Oscar Nominated Christmas Movies

If you’ve followed me or this blog for any period of time, you likely know that I love the Oscars. And, based on the 25+ articles from the last month, I love Christmas movies. So in this article I will combine those two interests to look at every (I think) nominated Christmas movie in the history of the Academy Awards in chronological order. You can find a Letterboxd list with all these movies as well HERE. Let’s get to it. Oh & happy Christmas Eve if you’re watching this on the day it’s published!

Holiday Land (1934) - The first Christmas film to garner recognition at the Academy Awards was at the 7th ceremony. ‘Holiday Land’ was an animated short from Screen Gems, starring their lead character, Scrappy. The short was nominated for Best Animated Short but lost to Disney’s ‘The Tortoise and the Hare.’

The Little Match Girl (1937) - The second film here is another animated short from Screen Gems. Like ‘Holiday Land’ it was nominated in the Best Animated Short category and lost to a Disney short, ‘The Old Mill.’ It’s based on the 1840s fairy tale of the same name.

Holiday (1938) - The first feature length film on our list, ‘Holiday’ is a rom com starring Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant. It follows Grant’s character a self-made man, who is engaged to a woman from a wealthy family, navigating the differences between their lifestyles. It was nominated at the 11th Academy Awards for Best Art Direction but lost to ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood.’ The film currently has a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and received a release from The Criterion Collection.

Peace on Earth (1939) - This short film tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world only inhabited by animals after humans went extinct due to ongoing war. The lead is an elderly squirrel (voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc) recounting the story of humans to his family on Christmas Eve. It is considered one of the first cartoons to be about an important relevant topic from one the major studios, as it was an MGM production. It was nominated in the Best Animated Short category and lost to Disney’s ‘The Ugly Duckling.’

The Night Before Christmas (1941) - This Hanna Barbera short features some of the company’s most famous characters, Tom & Jerry. It was the third cartoon in the cat and mouse series and was nominated for Best Animated Short. In a shocking outcome, it lost to Disney’s ‘Lend a Paw,’ starring Mickey Mouse.

Holiday Inn (1942) - I haven’t seen this film myself, but I believe it actually jumps through a whole year’s worth of holidays, so I don’t know if it would categorically fit as a Christmas movie. Regardless, it is the first film on this list to receive multiple nominations and the first to secure a win! The Bing Crosby led musical received nominations in the Best Score & Best Original Story, and it won Best Original Song for the eventual holiday classic, ‘White Christmas.’

Christmas Holiday (1944) - A film noir starring Deanna Durbin & Gene Kelly, the film follows a woman who finds herself in an abusive marriage and sheds her former identity after her husband’s arrest. The film is told through a series of flashbacks on Christmas Eve and received a nomination for Best Musical Score.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) - The second highest grossing film of 1944, this MGM Technicolor musical directed by Vincente Minnelli stars Judy Garland and has become a classic film in modern day. The film received nominations in four competitive Oscar categories, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography - Color, Best Musical Scoring, & Best Song. It also won the non-competitive Academy Juvenile Award for Margaret O’Brien’s performance. 

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - One of the most famous Christmas films of all-time, this film received 5 competitive nominations, including 3 in the ‘Big Five’ categories. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for James Stewart, Best Film Editing, & Best Sound Recording. It was also awarded a Technical Achievement Award for the development of a new method to simulate falling snow on film.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) - A rom com that follows a New York City vagrant inviting several strangers to shelter with him in a vacant mansion of the Christmas holidays, this film was nominated for Best Story, but actually lost to another Christmas movie with a NYC street in its name…

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - One of the few films on the list to have several wins to its name, this classic beloved film was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to ‘Gentleman’s Agreement.’ However it did win Best Screenplay, Best Story, & won Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwenn’s performance as Santa Claus. I love that there’s an Oscar winner who won for playing Santa. That’s just so fun.

The Bishop’s Wife (1947) - 1947 was a really good year for Christmas movies with this being the third film on this list receiving nominations at the 20th Academy Awards. This film received 5 nominations, winning for Best Sound Recording. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Comedy or Drama Score.

Toy Tinkers (1949) - Returning to the Best Animated Short category, we get this Disney short starring Chip n Dale as they try to steal a bowl of nuts from Donald Duck. This short lost in its category to ‘For Scent-imental Reasons’ a Looney Tunes short starring Pepé Le Pew.

White Christmas (1954) - Taking its name from the song that won an Oscar a decade prior, this film also stars Bing Crosby and was actually the first ever film released on Vista Vision. It was nominated in the Best Original Song category for it’s tune ‘Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.’ 

Christmas Cracker (1963) - Yet another short film, this film was nominated in the Best Animated Short category at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to ‘The Pink Phink’ the debut short of the Pink Panther. This 9 minute long short features 3 vignettes, all themed around the Christmas season.

