Movies - TV
10 Underrated Animated Christmas Movies And Specials
By SIMON BLAND
Robin Robin
"Robin Robin" follows a robin who has been raised by a family of mice and forced to embark on a heist into a human's house to retrieve a star and prove she can be a good mouse. It's a brilliant short with all the charm, heart, and wonder that Aardman Animations is known for, giving a heightened festive feel thanks to its focus on felt characters.
Klaus
"Klaus" tells the origin story of the Santa Claus mythos through the viewpoint of a postal worker in 19th-century Norway. Due to its richly-lit animation style and lush, deep illustrations, many people mistook it for a CGI piece, but this is a 2D animation film that celebrates the classic art form while delivering some Christmas spirit.
Arthur Christmas
"Arthur Christmas" shows that Christmas chaos isn't solely linked to mere mortals — even Santa Claus clan struggle with complicated family dynamics during this time. While the film may be missing Aardman's trademark stop-motion style, the studio manages to cram a stocking's worth of charm and wintery visuals into this delightful animated adventure.
Shaun The Sheep
Full of big, colorful action setpieces the kids are bound to love — but balanced with enough humor for older audiences to enjoy — "Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas" is a nifty little short that's hard not to enjoy thanks to its dialogue-less format. It's only 30 minutes long and leaves viewers wanting more time with Shaun and his friendly flock.
The Snowman
As a combination of festive and heartbreaking, "The Snowman" feels like a bittersweet watch that's not afraid of taking a hard look at the darker parts of life. The film's lack of vocal performances and fuzzy production quality gives it a dream-like quality, staying with viewers longer than its 26-minute runtime.