10 Best Animated Christmas Movies With Santa, Ranked By IMDb
Classic animated Christmas movies usually include a depiction of Santa Claus or Father Christmas in his many incarnations. Here are a few of the best.
With Christmas only moments away and the world dealing with the stay-at-home pandemic, film buffs are getting their holiday playlist ready for some quality movie-time with family and friends.
Santa Claus is expected to be involved in bringing the vibe of festivities, gifts, and good times to everyone celebrating at home this year. Ranked for being the best-animated Santas in movies, here are the 10 best to get the holiday spirit in motion.
10 The Story Of Santa Claus (1996) - 6.0
Released by CBS in 1996, this Christmas TV animated movie tells the life of Nicholas Claus, a toymaker who lives with his wife Gretchen in Europe. His biggest wish is to give one of his toys to every child in the world to spread joy.
His story has a sad start, as it explains how Nicholas grew up in an orphanage and made toys for the other kids. After getting married, he couldn't keep his job because he was giving away his toys rather than selling them, and finally, he was evicted from his home. After a shipwreck and meeting elves in the North Pole, Santa finds a new purpose that uses his passion and talent.
9 Santa's Apprentice (2010) - 6.4
Santa Claus must find a worthy apprentice who will learn the ropes and make a good replacement. He must choose an orphan with a good heart who is named Nicolas. He decides to train a young boy who appears to be a good match until it is revealed that little Nicolas has little self-confidence and is terrified of heights.
Santa Claus is put to the test as he takes on this project and learns a few things from young Nicolas along the way. This 2010 French-Australian-Irish movie is produced by Gaumont Animation and has been well-received by adults and children alike.
8 The Polar Express (2004) - 6.6
Featuring the voices of popular actors such as Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, and Michael Jeter, this holiday flick has a lot of Christmas sense. It follows a young boy who no longer believes in Santa.
On Christmas Eve, he boards a magical train bound to the North Pole that takes him on an adventure to discover the truth about Santa Claus. This movie is a wonderful addition to any family holiday time because it teaches about bravery, friendship, and the power of believing. Movie fans can check out this holiday movie on Netflix.
7 Arthur Christmas (2011) - 7.1
Santa Claus is not the only one doing all the work in this Christmas animation. He has a family and a team of elves to help him with all the fine details and his busy schedule. Arthur Christmas has many characters, one among them is Santa's clumsy son, who decides to take matters into his own hands to deliver a present to a single girl whose gift was misplaced.
He takes Santa's sled and reindeer and his Grandpa tags along. This holiday movie will easily become a classic. It truly shows valuable lessons about caring for others, leaving no one behind, being a team player, and never quitting.
6 Santa's Workshop (1932) - 7.3
The famous short film, Santa's Workshop, packs a ton of holiday cheer and glee into a seven-minute flick. Even though it is an extremely short cartoon, it is highly entertaining and matches well with today's short-clip trend. Older animations such as this one are full of music and amazing hand-drawn artwork.
For movie fans who want to know how Santa Claus and his helpers get down on Christmas Eve, this is a fun and fast way to find out. The entire movie is full of energy and shouldn't be missed this holiday season.
5 Rise Of The Guardians (2012) - 7.3
The 2012 release Rise of The Guardians is a combination of different fantasy children's stories into one. Santa Claus, whose voice actor is played by Alec Baldwin, partners up with Jack Frost, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny, to protect the children of the world against Pitch Black, the nightmare king who feeds on the fear of children.
This rendition of Nicholas St. North is one who fights aggressively as a warrior-type Santa. For movie fans looking for action-packed excitement, this movie is definitely worth a watch this holiday season.
4 Father Christmas (1991) - 7.5
This 1991 British animated short runs for 25 minutes. For anyone who has ever wondered what Santa Claus does all year round when it is not Christmastime, what his other hobbies could be, or even how he really prepares for Christmas gift deliveries, here is a film to answer all those questions.
Viewers will realize that Santa is actually a very busy man. He tends to his reindeer and takes vacations and takes on hobbies among other things. Check out this adorable movie about Santa's "other" life.
3 Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970) - 7.7
Rankin/Bass Productions released this stop-motion animation in 1970 about a mailman who tells the story of the origin of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is a fun rendition of Santa's young life.
Having been left at the doorstep of the Kringle family, Kris is raised by his new family and when he grows up, he decides he wants to deliver toys to the Sombertown children. Unfortunately, Burgermeister, the town mayor, and an evil winter wizard stand in the way. The entire story is narrated by famous performer and entertainer, Fred Astaire.
2 The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) - 7.8
Another stop-motion animation for the holidays that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions is The Year Without a Santa Claus, which was popular in the 70s. The story expresses the love and support that Mrs. Claus and Santa's elves have for Santa Claus.
Disappointed by how many children don't believe in him nor value the Christmas spirit, Santa decides to take the year off and skip Christmas altogether. But Mrs. Claus will not have any of it! She recruits her husband's elves and sets out to prove to Santa that he is loved by so many children who are counting on him.
1 Klaus (2019) - 8.2
The story told in the movie Klaus is different than most traditional Christmas stories. It is about a lazy and selfish postman who influences the making of Santa Claus. A woodsman and toymaker named Klaus anonymously leaves a toy for a lonely boy after seeing a picture the boy had drawn. After the children realize this, they all start writing letters to Klaus under the direction of the postman, Jesper who only wishes to fulfill his letter sending quota.
As things unravel more in the movie, Jesper and Klaus eventually build a bond and team up to do good by delivering toys to children.