Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to an end with The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special. The special is notable for being the MCU’s first Christmas special, but between the months of November and December, there are going to be a number of new and exciting holiday movies that fans of the season should look out for.
While it is easy to head to the same family favorites year after year, it’s always nice to throw a couple of new movies into the holiday watchlist. From fun flicks that feature comedy legends to dark holiday-themed horror flicks that are best for after the kids go to bed, here’s what to watch this holiday season and the important release dates to look out for.
The Santa Clauses – November 16th
Stream On Disney+
The Santa Clause is a beloved holiday classic that stars Tim Allen as the titular Santa Claus. The story begins when Santa falls off the roof and dies. Tim Allen’s character, Scott Calvin, puts on the outfit and becomes the next Santa Claus. The movie spawned three sequels detailing Scott’s love of being Santa, as well as the struggles that come with it.
This year, a new entry in the franchise will launch on Disney+ called The Santa Clauses, which is a mini-series. This time, Scott is retiring and looking for a replacement. The trailers for the new series detail some of Scott’s retirement life before having to get back into the red suit to save Christmas and the elves from disappearing.
Spirited – November 11 & 18
Theatres November 11th & November 18th On AppleTV+
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell star in a new retelling of A Christmas Carol called Spirited. Every Christmas Eve, the ghosts pick a “scrooge” to take on a similar journey as the original story. This year, they’ve picked Clint Briggs, played by Ryan Reynolds, but things don’t go as planned.
This live-action movie musical looks to tell the story about the ghosts rather than Scrooge and will center on the Ghost of Christmas Present played by Will Ferrell. Credited as Present, the trailer details a love story between Ferrall’s character and Octavia Spencer’s Kimberly. This certainly seems like the kind of fresh take A Christmas Carol needs.
A Christmas Story Christmas – November 17
Stream On HBO Max
Legacy sequels are becoming more and more frequent, and now Peter Billingsley is getting in on the action with A Christmas Story Christmas. Ralphie, from 1983’s classic A Christmas Story, is all grown up and now married with kids, so he returns to his childhood home to try and give his kids a magical Christmas. There, he meets up with his old friends and struggles to deliver the same magical Christmas that his dad gave him as a kid.
A Christmas Story is a classic in many households, so much so that there are 24-hour-long marathons of the film on Christmas Day. It’s going to be difficult to top the cult classic status of the original film, but the story was created by Billingsley himself and directed by Clay Kaytis who directed The Christmas Chronicles, another modern Christmas movie sure to become a classic, so it has a good shot.
Santa Camp – November 17
Stream On HBO Max
Santa Camp is a documentary that centers around a camp dedicated to perfecting the art of being a Santa Claus. This documentary follows the struggle of a few people trying to be Santas when society tries to tell them that they don’t fit in. In the doc, the camp brings in its first Black member and first trans member.
Documentaries are not always what one thinks of when looking for a feel-good holiday movie, but Christmas documentaries are something special. This is a story about what it means to be a Santa Claus and how one person can affect an entire community. It’s got all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic.
Slumberland – November 18
Stream On Netflix
Slumberland is a remake of Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland, of sorts, and follows a young girl as she journeys into Slumberland. She teams up with Jason Momoa’s Flip in the hopes that they can uncover a magical artifact that will grant her one wish to bring back her dad.
Many fantasy films can be considered holiday films and for whatever reason, audiences associate fantasy epics with the holiday season, which is why so many get released around November or December. Slumberland could be a child’s new favorite fantasy film that they will forever associate with the season.
The Fabelmans – November 23
In Theaters
Steven Spielberg’s latest film, The Fabelmans is his most personal yet. While it isn’t technically about his family, it’s where it takes its inspiration. The film follows a young boy who wants to be an artist like his mother, but his father wants him to pursue a more practical career.
The Fabelmans is clearly a passion project for Spielberg and one that seems perfect for the holiday season. It’s a time when families are looking for something to do and a new Spielberg film is just the perfect thing. Most of Spielberg’s films release around the holidays, so while this one might not become a new holiday classic, it is sure to be a special memory to share this holiday season.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special – November 25
Stream On Disney+
Before the Guardians return in 2023 for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, audiences will get to see them in the Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special. With Gamora both dead and missing, Peter is feeling really low, so his fellow Guardians want to find a way to help lift his spirits. Drax and Mantis decide to head back to Earth and pick up Kevin Bacon, who they believe is a great warrior.
The first Marvel Special Presentation was a huge hit during the Halloween season. An MCU holiday special is a novel idea and one that has the potential to delight audiences for years to come. The Guardians are beloved characters in the MCU and seeing Kevin Bacon get in the mix is bound to be a good holiday watch.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol – December 2
Stream On Netflix
This is quite a year for adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Not only will Spirited be released, but Netflix is releasing its own adaptation. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is actually an animated remake of the 1970s musical Scrooge, which starred Albert Finney. The new movie seems to be making a lot of changes thanks to its animated format, however.
This new animated remake will also be a musical, but it’s unknown at this time if there will be original songs or if they’ll use the songs from the 1970s film. The voice consists of Luke Evans as Scrooge and a great assortment of actors including Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman.
Violent Night – December 2
In Theaters
John Wick meets Santa Claus seems like it’s just a crazy enough idea to work. David Harbour stars as the jolly old St. Nick in Violent Night, the latest attempt to make a Santa Claus action movie. A group of bad men is trying to steal from a rich family on Christmas Eve and Santa gets caught in the middle of it. He decides to help out since the little girl in the family is on the “nice” list.
The trailer looks like a jolly good time for the holidays. Harbour looks to put on a good performance as this put-upon Santa that can hold his own in a fight. This will no doubt become a new holiday classic and David Leitch, one of the directors of the first John Wick movie is producing this film, so it’s bound to have some good action and an original plot for a Christmas movie.
Christmas Bloody Christmas – December 9
Stream On Shudder
When it comes to the holidays, horror fans can sometimes be left behind. But Shudder doesn’t forget them. This year the platform is releasing Christmas Bloody Christmas, which sees a robotic toy store Santa go haywire and begin murdering the residents of a small town.
It’s not a horror movie the whole family can enjoy, but that shouldn’t stop the adults out there from watching it with some friends. Horror fans might not feel ready to switch over to festive Christmas movies, so a horror Christmas film should be essential viewing. This ridiculous concept looks to deliver the fun kills and over-the-top performances that only Shudder can deliver.
