The festive movies to watch for Christmas 2024

It's that time of year again where people are looking for some festive cheer, and one of the best ways to do so is through a good Christmas movie (or two, or three).

The good news is there's lots to come this festive season, with Netflix continuing to expand its Christmas universe and new and exciting titles landing in cinemas that will be fun for all the family. Channels like BBC and Channel 4 are also presenting new and classic holiday films, while the back catalogue of streaming platforms is the perfect place to find a Christmas gem.

Here is everything you need to know about the full-length features you could be watching this Christmas.

The festive movies to watch this Christmas

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl | BBC on Christmas Day

Aardman animations have become a staple of the Christmas season, and the studio is returning this year with a brand new adventure in the Wallace and Gromit universe. The villain Feathers McGraw is back and he's ready to get his revenge on the beloved duo after 30 years of "languishing in prison". The 70-minute BBC special will be airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Read more: The best Christmas 2024 TV to look forward to

The Snowman | Channel 4

It's an oldie but a goodie, that's right The Snowman will be back on our screens this Christmas. It wouldn't be Christmas without it, now, would it? The iconic animation follows a young boy who befriends a snowman and the delightful adventure they go on.

Our Little Secret | Netflix

Lindsay Lohan is the new Christmas queen of Netflix following her spectacular return in Falling For Christmas. Now the actor is back with another festive treat, Our Little Secret, which follows resentful exes who are forced to spend the holiday together when they discover their respective partners are siblings. Now that'll be an awkward family Christmas dinner.

The Merry Gentlemen | Netflix

Chad Michael Murray is entering the Christmas movie business with The Merry Gentlemen. The movie follows dancer Ashley (Britt Robertson) who decides to save her small town by putting on a festive all-male revue with Murray's Luke at the centre of it. It might be cold this Christmas, but The Merry Gentleman is clearly trying to turn up the heat.

Meet Me Next Christmas | Netflix

Christina Milian and Camilla Rubis lead this new Christmas rom-com about a woman's quest to capture the heart of the man of her dreams by getting a ticket to the hottest show in town, a Christmas Eve concert for her favourite group Pentatonix.

Hot Frosty | Netflix

Another festive treat is Hot Frosty, with Netflix putting the emphasis on "hot". The film follows widow Cathy (Lacey Chabert) as she magically brings a snowman to life, when she meets the handsome gentleman (Schitt's Creek's Dustin Milligan) he helps her to heal and find love again. The only problem is he's doomed to melt.

Star Wars movies | ITV2 and ITVX from 30th November

ITV has licensed the original Star Wars trilogy —A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi— as well as prequel movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which follows the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans needed for the events of the original movies. All four movies will be available to watch on ITVX after they air on ITV2 on Saturday, 30 November and Sunday, 1 December.

That Christmas | Netflix from 4 December

One for all the family, That Christmas is an animated tale adapted from Richard Curtis' novel of the same name. Brought to life by How To Train Your Dragon character animation head Simon Otto, the film follows the residents of a sleepy British town who have to come together to save Christmas when all goes wrong.

Jack in Time for Christmas | Prime Video in December

Jack Whitehall is turning his comedy chops to Christmas with a one-off special for Prime Video, the special will feature a number of famous faces including Michael Bublé, Jimmy Fallon and Rebel Wilson. The special centres on Jack, who is stranded in America and only has four days to make it home for Chrsitmas, so he enlists the help of a few friends to get them there.

Elton John: Never Too Late | Disney+ from 13 December

The iconic musician is telling his story in a new documentary directed by his partner David Furnish and RJ Cutler, the film will examine his life and rise to fame all the way to his moving final goodbye to the stage with his last ever North American concert at Dodger Stadium.

Red One | In cinemas

This star-studded Christmas film imagines a world where Santa Claus (codename Red One) be kidnapped, with the North Pole's Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) and a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) having to begrudgingly team up in order to find him, and save Christmas.

Wicked | In cinemas

The iconic West End and Broadway musical is coming to the silver screen with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande taking on the roles of Elphaba, aka The Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch. In this unique take inspired by The Wizard of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda meet at school and become friends, and during their time together discover a stark truth about the Wonderful Wizard, who it turns out isn't so wonderful.

Paddington in Peru | In cinemas

Get the marmalade sandwiches ready because everyone's favourite talking bear is back for a new adventure in his home of deepest, darkest Peru. In this threequel Paddington and the Brown family go on a quest to find Aunt Lucy after she embarks on a journey of her own. The film sees the family encounter some fun characters including an adventurer played by Antonio Banderas and a nun played by Olivia Colman.

Moana 2 | In cinemas

Disney's Christmas release is Moana 2, the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2016 hit. The sequel finds Moana as she journeys across Oceania after receiving an unexpected call from her ancestors to travel to an ancient island to bring her people together again.

Mufasa: The Lion King | In cinemas from 20 December

The Lion King is iconic, and the movie is getting a prequel focused on the journey of Mufasa to become the leader of the Pride. The film is directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, and is presented in the same CGI format as The Lion King remake.

Better Man | In cinemas from Boxing Day

Robbie Williams is ready to tell his story, and he is going to be doing it as a monkey. Yes, really. The singer who rose to fame with Take That and then became a worldwide sensation as a solo artist narrates the movie with actor Jonno Davies playing him via performance capture under the guise of a CGI monkey.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | In cinemas from Boxing Day

The third film in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is here, and its introducing a whole new generation to Shadow the iconic character from the games. An adversary to Sonic, Knuckles and Tails the film finds the trio teaming up with an unlikely ally to face Shadow (Keanu Reeves).

The Home Alone collection | Disney+

You can't go wrong with a Christmas classic like Home Alone, and the movies in the franchise are all available to watch now on Disney+.

The Santa Clause collection | Disney+

Tim Allen is Santa Claus in the collection of films that are available on Disney's streaming service, which includes The Santa Clause, Santa Clause 2, Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.

The Die Hard collection | Disney+

It's the debate that film fans have every year, is Die Hard a Christmas movie. The film is set in Christmas so it counts to us, and it works perfectly as an alternative watch to enjoy during the festive season. The Bruce Willis-led action movies are all available as a collection on Disney+.