Christmas movie musicals stir emotions in young and old. Here are five recently produced ones that could have you caroling in the living room.
Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (2014 ) TV-G, Prime Video, Paramount+, Hulu & More
This stop-motion animated musical is about Buddy (voiced by Jim Parsons), a boy raised by elves in the North Pole, who has no idea he is human. In the live-action original 2003 movie Elf, Will Ferrell played Buddy with exaggerated gusto.
This new animated version includes plenty of music and a lot of fun, as well as the Christmas spirit.
As in the feature-film original, Buddy is a fun-loving fellow looking for his human family in New York, having just discovered that his real father works in the Empire State Building. This realization sends him on an adventure filled with love, childhood excitement, and many songs.
Buddy is adorable and filled with Christmas enthusiasm as he goes on his journey. His excitement is infectious to all around him and to viewers.
It’s a fun film for the whole family. In many ways, this animated Buddy is more enjoyable to watch than Ferrell’s Buddy. Perhaps an over-the-top fun-loving character relates better in animation than live action.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004), free on Philo, Roku, Pluto TV, Tubi, Prime Video & More
A Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday classic that has been remade several times in many different ways. This version mixes some gritty characters with songs.
The all-star cast features Kelsey Grammer as Ebenezer Scrooge; Jesse L. Martin as the Ghost of Christmas Present; Geraldine Chaplin as the Ghost of Christmas Future; and Jane Krakowski as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Singing erupts throughout the story, as Scrooge turns from a miser to an upstanding man, having learned that life itself is a gift to be treasured, as are friendship and family.
This is a version of the classic story for a new generation that enjoys adding music and dance to the classic dramatic tale. It’s an inspirational story that will have viewers humming along, with an ending that is as joyful as ever.
Saving Santa (2013) Not Rated but recommended for 6+, Starz, Prime Video, Fandango at Home
When the North Pole is about to be invaded it’s up to a stable elf to stop it. He must travel through time using the secret TimeGlobe to save Santa and Christmas.
The TimeGlobe is the way Santa can travel to deliver all the presents in one night to children around the world. As it turns out it’s not Christmas magic but a scientific time-traveling machine.
This story combines time travel, plenty of antics, songs, some mild violence, and an adorable and inventive stable elf named Bernard D. Elf. He describes his job as a “poop scooper,” but this little guy is going to show everyone what he can do besides just cleaning stables.
Bernard travels back in time over and over again, until he fixes the situation once and for all.
It’s not the best holiday film, but it does have its moments.
Spirited (2022) PG-13, Apple TV+
Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol has yet another incarnation with plenty of humor from Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. This movie is filled with high-octane musical numbers.
Reynolds is Clint Briggs, the guy selected to be “haunted” by the ghosts of the Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come. Ferrell is the Present, who is sent to start Briggs on the right path -- which is not going to be a walk in the park.
Unlike most versions of A Christmas Carol, this one is infused with a large dose of humor. With Ferrell and Reynolds it has to be comical. This modern-day version of the classic tale is a fun interpretation that would have Dickens himself laughing at the antics.
There is some sexual innuendo, so it's not recommended for kids under 10, and some parental guidance might be needed from 10-13.
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020) Netflix, Prime Video & More
Scrooge seems to be the go-to character of the season. In this musical, Christine Baranski is Regina, a Scrooge-like character. She’s rich and powerful and owns the town.
Regina decides to sell the town and informs everyone they must get out by Christmas Eve.
Dolly Parton is the angel who comes down to show Regina the consequences of her actions and how she can change. Is redemption in her future? With an angel like Parton it definitely is.
This is a fun, amusing, and musical tale of seeing that evil and greed are not the way to live a good life. Filled with musical numbers, it’s a great family film for the holiday season ... and the Bible even plays a role.
Image: Netflix
Francine Brokaw is a longtime journalist whose articles have been published in national and international publications. She is accredited by the MPAA and is a long-standing member of the Television Critics Association. She also hosts Beyond the Red Carpet on YouTube.
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