For the most perfect Christmas, you’ll need: your family and loved ones, a gleaming Christmas tree, a crackling fireplace, fresh, powdery snow covering the treetops behind your window, and… Christmas cartoons! Once the duck is eaten, the gifts unwrapped, and the most impressive snowman is built, it’s time to grab a collective cup of hot cocoa, put on hand-knitted woolen socks, and turn on the screen to watch some festive, magical cartoons. A heartwarming, beautifully-drawn story with kind and loveable characters is sure to unite the family - from the smallest ones to the wisest - even more so. And, to save you the trouble of browsing for the perfect Christmas animation, we’ve gathered the best ones into this list. This way, you can really invest your time building the most elaborate snowman instead of googling for cartoons!
And this list does have it all - from the very jazzy and mellow A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965 to the positively spooky A Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ll find an animated movie that perfectly caters to your needs. Some are based on classical Christmas stories, interwoven with morals and valuable lessons (good ones, I might add!), while others are entirely modern and never-before-seen tales. Ones are suitable for toddlers - those are probably the most beautiful visually, while the rest of them are perfect for the whole family. Whichever you pick, it’ll add charm to your perfect Christmas day.
Now, scroll just a bit further and see our Christmas cartoons list for yourself. Gather a family meeting, pick the one (or the ones) to watch, relax and unwind. Be sure to share this magical list with your friends, and don’t forget to tell us which of these Christmas movies you liked the most!
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#21 Trolls Holiday
Trolls Holiday is a Christmas special that first aired in 2017. Here, we get to meet the Trolls cast once again; this time, their mission is to find a meaningful celebration they can all enjoy. They also help the inhabitants of Bergen Town find a new celebration, instead of the now-abolished Trollstice (when they eat trolls). The path to festivities is a rough one, but with friendship prevailing the trials, it all ends happily ever after. It's a short yet fun animation that is sure to bring Christmas magic to any kid.
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31points
#22 ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
'Twas The Night Before Christmas is a 1974 animated holiday special based on the famous 1823 poem with the same opening line as the show's title. The story is set in a fictional town called Junctionville, whose inhabitants declare that they do not believe in Santa. Santa, of course, is bewildered by it and decides to skip Junctionville on his gift-bearing path. However, with help from the Trundle family, who vigorously try to appease Santa, Christmas is back at the very last moment. A beautiful classical story perfectly translated to fit the screen - a real holiday staple for the last forty decades.
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31points
#23 Olive, The Other Reindeer
Olive, The Other Reindeer is a 1999 Christmas comedy musical inspired by a children's book written by J. Otto Seibold. This 2-D animation was produced by the same Matt Groening's company, who's responsible for giving us The Simpsons. And by that, you can be assured that Olive, The Other Reindeer, doesn't lack any of the acclaimed humor and originality. In fact, this film is so good that it was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
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31points
#24 Shrek The Halls
Shrek The Halls, an animated TV special released in 2007, tells us the story of our beloved green ogre Shrek's first-ever Christmas. In half an hour of its runtime, we get to see all the awesome characters from the Shrek universe trying to convince the ill-tempered ogre that holidays are worthy of a celebration. Finally, he caves in and admits that he does, in fact, enjoy the holidays and the film closes in a truly magical way.
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30points
#25 The Snowman (1982)
The Snowman is a unique entry on our list. This animated holiday film is absolutely wordless, and the story is told through pictures, action, and beautiful music played by the Sinfonia Of London orchestra. The Snowman is based on a children's book of the same name created by Raymond Briggs in 1978 - this is the first screen adaptation of the book. It's a mellow movie, mesmerizing with its visual and soundtrack, a beautiful piece that'll give that special Christmas feeling.
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28points
#26 Little Spirit: Christmas In New York
Little Spirit: Christmas In New York is a TV holiday special released in 2008. It follows a boy named Leo, who just moved to New York, and of all the things that could happen - he loses his beloved puppy, Ramona. The city is huge, and Leo doesn't know where to start his search. However, with help from kind strangers, not only does he find the puppy, but he also makes new friends and rediscovers the meaning of Christmas.
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27points
#27 Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year
Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year is an animated musical produced by Walt Disney Animation and released in 2002. Here, we get to meet Winnie The Pooh, the adorable chubby bear, and his friends getting prepared for Christmas. And though Winnie encounters some roadblocks waiting for the festivities, it's his band of animal friends that make it all alright. As with anything starring Winnie, it's a beautiful and heartwarming story suitable for the whole family.
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27points
#28 Arthur’s Perfect Christmas
Arthur's Perfect Christmas is a holiday special released in 2000. Arthur, being his caring self, wishes a perfect Christmas for his family but desperately struggles with his attempts. Meanwhile, Buster's mom tries her best, and Francine decides that celebrating Hanukkah is way more important to her. And although this causes some friction between the characters, friendship prevails, and Christmas comes to be even more special in the end.
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25points
#29 Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, a 2000 animated TV special, is a full-on Christmas thriller featuring a disappearing grandma, one count of 'sleighicular' negligence, a money-thirsty businessman, and a boy's wish for Christmas. Although it might sound a bit heavy for a holiday animation, it's all in good fun and very entertaining. In fact, it's a beautiful story about shunning the commercialization of Christmas. One that's worthy of watching!
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25points
#30 An Elf’s Story
An Elf's Story follows Chippy - Santa's elf who helps him decide whether a kid is naughty or nice. This year, though, Chippy gets a special task to try and convince a 9-year-old Taylor McTuttle that Santa is, indeed, real and to bring back Christmas joy to the boy. It isn't as easy as it might sound, and Chippy has to use the last of his wits to help Taylor. Of course, it all ends as it should - with a very merry Christmas!
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22points
