Christmas cartoons have a special kind of holiday magic. Snow-covered villages, flying reindeer, talking snowmen, twinkling North Poles, and larger-than-life Christmas adventures somehow feel even more enchanting when they’re animated.
Some of the best Christmas cartoon movies have been holiday traditions for generations, while newer animated films such as Klaus and Arthur Christmas are quickly becoming modern classics.
If you’re looking for something festive to watch during December, these 12 magical animated Christmas movies and specials are wonderful additions to your holiday watchlist.
Note: A few beloved selections below are technically animated television specials or short films rather than feature-length movies. But they’ve become such an important part of Christmas movie traditions that no animated holiday list would feel complete without them.
For even more ideas, explore our complete Christmas Movies guide or browse our enormous collection of 100 Christmas Movies to Brighten Your Holiday Season.
🎄 1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Few animated Christmas specials are as simple — or as beloved — as A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Charlie Brown is surrounded by the excitement and commercialism of the Christmas season, yet he can’t seem to feel happy. After being asked to direct the school Christmas play, he begins searching for something deeper.
His little Christmas tree becomes one of the most recognizable images in holiday animation, while Linus helps Charlie Brown understand why Christmas matters.
The animation may look modest compared with modern computer-generated movies, but that simplicity is part of its charm. Add Vince Guaraldi’s unforgettable jazz soundtrack and you have a Christmas tradition that still feels warm and thoughtful decades later.
Why it’s magical: Nostalgia, friendship, a tiny Christmas tree, and a meaningful reminder that Christmas can be about much more than presents.
💚 2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Before the live-action and computer-animated Grinch movies came along, there was the wonderfully mischievous 1966 animated special.
The Grinch lives above Whoville with his faithful dog, Max, and absolutely cannot stand the Whos’ enthusiastic Christmas celebrations. He finally decides there is only one solution: steal Christmas entirely.
What follows is one of the most memorable transformations in Christmas storytelling.
The Grinch discovers that Christmas doesn’t disappear simply because the decorations, presents, and feast are gone — and his famously undersized heart experiences a remarkable change.
Short, colorful, funny, and incredibly quotable, the original animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas! remains one of the easiest holiday classics to fit into a busy December evening.
If the Grinch is a favorite in your house, you can also explore our Christmas movie guide to find more animated and family Christmas movies.
Why it’s magical: Whoville, Max the dog, gloriously whimsical animation, and one of the best redemption stories in Christmas entertainment.
⛄ 3. Frosty the Snowman (1969)
“Happy birthday!”
A discarded magician’s hat unexpectedly brings a snowman to life, and suddenly a group of children has a very unusual new friend.
Unfortunately, Frosty faces one enormous problem: the temperature is rising.
The children must help him reach someplace cold before he melts, while Professor Hinkle schemes to recover the magical hat that brought Frosty to life.
Based on the familiar Christmas song, Frosty the Snowman is one of those animated specials that instantly feels like childhood Christmas. Jimmy Durante narrates the story, while Jackie Vernon provides Frosty’s cheerful voice.
Its relatively short running time also makes it perfect for younger children or for pairing with another Christmas cartoon.
Why it’s magical: A living snowman, snowy adventures, childhood friendship, and enough nostalgia to transport adults straight back to Christmas mornings of the past.
🕯️ 4. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been adapted countless times, but Disney created one of the most accessible animated versions with Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
Scrooge McDuck is perfectly cast as Ebenezer Scrooge, the wealthy miser who has little patience for Christmas — or generosity.
Mickey Mouse appears as the kindhearted Bob Cratchit, while Goofy takes the memorable role of Jacob Marley.
During one extraordinary Christmas Eve, Scrooge encounters the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and is forced to consider where his selfish choices have led him.
At only about half an hour long, it introduces younger viewers to Dickens’ classic Christmas story without requiring them to sit through a two-hour film.
There are some ghostly moments that may feel a little spooky to very young children, but the story ultimately delivers a warm message about generosity, compassion, and second chances.
You can find even more Disney holiday favorites in our guide to 10 Magical Christmas Movies on Disney for All Ages.
Why it’s magical: Familiar Disney characters, Victorian Christmas atmosphere, ghosts, redemption, and a genuinely touching ending.
🎃 5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?
The answer may simply be: both.
The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Jack has grown tired of repeating the same Halloween festivities every year, but everything changes when he discovers the dazzling world of Christmas Town.
