12 Fun Movies to Stream on Netflix this Christmas

With less than two weeks left till Christmas, Netflix has already released its entire line-up of Christmas movies. Whether you’re a fuzzy rom-com lover or a die-hard sci-fi fan, there’s a huge selection of films on Netflix Australia to enjoy over the holidays.

Christmas is a time to embrace nostalgia and re-watch your favourite films over and over while snuggling up on the couch with a glass of wine, or two. It’s also a perfect occasion to indulge in all your guilty pleasure flicks. And if you get bored of the oldies, we’ve handpicked some of the most popular new Christmas flicks for 2019 that are actually worth your attention.

You wouldn’t be alone feeling a little overwhelmed by all the movie choices available in the Netflix catalogue, so we’ve picked our top 12 Netflix Christmas movies for each day of Christmas (and another 12 for Disney Plus).

Here are the best Christmas movies on Netflix for 2019.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming Christmas comedy with a fresh storyline and exquisite animation, look no further than Klaus, Netflix’s first original animated feature. Completely 2D animated, Klaus forgoes the style Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks have adopted recently, and it pays off with its beautiful visual adventure.

Directed by Sergio Pablos, creator of Despicable Me, Klaus revamps the origin story of Santa Claus and reinvents our favourite Christmas icon as an unconventional, lonely toy maker who rediscovers the joy of giving and unites a divided town with the help of a young postman.

While the plot isn’t overly complicated, each character still feels sincerely fleshed out and combined with its unique storyline, Klaus is the perfect, feel-good movie to cuddle up to on the couch. There’s nothing more you could wish for during this festive season.

If we had to pick one Christmas flick brandished in our memory from the last decade, Elf would surely come to mind. What’s not to love about Will Ferrell decked out in a hilarious green outfit as one of Santa’s elves in the North Pole right?

Christmas is the time when your adorable, but annoyingly idiosyncratic Aunt comes round to visit but she’ll have secretly melted your heart by the end of the holidays. Elf will have you wrapped around its little finger in a similar way. You simply won’t tire of watching Ferrell as Buddy the man-elf as he discovers the magic of the human world in New York for the first time.

Don’t believe me? Go ahead and replay this little piece of 2000s Christmas nostalgia now.

Based on the young adult novel by John Green, Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson, Let It Snow is a Netflix Original romantic drama set on a snowstorm-filled Christmas Eve in a sleepy, mid-western American town.

Just the right amount of light-hearted and fun, the film has been dubbed “Love, Actually for teens”. It stars a mysterious, tinfoil-covered Joan Cusack plus a whole bunch of rising young stars including Kiernan Shipka (aka Sally Draper from Mad Men and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina lead), Isabela Moner (yes that’s right, it’s Dora from Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Odeya Rush (sporting Lady Bird and Dumplin’ supporting creds), Shameik Moore (c’mon, it’s the voice of Miles Moore from Into the Spiderverse now-turned Christmas pop star) and, my personal favourite, Jacob Batalon, Spiderman’s cute sidekick who we’ve all been missing since Spiderman: Far From Home.

While Let It Snow may be a far cry from the best Christmas movie of all time,  it’s a definite, feel-good hit to put on the movie marathon playlist this December.

A great, original animated Christmas hit that’s been on repeat yearly since its 2011 release, Arthur Christmas has something in it to strike a chord with both adults and kids.

If you’re tired of watching bad Christmas movies that leave you feeling more deflated than when you started, this isn’t one of them. Arthur shines as a likeable, down-to-earth and rather clumsy protagonist with good intentions who sets out on a seemingly impossible mission to deliver a present to the one child that Santa’s operation missed.

It won’t be just the little ones who are captivated by the animation. Once upon a time, you wondered how Santa Claus could possibly deliver presents to every single child in the world on Christmas Day. Arthur Christmas entertains a modern, hi-tech answer to this and does it well through elaborate, funny moments throughout the film.

For those looking to extend their Hugh Grant rom-com binge-watch further, consider getting your head out of the 80s for this. Knight Before Christmas stars Vanessa Hudgens in this silly Christmas flick alongside Josh Whitehouse (known for his role in the BBC series Poldark) as a cute, British medieval knight who’s time-travelled from the Middle Ages to the present.

Is the plot too cheesy for you, or are you still struggling over the pun in the title? We think this cheesy number could very well be your next holiday guilty pleasure, so grab some popcorn, a healthy dose of mulled wine and get comfy on the couch.

