by Jaime Rodriguez
It’s the holiday season and Christmas is nearly upon us, so it’s time to get into the holiday spirit! The following are some great, family-friendly holiday-themed movies that feature audio description with information about where you can find them.
First up is A Charlie Brown Christmas, a classic 1965 animated TV special that is based on the Peanuts comics by Charles M. Schulz. In the special, title character Charlie Brown finds himself depressed upon the arrival of the holiday season. Trying to get into the holiday spirit leads him to seek out the true meaning of Christmas. You can stream A Charlie Brown Christmas with audio description here with a subscription to AppleTV+.
Another animated holiday-themed film is the 2004 movie The Polar Express, based on the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. The movie follows a young boy who boards a mysterious North Pole-bound train that stopped outside his house on Christmas Eve. During the adventure, the boy is offered the first gift of the season. Choosing a special gift that only works “for all who truly believe”. You can stream The Polar Express with audio description here with a subscription to HBO Max.
Elf is a live action film that follows the story of a man named Buddy who had crawled into Santa’s sack as a baby and was given to an elf to raise. Growing up, Buddy thought himself to be an elf only to find out later that he’s human, causing his Christmas-obsessed self to seek out his biological father in New York City. You can stream Elf with audio description here with a subscription to HBO Max.
Up next is Disney’s A Christmas Carol, which is an animated reproduction of Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name. It follows the gradual evolution of a miserly man named Scrooge who has no holiday spirit. Scrooge is visited by ghosts of Christmas past, present, and Christmas yet to come, who show him his life from a different perspective, causing him to change his miserly ways. You can stream Disney’s A Christmas Carol with audio description here with a subscription to Disney+
Home Alone stars the young Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, whose family accidentally forgets him at home when they travel to Paris for vacation at holiday time. Kevin initially loves his freedom without his family, but finds himself missing them as he fends off the “Wet Bandits”, criminals who repeatedly try to burglarize the family home. You can stream Home Alone with audio description here with a subscription to Disney+
The Santa Clause is a film starring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, who accidentally startled Santa, causing him to fall off his roof. With his son Charlie in tow, Scott dons Santa’s suit and inadvertently becomes contractually bound to become Santa, with all that entails. You can stream “The Santa Clause” with audio description here with a subscription to Disney +
And last but not least is the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life, a movie about businessman George Bailey who mistakenly lost a large sum of money on Christmas Eve. Fearing that he would be held accountable and that his family would suffer for it, he imagines a life in which he never existed. An angel then visits him and shows him what life would’ve been like if he’d never been born, shocking George and making him regret wishing he’d never existed. You can stream It’s a Wonderful Life with audio description here with a subscription to Amazon Prime.
Happy holidays, everyone!