Enchanted by snow, presents, colorful lights, and Santa Claus, Jack decides he wants to create Christmas himself.
Unfortunately, Halloween Town’s interpretation of Christmas is rather different from everyone else’s.
The stop-motion animation gives the movie a wonderfully unusual appearance, while Danny Elfman’s songs have become inseparable from the film.
It’s darker and stranger than most animated Christmas movies, so some younger children may find certain characters frightening. Older children, teens, and adults who like their Christmas magic with a gothic twist may adore it.
Why it’s magical: Christmas Town, unforgettable stop-motion animation, fantastic music, and the wonderfully strange combination of Halloween and Christmas.
🎁 6. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
Instead of telling one Christmas story, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas gives viewers three.
Disney favorites including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Max, Huey, Dewey, and Louie appear in interconnected holiday tales about family, generosity, and appreciating Christmas.
One story follows Donald’s nephews after they wish that Christmas could happen every day. Their wish sounds fantastic — until repeatedly experiencing Christmas begins teaching them something about gratitude.
Another centers on Goofy and Max and the question of whether Santa Claus is real.
The final story gives Mickey and Minnie a touching Gift of the Magi-style Christmas in which each sacrifices something precious to buy a gift for the other.
It’s gentle, sweet, and especially well suited to a cozy family Christmas movie night.
Why it’s magical: Three stories in one, classic Disney characters, Santa Claus, Christmas wishes, and plenty of heart.
🚂 7. The Polar Express (2004)
Few animated Christmas movies capture the sheer scale of childhood Christmas wonder quite like The Polar Express.
On Christmas Eve, a young boy who has begun doubting Santa Claus hears something extraordinary outside his house.
A gigantic steam locomotive has arrived in the street.
Its destination?
The North Pole.
He boards the Polar Express and joins other children on an incredible nighttime journey filled with snowy landscapes, runaway adventures, hot chocolate, mysterious characters, and eventually the dazzling world of Santa Claus himself.
Robert Zemeckis directed the film, which used performance-capture technology and features Tom Hanks in several roles.
Some viewers find the animation style unusual, but the atmosphere is undeniably Christmas: snow, bells, trains, presents, elves, and the question of whether we can continue believing in things we cannot always see.
Why it’s magical: A midnight train to the North Pole may be one of the greatest Christmas movie premises ever invented.
🎅 8. Arthur Christmas (2011)
Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus could possibly deliver billions of presents in one night?
Arthur Christmas has an answer — and it involves a remarkably sophisticated operation.
Santa’s North Pole has become a high-tech organization filled with elves, computers, precision planning, and an enormous delivery craft.
The system works almost perfectly.
Almost.
When Arthur discovers that one little girl’s present has accidentally been left behind, he refuses to accept that one missed child is close enough to perfection.
With Grandsanta, an enthusiastic elf named Bryony, an old-fashioned sleigh, and some rather unpredictable reindeer, Arthur sets out to deliver the forgotten present before Christmas morning.
Beneath all the gadgets and comedy is a lovely message: every child matters.
Why it’s magical: A brilliant modern North Pole, hilarious elves, an old-fashioned sleigh adventure, and one enormous Christmas Eve rescue mission.
⭐ 9. The Star (2017)
For families looking for an animated movie connected directly to the Nativity story, The Star offers Christmas from an unusual point of view.
The hero is Bo, a little donkey who dreams of escaping his ordinary life at the village mill.
Once he gets his chance, Bo becomes part of a journey far more important than he could have imagined.
Along with several animal companions, he becomes caught up in the events surrounding Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus.
The story uses humor and talking animals to make the Nativity approachable for younger viewers while keeping the first Christmas at the center of the adventure.
Families interested in the religious origins of Christmas can also explore our Christmas Origins & History collection.
Why it’s magical: Talking animals, adventure, friendship, the Star of Bethlehem, and a child-friendly perspective on the Nativity.
💚 10. The Grinch (2018)
More than 50 years after the classic television special, Illumination introduced a new generation to Whoville with the computer-animated The Grinch.
Benedict Cumberbatch voices the famously grouchy green character, who once again decides that the Whos’ enormous Christmas celebration must be stopped.
The basic story remains familiar, but the feature-length movie has much more room to explore the Grinch’s life, his relationship with Max, Cindy-Lou Who’s family, and the gloriously elaborate world of Whoville.