And if Knight Before Christmas has left you wanting more Vanessa Hudgens, we’ve got a few bonus rounds for your next Netflix Christmas binge, including another Netflix Original, The Princess Switch, and modern Beauty and the Beast with a twist, Beastly.

Angela’s Christmas is a 30-minute long, Irish-Canadian animation that the whole family can enjoy. Situated in Limerick, Ireland in 1914, it's a simple but heartwarming story centring around a little girl, Angela, who innocently decides to rescue the Baby Jesus figurine from her local Church.

The enthralling animation and even more adorable protagonist make this a great choice for when you want something warm and fuzzy that you and your young ones can all connect with.

An adaptation of Angela and the Baby Jesus, the only children’s book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Frank McCourt, the short has been critically received and was nominated for the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards and Emile Awards amongst others. So rest assured, film snob or not, put this on your Christmas movie agenda.

Part musical, 100% Murray, this quirky film directed by Sofia Coppola fashioned as an old-school variety show might be the surprise hit in your household. The premise is simple: a snowstorm in New York on Christmas Eve leaves Murray’s live Christmas special in jeopardy and he ends up singing away his sorrows back at the Carlye Hotel with a number of (often reluctant) guests as the patrons count down to Christmas.

For those tired of cheesy Christmas rom-coms and Santa Claus figures, this musical comedy starring the iconic talk show host along with a star-studded cast might be the breath of fresh air you need. If you just want an excuse to sing along to “Sleigh Bells” with Miley Cyrus and George Clooney or croon to Murray’s rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, we won’t blame you. This isn’t an extravagant, action-packed Christmas movie, but its sincere, offbeat tone is certainly charming.

If you hadn’t already heard of the A Christmas Prince Netflix series, it's uncanny, if unfactual, mirroring of the lives of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has left Royals fans scrambling for the next chapter in the entertaining tale. The first instalment was released in 2017, the same year Meghan got engaged to Prince Harry, and the sequel out just 6 months after the real-life royal wedding.

This definitely isn’t some top-notch or high-brow film, but its timely and exaggerated content is great fun to watch. If there’s one criticism to make of The Royal Prince, the distinctly cliche oriental-ness of Angolia’s ally, the faraway kingdom of Penglia, left me outright cringing (if you thought Crazy Rich Asians was generic and tacky, the representation of Asian royalty here takes that a notch further). But taken with a pinch of salt, this second sequel is sure worth a good laugh.

There have been a dozen Cinderella movies over the years and I still miss the classic 1950 Walt Disney animated version. But if you’re looking for a revamped take on Cinderella that doesn’t involve Hilary Duff, the fifth instalment in the A Cinderella Story series starring ex-Disney Channel star Laura Marano and Marvel’s The Runaways Gregg Sulkin might just be the right fit for you.

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish definitely takes Cinderella somewhere she hasn’t been before: as an aspiring modern-day singer-songwriter who works as a singing elf at Santa Land and falls for a sexy, young Santa Claus. Interesting premise, right? As a bonus, you’ll get to hear some fun, original Christmas numbers performed by Laura Marano, and if they get stuck in your head, lucky for you the soundtrack is available for you to play on repeat on Spotify.

For those who would prefer a good doco, I highly recommend Dancing with the Birds. It’s great as something you can put up for the whole family to watch once everyone’s sick to death of Christmas-themed movies. Nature lovers, young children and even your granddad will be fascinated with the stunning birdlife captured and there’s never a dull moment with Steven Fry as narrator.

Who needs to watch elf and Santa-filled movies at Christmas anyway? If you’re looking for some good, old sci-fi escapism, it doesn’t get any better than The Matrix. Christmas is the perfect time to take a trip down memory lane and what better way than to revisit your red pill vs blue pill dilemma.

Getting on a Matrix roll? Netflix has the sequels Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions available too, so knock yourself out. Maybe you’ll want to make a Matrix movie marathon your new annual Christmas tradition.

Is there ever a time when The Shawshank Redemption isn’t a good choice? If you’re not in the mood for something deep and serious and non-festive in tone, skip this suggestion. But when you’re ready for a great tearjerker, this is it.

Watching Morgan Freeman’s performance as Red is pure gold, and there’s no need for any Santa appearance at all.