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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
8.0/10on IMDb
Released
Start with the 1964 Rankin/Bass puppet special. Rudolph’s bright nose first keeps him out of the reindeer games and later changes which route Santa can fly. The snow sets, songs, and Island of Misfit Toys make this the most familiar reference point for the style.
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Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970)
7.7/10on IMDb
Released
A mailman puppet tells the story of how Kris Kringle starts delivering toys. The young man’s plans have to get past a town that bans them and a powerful Winter Warlock. Look for the 1970 Rankin/Bass special, which builds an origin story from its many practical obstacles.
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The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
7.7/10on IMDb
Released
Santa considers staying home, so Mrs. Claus and a pair of elves look for signs that people still care about the holiday. The 1974 puppet special puts opposing weather spirits into the same search. The songs and miniatures give the Heat Miser and Snow Miser very different worlds.
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
7.9/10on IMDb
Released
Jack Skellington brings a Halloween Town idea of Christmas back to the people who have to build his presents. The stop-motion feature’s snow and colored lights look extravagant against the skeletons and crooked rooftops. It suits viewers who like their holiday movie a little spooky.
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The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
6.9/10on IMDb
Released
Aaron has little to offer when he reaches the Nativity, but he has his drum. This 1968 Rankin/Bass puppet special makes a Christmas song into a short story about what a child can give. It includes loss and cruelty before reaching its gentler ending.
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Robin Robin (2021)
7.0/10on IMDb
Released
A robin raised by mice wants to be able to sneak into kitchens as quietly as they do. The Aardman special builds a small Christmas journey out of felt figures, a wish, and a very large world from a bird’s height. A cat supplies its main scare.
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Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (2014)
5.4/10on IMDb
Released
This stop-motion television special gives Buddy’s trip to New York the staging and songs of a short musical. Take it when you want a compact version of the story about enthusiasm meeting a much less enthusiastic city.
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Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas (2021)
7.2/10on IMDb
Released
A search for a bigger stocking leaves one little sheep farther from home than the flock intended. Aardman uses miniature rooms and the sheep’s habit of acting together to tell a mostly dialogue-free Christmas rescue.
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Alien Xmas (2020)
6.3/10on IMDb
Released
An alien arrives to steal Earth’s gravity and comes across a Christmas operation with a lot of generosity to spare. This is an outer-space alternative to the old North Pole specials, with small woolly shapes and mechanical surprises forming the stop-motion world.
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It's a SpongeBob Christmas! (2012)
7.2/10on IMDb
Released
Plankton tries to change how Santa judges Bikini Bottom by convincing other residents to behave more like him. The Nickelodeon holiday special uses stop-motion for its undersea Christmas lights, fruitcake, and comic experiments with who seems naughty.
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SpongeBob and Sandy’s Country Christmas (2024)
6.8/10on IMDb
Released
Sandy’s experiment leaves her family and friends with a Christmas rescue to carry out. The standalone 2024 Nickelodeon special uses stop-motion and brings the Cheeks family into the solution, giving it a different story from the earlier fruitcake-and-Plankton special.
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Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
5.8/10on IMDb
Released
Mickey and his friends are prepared for a holiday at a snowy cabin until Santa’s trip goes wrong. The short has a simple rescue story and stop-motion holiday sets, useful when viewers know the characters but want something different from their usual animation.
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Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
6.8/10on IMDb
Released
A donkey’s unusually long ears first make him an outsider and later help him find a place in the Nativity story. The 1977 Rankin/Bass special is a sadder choice than Rudolph, with a difficult early loss and a gentler final purpose.
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The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975)
6.7/10on IMDb
Released
A young shepherd taken in by a group of nuns hears about snow while they prepare for a Christmas pageant. The 1975 Rankin/Bass special uses its miniature abbey and fields to make the scale of a first snowfall matter.
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Nutcracker Fantasy (1979)
6.7/10on IMDb
Released
Sanrio’s 1979 stop-motion feature leads Clara from a Christmas gift into a darker puppet fantasy. The strange figures and slower movement suit viewers interested in a less familiar Christmas film. Look for the original film, which was later reworked into a 3D edition.
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Pinocchio's Christmas (1980)
6.3/10on IMDb
Released
Pinocchio wants a present for Geppetto, but different plans pull him away from getting home. Look for the 1980 puppet special if you want a familiar wooden character in a Christmas story that can be watched separately from the longer Pinocchio films.
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The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
7.2/10on IMDb
Released
This 1985 Rankin/Bass version adapts L. Frank Baum through the story of a foundling raised among immortals. It lets woodland beings and unusual lawmaking explain why Santa can keep bringing toys to children. It is distinct from the animated version released in 2000.
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The Star of Bethlehem (1956)
6.3/10on IMDb
Released
Lotte Reiniger retells the Nativity with paper silhouettes whose shapes advance in tiny movements. Pick this short when you want to see how stop-motion looks without three-dimensional puppet faces. Follow the dark figures and ornamental backgrounds as their procession unfolds.
More about The Star of Bethlehem19
A Christmas Dream (1945)
6.6/10on IMDb
Released
In the 1945 Czech short, a girl’s old rag doll comes to life after newer toys claim her attention. The doll’s stop-motion movements among ordinary objects make it a playful early answer to a familiar Christmas problem. Look for the original Czech version if you want the story told by music and images.
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The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (1981)
6.2/10on IMDb
Released
A sailor reaches an island and lets a dangerous spirit out just as the leprechauns have reason to guard their gold. This 1981 Rankin/Bass puppet short mixes a Christmas deadline with a different set of magical creatures from its usual reindeer and elves.
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The Little Drummer Boy: Book II (1976)
6.5/10on IMDb
Released
The later Rankin/Bass special sends Aaron to help protect a set of silver bells. It uses a different story from the 1968 original, with the making and sound of the bells becoming as important as the boy’s little drum.
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