Christmas Movies 2010

if you are looking for Christmas movies at the cinema this year, the 2010 release schedule isn't exactly full-up of Christmas cheer. In fact, there is only one genuine Christmas movie for 2010 -- The Nutcracker in 3D. It is a 3D musical starring Nathan Lane, John Turturro, and Elle Fanning as Mary. The release date is November 24th, 2010. I'm not quite sure how much the movie has to do with the story of the original Nutcracker. It looks very steampunk and cool though.

I've seen no advertising for this movie at all at the theatre. The finances for the film are Hungarian, so we'll see if it even gets a wide release in the US. You can watch the trailer for it below and see what you think.

As for other Christmas Movies 2010? Well, your best bet this year is to turn to Blu-ray and DVD releases, of which we have quite a few, so here's what you can expect. So pick up a couple of Christmas movies to watch at home, put another log on the fire, break out the egg nog and get yourself some popcorn and curl up on the couch with the rest of the family.

For the absolute classics, you no longer have to rely on the TV schedule or your TiVo. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has finally been released on Blu-Ray, along with his friends Frosty, Santa Claus and the Abominable Snowman.

The new Blu-Ray and the original DVD boxed sets includes three classic Christmas movies by Rankin and Bass, and one cash-in special (Frosty Returns) ;)

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. Frosty Returns

On the DVD boxed set which was released in 2007, you also get three other films: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol; The Little Drummer Boy; and Cricket on the Hearth. Mr Magoo is not by Rankin and Bass, but the the other two are and Cricket on the Hearth is usually not aired on TV, so it is a bit of a must have as it is a little known gem.

For my money, I would probably go with the original boxed set here. The Blu-Ray release certainly looks fine enough in 1080p, but the transfer isn't mind-blowing. So if you just want more bang for your buck (and more Christmas movies!), pick up the DVDs. Of course, if you can't bring yourself to watch standard definition anymore, the Blu-Ray is for you :)

Disney's A Christmas Carol is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 16th, 2010, so by the time you read this, you may be able to pick it up at the store, or stick it in your Amazon cart now as a pre-order and you'll have it before Thanksgiving.

Starring Jim Carrey, who is making a habit of being in great Christmas movies, and directed by Robert Zemeckis (director of that other holiday classic, The Polar Express), this Disney animated film tells the classic story of Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future (all of whom are played by Jim Carrey). It is a MUST HAVE if you love Christmas movies. The animation is excellent and in some cases I find myself forgetting that it is animated.

The film is also surprisingly faithful to Dickens' work, with most of the dialogue coming straight from the novella. Of course, this also makes it somewhat darker than your typical Christmas tale, so if you have young children who scare easily, you may want to stick to Rudolph and Frosty (although frankly, I was such an impressionable child that I found even parts of those movies scary, so I guess it depends on your kids LOL)

It's a great movie and it will look particularly good on your HD television, so I recommend picking up the Blu-Ray release even if you don't have HD or Blu-Ray yet. Since this release comes with four discs, including the standard definition DVD, if you are planning on upgrading to HD anytime in the near future, it is your best bet.

Can't get enough of A Christmas Carol or maybe you just hate Jim Carrey and/or animation? You're in luck.

Also being released on Blu-Ray in November 2010 is the 1984 television movie, A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. This quite faithful adaption of Dickens' original story by Clive Donner features an excellent performance by George S. Scott and the supporting cast are all great too.

I haven't seen any news about potential features on this release, so I don't even know if it is a remaster. I personally would wait to pick this up after its release date (November 9th) on Blu-Ray so you can make sure the transfer is worth owning.

What? You thought we were done with releases of A Christmas Carol for Christmas movies 2010? Nope, not yet! I'm starting to think I should have devoted a hub just to A Christmas Carol. Maybe I will do that later.

I mentioned Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol up the page a bit, as it is included in the DVD boxed set of the Original Christmas Classics by Rankin and Bass, but it is not included in the new Blu-Ray boxed set -- and that's because it gets its very own dedicated Blu-Ray release, dropping on the same date, November 16th, 2010. It's a short feature, running only 52 minutes, bu the current price is only $14.99 so if you love Mr Magoo, Rankin and Bass holiday movies or simply can't get enough of A Christmas Carol, it's a must buy.

It really is a bit of a bonanza for classic Christmas movies being released for the first time on Blu-Ray this year. Next up, we have the Bing Crosby classic, White Christmas, which also stars Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.It was just released on Blu-Ray in November so it's time to add it to your shopping cart so you'll be all set to watch it right after Thanksgiving.

This movie looks GREAT on Blu-Ray so I would classify this new release as a MUST RE-BUY. I personally hate re-buying movies that I already own, but White Christmas has never really looked that great on DVD and while last year's DVD release was an improvement, it wasn't all that special, so now it is your chance to get a copy of it that looks as good as it should - the colors really pop! It's a great 1080p transfer with some nice bonus features that are also in HD, such as Rosemary's Clooney's Old Kentucky Home and Irving Berlin's White Christmas.

Okay, I just covered the major releases for the holiday season for 2010 on Blu-Ray and DVD. That's not all there is though, so here's a list of some other titles you may want to consider. All of these are new on Blu-Ray this year, and some of them are new on DVD as well (but others were previously released on DVD so only the Blu-Ray is new). Have fun and have a very happy Christmas watching your favorite classic Christmas flicks!