10 Made For TV Family Holiday Movies & Specials, Ranked

Yes, Bryan Cranston once starred in a Disney Channel Original Movie. In ‘Twas the Night, Cranston plays Nick Wrigley, an irresponsible uncle who takes his 14-year-old nephew, Danny (Josh Zuckerman), on a chaotic trip to steal Santa’s high-tech sleigh. Both the uncle and nephew are schemers, making for one heck of a joyride.

‘Twas the Night, Streaming Now, Disney+

Disney Channel’s first original holiday movie in 10 years, Christmas… Again?! is a yuletide Groundhog Day tale for teens. When 12-year-old Rowena’s (Scarlett Estevez) parents get divorced and her dad gets engaged to someone new, Rowena makes a wish that the holiday would go back to what it used to be. As always, be careful what you wish for. The movie also features a gay couple as beloved members of Rowena’s family.

Christmas… Again?!, Streaming Now, Disney+

Full-Court Miracle is inspired by the true story of basketball player Lamont Carr, the first African American player to graduate from the University of Virginia. When Lamont (Richard T. Jones) is forced out of the sport following a bad knee injury, he meets a young Jewish boy named Alex (Alex Schlotsky). Alex loves basketball, but the team at his yeshiva school has never won a game. He convinces Lamont to coach them, and they all learn valuable lessons about believing in yourself and achieving your goals. Alex’s family displays Hanukkah traditions throughout.

Full-Court Miracle, Streaming Now, Disney+

Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! was Disney Channel’s last holiday movie until Christmas… Again?! premiered 10 years later. The Duncan family’s holiday travels are upended when Teddy (Bridgit Mendler) and mom Amy (Leigh-Allyn Baker) get separated from the group. The family comedy further cemented why Good Luck Charlie was one of Disney Channel’s hit shows.

Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!, Streaming Now, Disney+

Who doesn’t love Julie Andrews in a holiday movie? Eloise at Christmastime on The Wonderful World of Disney brings viewers back to Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel, where 6-year-old Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) lives with her dear grandma (Andrews). With a posh wedding soon being held at the hotel, Eloise sets out to get it canceled by reuniting the bride, Rachel (Sara Topham), with her former love, Bill (Gavin Creel). Christine Baranski, Debra Monk, Kenneth Welsh, and Jeffrey Tambor also star.

Eloise at Christmastime, Streaming Now, Prime Video

The Ultimate Christmas Present is Disney Channel’s most fun original holiday movie. The premise is delightfully cute: two teens, Allie and Samantha (played by Hallee Hirsh and Brenda Song), steal a weather machine from Santa Claus to bring snow to Los Angeles for Christmas. But when the machine goes awry, causing an uncontrollable storm to hit California, the girls (and Allie’s brother, played by Spencer Breslin) must work together with Mr. and Mrs. Claus to save the day.

The Ultimate Christmas Present, Streaming Now, Disney+

Specifically, “Seven Days of Kwanzaa” (Season 1 Episode 11). Vivica A. Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, and Raven-Symoné guest star as an unhoused family in the episode of the original animated series.

When the Prouds take them in for the Christmas holiday, they’re surprised to learn the family celebrates Kwanzaa instead. The trio then teaches the Proud family each of the principles for the seven days of Kwanzaa — Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani. The two families learn lots from each other as they exemplify the giving spirit of the holiday season, showing that Christmas and Kwanzaa can be celebrated simultaneously (Hanukkah too, for that matter).

The Proud Family Kwanzaa episode is another example of how comedic animated children’s shows are a great platform for history lessons.

The Proud Family, Streaming Now, Disney+

Specifically, “Arnold’s Christmas” (Season 1 Episode 11). This classic episode of Hey Arnold! is one of the series’ most famous to this day. Viewers learn the heartbreaking story of how Arnold’s neighbor, Mr. Hyunh, was separated from his toddler daughter, Mai, during the Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War. When Arnold gets Mr. Hyunh as his Secret Santa, he sets out to find Mai and reunite her with her father. And the mission is successful.

Hey Arnold!, Streaming Now, Paramount+

This one’s a two-parter shared by “A Rugrats Chanukah” (Season 4 Episode 1) and “A Rugrats Kwanzaa” (Season 8 Episode 16).

“A Rugrats Chanukah” still holds up as a touching installment of the animated series educating young viewers about the history of Hanukkah. The age-old tale is told through the eyes of Tommy Pickles and his fellow rugrats, who cast themselves in the story’s roles (“A Maccababy’s gotta do what a Maccababy’s gotta do!”). As the toddlers learn about the holiday, the adults do too with the help of Didi Pickles, Tommy and Dill’s Jewish mother. The adults also help grandpa Boris settle a longstanding feud with his rival, Schlomo.

The episode has since been adapted into a children’s book, the 2021 A Rugrats Chanukah: The Classic Illustrated Storybook.

In “A Rugrats Kwanzaa,” Susie Carmichael’s Great Aunt T teaches the toddlers all about the history and meaning of the African-American and Pan-African holiday. Through flashbacks and lessons in real time, Aunt T tells Susie and the other rugrats of great Black Americans like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (whom she randomly met in her youth when she had roadside car trouble) and Ella Fitzgerald. She explains the holiday is about celebrating their history and remembering that not all great people end up famous for their contributions to culture.

Rugrats, Streaming Now, Paramount+

Wonderful World of Disney‘s Annie is so good, you’d think it had a theatrical release. The cast alone certainly merited it: Kathy Bates stars as Miss Hannigan, Victor Garber is Daddy Warbucks, Audra McDonald is Grace, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth play Rooster and Lily St. Regis, and it even has a young Sarah Hyland and Lizzie McGuire‘s Lalaine as orphans Molly and Kate. Alicia Morton played the titular kiddo in her debut role. Dare we say it’s a better adaptation of the Broadway musical than its 1982 predecessor starring Carol Burnett? We just might.

Annie, Streaming Now, Disney+