Top 10 family-friendly Christmas films of all time

Looking for a festive film to get you in the Christmas spirit this season? Electric Ride on Cars has looked at fifty of the most well-known family Christmas films and analysed them on factors such as IMDB audience rating, Metacritic critic rating, Box office revenue, plus a three-point Christmas rating to reveal the best family-friendly Christmas movies of all time. In ascending order, here are the top-voted festive films that kids will love. (This list was first published on December 22, 2020)

10. THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994): At number 10 is this jolly Christmas comedy, which stars Tim Allen and tells the story of a happy-go-lucky divorced dad who wants to help preserve his son’s belief in Santa Claus (against his ex-wife’s wishes), and accidentally becomes the next real Santa along the way. A classic American film, with gentle family drama and lots of Santa-related silliness.

9. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009): This 3D computer-animated Christmas dark fantasy film is an adaptation of the Dickens novel ‘A Christmas Carol’, with a stellar cast, including Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Robin Wright and Carey Elwes. A visually astounding retelling of the traditional tale, this film’s darker undercurrent may be a bit scary for the youngest viewers.

8. HOME ALONE (1990): Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the release of this Christmas corker? Skyrocketing the career of Macaulay Culkin, this slapstick-swathed comedy was nominated for two Oscars and follows the antics of an eight-year-old troublemaker as he protects his house from a pair of incompetent burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during their Christmas holiday.

7. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946): Nominated for five Academy Awards and frequently nominated as the best movie of all time, this emotional film tells the story of George Bailey, a man who has given up on his own dreams to help others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, who shows him how valuable his life is and how he has transformed the fortunes of those around him.

6. ELF (2003): This absolute Christmas classic starring comic actor Will Ferrell tells the story of Buddy, a human who was adopted by Santa’s elves and raised in the North Pole. When Buddy decides to go in search of his biological father (a cynical businessman who has no time for frivolity), naïve Buddy’s innocent mishaps and misunderstandings are both heartwarming and funny, as he teaches his father, and the world, about the spirit of Christmas.

5. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992): Coming in at number five is another flick based on the Charles Dickens novel ‘A Christmas Carol’, this time a musical fantasy comedy that stars Michael Caine as Scrooge and features all of the most beloved Jim Henson’s Muppets characters, from Kermit the Frog to the inimitable Miss Piggy. Expect kid-friendly joke and japes a plenty, some slapstick laughs and lots of Christmas cheer.

4. THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004): This computer-animated adventure film starring Tom Hanks tells the story of a young boy’s magical adventure on a train to the North Pole, learning lots about friendship and the spirit of Christmas along the way. With stunningly detailed graphics and some fun song and dance routines, this is a festive favourite that’s perfect for all ages.

3. ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011): If your children ever ask you ‘how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’, show them Arthur Christmas. They will discover the wonder of Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole and follow his clumsy son Arthur as he races to complete an important mission in time to ensure that the Christmas celebrations will go off without a hitch. Full of quirky family humour and a delightful storyline, this Christmas film will become a family favourite for years to come.

2. A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983): A Christmas Story is a charming film about 9-year-old Ralphie Parker trying to convince his parents, teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift. Despite only making $53,904,282 (in today’s money, or Dh197,981,803) at the box office, which is relatively low in comparison to some of the other films on our list, A Christmas Story is a great family film that values family and friendship.

1. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993): And finally, Tim Burton’s timeless classic takes the top spot for the most Christmassy family film you can watch this holiday season. We follow Jack Skellington on his quest to bring Christmas to his home of Halloween Town, but his antics don’t go as well as first planned. Ranked second-highest for the audience and critic scores on our list (just behind the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life), The Nightmare Before Christmas is still much loved by the masses nearly 30 years after its release. For the rest of the top 50 Christmas films of all time you can see the full research here: https://electricrideoncars.co.uk/family-christmas-film-index/index.html.