disney+ this holiday season? Let us know!