We're both sorry and not sorry. Yes, it's only just November, but with sunset at 16:20, Halloween now nearly two weeks behind us and with "feels like" morning temperatures of five degrees, we have our eyes on the prize and it's Christmas, with all its accompanying cosiness.
This means gearing up for several weeks of joyful and comforting festive films and TV shows landing on the streamers and Disney+ has a packed schedule of both new and old movies and shows coming to its site. From a new Percy Jackson and the Olympians eight-parter to classics such as Home Alone, here is our pick of the content to get excited about.
The Santa Clauses Season 2 – New episodes weekly
Scott Calvin is starting to feel a bit worse for wear after decades flying around the world and working his socks off as Santa Claus. In the second series of the Christmas comedy show, which was a 28 year later spin-off of the hit 1994 film, Tim Allen is once again reprising his role as the editor-in-frost: now Claus is trying to train his son up for the job so he can get some much needed R&R. But as usual his home life in the North Pole is not straightforward: there are elves, demanding family members and there's an old mad Santa on the loose, causing fresh mayhem.
Dashing Through the Snow – November 17
Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Teyonah Parris (They Cloned Tyrone) star in Dashing Through the Snow, a new Christmas comedy about a social worker working for the Atlanta police department who starts to rediscover the magic of the holidays one Christmas Eve. He has been asked by his estranged wife to take his 9-year-old daughter Charlotte to work with him, and, after bumping into a stranger in a red suit, the father and daughter pair are sent on a festive adventure.
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever – December 8
This sweet animated movie, which is based on Jeff Kinney's best-selling 2011 book, stars Wesley Kimmel as the voice of "middle-schooler" (who are between 11 and 13 years old) Greg Heffley. This time clumsy Greg is at home for the holidays, and is, as usual, damaging things everywhere he goes. He accidently breaks a snow plough, and then his whole family get snowed in, and everyone starts to get cabin fever.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – December 15
The final chapter of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones films received mixed reviews when it landed in June but the Standard seemed to sum up audiences' sentiment towards the rambunctious, hilarious, silly, comforting, film series. "It would be churlish to be too harsh on the final episode of this franchise," said Jo-Ann Titmarsh. "There are some genuinely moving scenes as we see this fantastic character finally getting ready to hang up his hat for the last time. Thanks, Indy, it’s been quite a ride." A great option for a Twixmas watch.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians – December 20
This new eight-episode series, which is based on the best-selling fantasy novels by American author Rick Riordan, will tell the story of 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson, who is balancing getting a handle on his new powers with trying to iron out a major problem in Olympus – and the small matter of puberty. Although two Percy Jackson films were released a decade ago, and each made over $200 million, many fans and Riordan himself felt they didn't quite capture the essence of the books. This new series, which has been made alongside the author promises to be different: "I feel comfortable telling fans of the books who have been waiting — in some cases, decades — for this kind of faithful adaptation, that this is the one you’ve been waiting for," he said to EW. "We are involved and I think you’re gonna love it.”
Already on the streamer, ready to watch now:
All instalments of the Home Alone franchise (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Sweet Home Alone, Home Alone 4)
Home Alone is truly one of the Christmas greats, and its sequels are fun too. The drama begins when the large and boisterous family of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) go on holiday over the Christmas break and accidentally leave him at home in the chaos of getting everyone out of the house and onto the plane in time. There's no easy way for them to get back which means Kevin is stuck at home, alone, for a couple days. Kevin, thrilled with the peace and quiet, is far from scared, but when a pair of crooks decide to burgle the family home, he has to step up to foil their plans.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
There are dozens of utterly brilliant Christmas films, but for me, The Muppets Christmas Carol is the best of the bunch. It retells one of the true great Christmas stories, Charles Dickens' 1843 A Christmas Carol, managing to preserve some of its Victorian severity, its gothic edge, its chilling morals and wintery magic, while also being utterly daft. After all, the touching film has the Muppets dressed in 19th century clobber, singing and dancing around a version of London, and scattering in every direction at the sign of Michael Caine's Scrooge. What a treat.
Frozen and Frozen II
Frozen and its sequel come in at number four and two respectively in the list of highest-grossing animated films of all time. The first 2013 film won two Oscars including Best Animated Feature and made its co-director, Jennifer Lee, the first female director to make a $1 billion film. The films, which tell the story of two sisters, one of whom has extraordinary powers that turn everything around her into ice and snow, make for a wonderful family watch.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Andrew Adamson's 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe remains one of the great children's fantasy films. And, given it's set in the snowy winter wonderland of Narnia, and has a clear Christian allegory at its heart, we absolutely count it as a key Christmas watch. Not only does it have Tilda Swinton doing her best bad guy as the staff wielding, fur-wearing, ferocious White Witch, but Liam Neeson is the voice of lion Aslan, James McAvoy is transformed into faun Mr. Tumnus, Dawn French and Ray Winstone play the voices Mr and Mrs Beaver, and Rupert Everett plays the voice of Mr Fox. A dream!
All instalments of the Die Hard franchise (Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Die Hard 4.0, Die Hard with a Vengeance)
The jury is still out over whether Die Hard counts as a Christmas film, given its has machine guns and hostages in the place of mince pies and reindeers. But, crucially, the fateful Los Angeles office party which gets disrupted by terrorists is taking place on Christmas Eve, and this becomes a key grievance throughout all the subsequent drama: not only are New York police detective John McClane and his estranged wife being held up by the German villains, but it's Christmas, for God's sake. The first incredible film, and its three less good, but still fun, spin-offs are all available to watch on Disney+ now.