This version is brighter, bigger, and gentler than some earlier interpretations, making it an easy pick for a family Christmas movie night.
And Max remains one of the best dogs in Christmas movie history.
Why it’s magical: A spectacularly colorful Whoville, snowy scenery, slapstick comedy, Max, and the wonderfully enduring idea that Christmas cannot simply be stolen.
✉️ 11. Klaus (2019)
Klaus takes familiar Christmas traditions and imagines an entirely different story about how they might have begun.
Jesper is a spoiled postal academy student whose father sends him to work in the remote town of Smeerensburg.
Unfortunately, nobody there seems interested in sending letters.
The town is divided by a bitter feud, and Jesper’s prospects look hopeless until he discovers Klaus, a reclusive woodsman with a remarkable collection of handmade toys.
Jesper soon realizes that delivering toys to children could encourage them to write letters — exactly what he needs.
What begins as a selfish plan gradually becomes something much greater.
Acts of kindness spread through the town, old enemies begin changing, and familiar pieces of the Santa Claus legend slowly fall into place.
The gorgeous animation and emotional storytelling help Klaus feel both wonderfully old-fashioned and completely original.
Why it’s magical: Handmade toys, snowy Scandinavian-inspired landscapes, letters to Santa, beautiful animation, and a powerful message about how one act of kindness can inspire another.
👻 12. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022)
If you love the ghosts, snow-covered streets, and redemption story of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol but want a colorful modern animated version, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol offers exactly that.
Luke Evans voices Ebenezer Scrooge, who begins Christmas Eve as miserable and miserly as ever.
Then the spirits arrive.
Scrooge is taken through his past, present, and possible future and forced to confront the consequences of the choices he has made.
This version turns Dickens’ story into a bright animated musical while preserving its central themes of regret, generosity, compassion, and change.
As with most versions of A Christmas Carol, the supernatural elements and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come may be frightening for especially sensitive young children.
Why it’s magical: Victorian London, Christmas ghosts, colorful animation, musical numbers, and one of literature’s greatest Christmas transformations.
🍿 Which Christmas Cartoon Movie Should You Watch First?
With so many different styles of Christmas animation, the best choice depends on the mood of your movie night.
For pure childhood nostalgia:
A Charlie Brown Christmas or Frosty the Snowman
For something funny:
Arthur Christmas or The Grinch
For Disney magic:
Mickey’s Christmas Carol or Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
For a big North Pole adventure:
The Polar Express
For something beautiful and heartfelt:
Klaus
For a Christian Christmas story:
The Star
For something slightly spooky:
The Nightmare Before Christmas or Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
You could even put all 12 titles into a jar and draw one at random each weekend during December.
🎄 Create an Animated Christmas Movie Night
A Christmas cartoon movie is even more fun when you turn the evening into a tradition.
Make hot chocolate, put on your coziest Christmas pajamas, bring out the blankets, and turn down the lights so the Christmas tree can glow in the background.
Add popcorn, gingerbread cookies, candy canes, or another favorite Christmas snack.
Families could also choose several animated Christmas movies and hold a mini marathon — perhaps one classic cartoon, one modern animated movie, and one short Christmas special.
The movie may only last an hour or two, but repeating the tradition year after year is what makes Christmas movie nights memorable.
✨ The Magic of Animated Christmas Movies
Animation and Christmas simply belong together.
Animation allows reindeer to fly, snowmen to talk, ghosts to travel through time, mysterious trains to appear outside bedroom windows, and entire cities to glow beneath mountains of snow.
More importantly, the best animated Christmas movies use all that magic to tell surprisingly human stories about kindness, generosity, family, forgiveness, friendship, and belief.
Whether you grew up with Charlie Brown and Frosty or discovered Christmas animation through The Polar Express, Arthur Christmas, The Grinch, or Klaus, there is always room for another animated favorite in the holiday movie rotation.
So make some hot chocolate, switch on the Christmas lights, grab a blanket, and enjoy a little animated Christmas magic. 🎄🍿
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📚 Sources
- Warner Bros. — The Polar Express
- Sony Pictures — Arthur Christmas
- Netflix — Klaus
- Universal Pictures — The Grinch
- Warner Bros. — How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- Library of Congress — A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Disney+ — Mickey’s Christmas Carol
- Disney+ — Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
- Disney+ — Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Sony Pictures — The Star
- Netflix — Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
- Rankin/Bass — Frosty the Snowman
