My Christmas Netflix Picks

I can hardly grasp the fact that it is already December and Christmas Day is less than three weeks away. So while I sit and wonder where 2015 has gone, I am getting myself into the Christmas spirit by watching some top festive entertainment on Netflix. I love cuddling up on the sofa under a blanket with some popcorn, to watch a Christmassy film with the family.

Check these movies out now and join in with the Netflix festive fun.

A Christmas Carol 

Jim Carrey voices Ebenezer Scrooge in this 2009 Disney version of the classic A Christmas Carol. Mean, cruel and miserly Scrooge learns the power of opening his heart after being confronted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, that show him the error of his wicked ways. It's quite dark and a little bit scary in parts, but the message is still as relevant today as it was when Dickens first penned this classic tale.

Santa Clause

Tim Allen stars in this great festive comedy. When he accidentally kills Santa he evokes the Santa Clause and has to take the place of St Nick himself. There are lots of laughs, especially as Allen's waistband expands and his beard grows to suit the role.

Jingle all the Way

Arnie plays a desperate dad trying to buy his son the must-have toy for Christmas. On his way he encounters a stressed out mailman, played by Sinbad, and it becomes a meteoric battle of wits as they try to get their hands on a Turbo Man action figure. There is lots of slapstick comedy and some hilarious action as they go to extraordinary lengths to get the toy. The finale is just fabulous and you get to see Arnie dressed as a superhero!

Home Alone

This Macaulay Culkin classic is such a timeless movie, that each of my children has in turn loved watching it over the last twenty years. Now it's Freddy's turn to watch Kevin's elaborate plan to defend his home against the bungling burglars, after being left home alone at Christmas. It's slapstick, it's funny and it has just the right amount of sentimentality to give it real heart. It's a Christmas must-see movie.


Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas

Join Mickey and friends as they star in three festive stories: Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi, Donald Duck Stuck On Christmas and A Very Goofy Christmas. In the Gift of the Magi, Mickey and Minnie both try to get each other the perfect gift for Christmas even if it means parting with something they love. In Stuck on Christmas, Huey, Dewey and Louie relive Christmas over and over again in a Groundhog Day time loop until they appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. In A Very Goofy Christmas, Goofy and Max are awaiting Santa's arrival while neighbour Pete mocks them for believing. But Pete soon has to eat his words. It's great Disney storytelling that keeps little ones happily entertained.

The Snow Queen - Film Review

The Snow Queen is the magical fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson that inspired the hit Disney film Frozen.  This new release from Signature Entertainment brings the beautiful, original story to selected cinemas from October 25th and to Blu-Ray, DVD and digital platforms on November 3rd, to warm the hearts of children and melt even the coldest of hearts!

Gerda, a little orphan girl, embarks on a perilous journey across an icy wonderland to defeat the evil Snow Queen who has taken over the kingdom and kidnapped her brother Kai.  They are descendants of a wizard Master Vegard, who according to the prediction of a magic mirrior, had the power to defeat the Snow Queen. Accompanied by her pet Ferret Luta and Orm the Troll (one of the Snow Queen's minions who comes good) Gerda faces danger in her race against time to save Kai and bring warmth back into the hearts of people across the land.

Gerda and Kai are lovely characters, nicely animated and with lot of appeal. They both possess special powers and good hearts.  Orm and Luta are great sidekicks adding lots of humour to the adventure. There are some great laugh out loud moments to break up the tension. There are a lot of heartwarming and emotional moments, but also a great deal of mild threat and peril.

This version of a much loved story is definitely a little dark in parts.  Gerda and Kai's parents are taken by the Snow Queen's polar wind and ultimately killed by the Snow Queen in the opening scene. The head of the children's home where the children live is really horrible and Gerda encounters lots of people on her travels intent on destroying her mission.  The ice beasts and ice trolls are quite fearsome and the Snow Queen herself is really evil and so this may be a bit frightening for the very young or very fainthearted children. But slightly older children will love the adventure and the thrills of the movie.

The finale of the film is quite intense and a little bit scary, but we find out the truth about the Snow Queen and see good triumph over evil. Gerda's bravery, along with the spirit of her family in her heart, defeats the evil of the queen and we see peace and warmth restored to the kingdom. The Snow Queen learns that having hatred in her heart helps no one and Gerda and Kai are reunited.  So there is a happy ending for everyone.

This is a great take on the traditional story and a perfect film in the lead up to Christmas.

Here is an activity sheet that can be clicked on and printed to entertain the kids!