19 Animated Christmas Movies for the Young and Young at Heart
December 11, 2025
Whether you’re a grown-up with kids or just a kid at heart, you can probably enjoy the magic of an enchanting holiday cartoon.
From family-friendly animated Christmas classics like The Polar Express, to adult cartoon holiday comedies like the Family Guy holiday special, Hulu and Disney+ have something for everyone to slow down and celebrate the season with.
So put on your matching pajamas and grab some hot cocoa — we’ve rounded up the best animated Christmas movies streaming this holiday season.
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Animated Christmas Movies on Hulu
1. The Polar Express (2004)
Based on the novel by Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express is a touching Christmas tale about a young boy who stops believing in Santa, just as he’s met with the adventure of a lifetime on The Polar Express — a magical train headed to the North Pole.
Watch: The Polar Express
2. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
In this classic 1966 Dr. Seuss Christmas movie, the infamously mean and bitter Grinch attempts to ruin the holiday for all the Whos in Whoville. But there’s one brave little girl who might have enough Christmas spirit in her heart to make the Grinch change his ways.
Watch: Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch*
*Live TV plan required to watch live content on Hulu. Regional restrictions, blackouts, and additional terms apply.\
3. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas movie? Or is it a Halloween movie? The answer is both — and that’s why it’s such a classic.
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is sick of the same old routine. But when he tries to change things up, he puts Santa Claus in danger. Now Jack has to fix his mess before Christmas morning arrives.
Watch: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas*
*Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
4. The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
In the original animated adaptation of the classic Christmas song, The Little Drummer Boy follows a lonely orphan whose only possession is his drum. As he travels through the desert, his entire outlook on life changes when he encounters a newborn baby lying in a manger.
Watch: The Little Drummer Boy
5. Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Frosty the Snowman is a jolly, happy soul in this classic Rankin/Bass animated Christmas classic. With a corncob pipe and a button nose, he came to life all thanks to a magic hat. But to keep him from melting, Frosty and his friends hop on a cargo train to the North Pole. The only thing in their way? The greedy magician who wants his magic hat back.
Watch: Frosty the Snowman
6. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)
In this classic stop-motion animation Christmas tale, we discover how a baby named Kris came to be the jolly man in a red suit we know and love. From his humble beginnings to delivering toys to Sombertown, Santa’s origin story as told in Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is full of heart and holiday magic.
Watch: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
7. Family Guy Holiday Special (2025)
Lois goes full Hallmark heroine in this year’s Family Guy holiday special, which gleefully roasts every Christmas movie trope you can think of. Working for “Big Pie,” she heads to a small town on a not-so-sweet mission to swipe Peter’s award-winning secret pie recipe — a plan that snowballs in a hurry.
Watch: Family Guy Holiday Special
8. Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
Is there anything better than a Disney Christmas movie to get in the holiday spirit? In this made-for-TV movie, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and the gang must find a way to save Christmas after Pluto loses all of Santa’s presents. Get in the holiday spirit with the classic Disney characters you know and love in this family-friendly film.
Watch: Mickey Saves Christmas
9. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
The year after the spell has been broken in Beauty and the Beast (1991),* Belle and the Beast decide to have a Christmas party and invite all of their friends. As they reflect on the Christmas from the year before, Lumiere and Cogsworth argue over which of the two saved the holiday. To solve the mystery (and resolve the bickering), Mrs. Potts recounts the story of The Enchanted Christmas.
Watch: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas*
*Beauty and the Beast and Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas are available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
10. Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)
Join Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, and Eeyore as they celebrate Christmas together and make some misguided New Year’s resolutions.
Watch: Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year*
*Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
11. Prep & Landing (2009)
When Wayne (one of Santa’s grumpy elves) is passed over for a promotion, he partners up with a rookie elf, Lanny. On their first mission together, they encounter a few bumps in the road, which threaten to ruin Christmas morning for children around the world.
For more Prep & Landing adventures, check out Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (2011) and Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa (2010).*
Watch: Prep & Landing
*Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
12. Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011)
Our favorite Ice Age friends are back with a hilarious Christmas adventure to cross their names off the naughty list and move over to the nice list (where they rightfully belong, of course). It’s a quick, wintry adventure with classic Ice Age humor and heart.
Watch: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
13. A Piece of Cake (2019)
The Elfkins have been living in hiding for over two centuries. This Christmas, they’re breaking free from their comfort zones to finally step out into the human world. Will they be greeted with open arms? Find some Christmas spirit with the holiday children’s movie A Piece of Cake.
Watch: A Piece of Cake
14. Trolls: Holiday in Harmony (2021)
This Christmas, Queen Poppy is excited to plan the very first secret holiday gift swap for all of Trolls Kingdom. But despite her good intentions, things take an unexpected turn. If you need a little light, love, laughter, and plenty of dancing this holiday season, Trolls: Holiday in Harmony will get the entire family on their feet!
Watch: Trolls: Holiday in Harmony
15. LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)
LEGO meets Star Wars meets Christmas in this epic holiday crossover special streaming now on Disney+. Follow Rey on a mad dash throughout the Galaxy as she connects with fan-favorite Star Wars characters past, present, and future — including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Han Solo, Kylo Ren, The Mandalorian, and more!
Watch: LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special*
*LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
16. An Almost Christmas Story (2024)
This Disney animated short turns the Rockefeller Center tree into the start of a heartwarming adventure. Moon, a young owl who accidentally ends up in New York City inside the famous Christmas tree, teams up with a girl named Luna to find his way home.
Watch: An Almost Christmas Story*
*An Almost Christmas Story is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
17. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023)
Greg Heffley’s Christmas break goes off the rails in Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever. When a winter storm traps the Heffleys indoors, Greg spirals into full cabin-fever mode while Elfriendo — the family’s creepy holiday elf — keeps a watchful eye on everything Greg does.
Love Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Stream all eight installments of the Wimpy Kid franchise now on Disney+.
Watch: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever*
*Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
18. Santa’s Workshop (1932)
This vintage Disney Silly Symphony short, part of the studio’s musical cartoon series, takes you inside the North Pole on Christmas Eve. As Santa sorts through letters, his elves scramble to finish toys, prep the sleigh, and get every last gift ready before takeoff.
Watch: Santa’s Workshop*
*Santa’s Workshop is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
19. The Small One (1978)
A quieter, more emotional Disney holiday short, The Small One follows a young boy in ancient Nazareth who must find a new home for his beloved, aging donkey. After refusing buyers who won’t treat Small One with kindness, he meets a gentle stranger named Joseph, and the donkey’s path becomes part of a much bigger Christmas journey.
Watch: The Small One*
*The Small One is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
Do these animated Christmas movies make you sentimental for memories of Christmases past? Check out our list of nostalgic Christmas movies streaming now on Disney+ with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium.