The Lion in Winter (1968) - A 1968 historical drama about King Henry II of England, I actually haven’t seen this, so I’m not 100% confident it’s a Christmas film. But I felt it was better to include it just in case. It is the most nominated movie on this list & ties ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ for its 3 wins. It won Katharine Hepburn her third award in the Best Actress category, also taking home Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. The film also garnered nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Peter O’Toole), & Best Costume Design.

Scrooge (1970) - A musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novella, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ this film went 0-4 on it’s nominations at the 43rd Academy Awards. It was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song Score, & Best Original Song. It’s lead, Albert Finney, also notably won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role as the eponymous grouch.

A Christmas Carol (1971) - Charles Dickens’ story was actually represented at back-to-back ceremonies when this TV special won the award for Best Animated Short. The film is known for including several details that had been excluded from previous adaptations and make the film a little ominous due to their intensity.

The Snowman (1982) - Over ten years after our last short came this British short that would earn a Best Animated Short nomination. The film has no dialogue & has become a beloved short in the UK, airing annually during the Christmas season.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) - During the early years of the Academy Awards, Mickey Mouse & Disney ruled the Animated Short category. But for over three decades Mickey didn’t earn a single nomination until the streak ended when this 1983 film ended the drought that had lasted since 1948. The film is Disney’s take on ‘A Christmas Carol’ with Scrooge McDuck filling the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Trading Places (1983) - This Eddie Murphy & Dan Aykroyd comedy was a hit in the 80s and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, though it lost to ‘Yentl.’ The film also helped launch both Murphy & Aykroyd in A-list stardom.

Lethal Weapon (1987) - Another one I admittedly haven’t seen, I don’t know if it would meet my Christmas movie criteria, but I’m including it nonetheless. The buddy cop movie was nominated for Best Sound, though it lost to ‘The Last Emperor.’

Die Hard (1988) - Yep, it is a Christmas movie. And it earned a surprisingly high 4 nominations at the Oscars, for Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, & Best Sound Effects Editing. Though it unfortunately didn’t take home any of its awards, losing three of them to ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’

Scrooged (1988) - Nominated at the same awards as ‘Die Hard,’ the 61st Academy Awards, this Bill Murray led, modern day adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ earned a single nomination for ‘Best Makeup,’ though the award went to ‘Beetlejuice.’

Edward Scissorhands (1990) - I should probably stop admitting I haven’t seen some of these, but I just want to make it known I don’t actually know if they should qualify as Christmas movie or not. That’s true with this Tim Burton directed film, which was nominated for Best Makeup.

Home Alone (1990) - This film helped contribute to the impressive legacy of composer John Williams as he was the person behind the films two nominations, in the Best Original Score & Best Original Song categories. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Very few feature length animated films were nominated prior at the Oscars prior to the introduction of the Best Animated Feature category in 2001. However this film did earn a nomination, for Best Visual Effects.

The Preacher’s Wife (1996) - A remake of the previously mentioned ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ starring Denzel Washington, Courtney B. Vance, & Whitney Houston, the score for this film was nominated in the Best Original Musical or Comedy Score category, but lost to ‘Emma.’

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) - The Jim Carrey led live action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ holiday story, the film was nominated in three categories at the 73rd Academy Awards. It lost Best Art Direction to ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and lost Best Costume Design to ‘Gladiator.’ It justifiably took home the award for Best Makeup.

The Polar Express (2004) - A film that would become a holiday classic, this animated film earned three nominations, though none of them were in the Best Animated Feature category. It was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Song for ‘Believe.’

Joyeux Noël (2005) - A French war drama, this film centers on the World War I Christmas Truce of 1914. As far as I can tell, its the only Christmas movie to ever be nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The Little Matchgirl (2006) - Disney’s adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, this 7 minute short was nominated in the Best Animated Short category at the 79th Academy Awards, making it the second adaptation of the story to be nominated in that category.

Carol (2015) - A historical romantic drama starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara, this earned six nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, but lost in all six categories. It was nominated for Best Actress (Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, & Best Costume Design.

Klaus (2019) - One of the best recent Christmas films, this animated film was the first animated movie released by a streaming service nominated for an Academy Award, being a Netflix release. It lost the award for Best Animated Feature to ‘Toy Story 4,’ which I honestly just can’t get behind.

Robin Robin (2021) - Another Netflix release, this half hour short from Aardman was nominated for Best Animated Short at the 94th Academy Awards and is definitely worth a watch.

Le pupille (2022) - An Italian short film that was released on Disney+, this film follows a group of students at a boarding school during World War II, and was nominated for Best Live Action Short.

The Holdovers (2023) - And rounding out our list is the 5x nominated & 1x winner about an unlikely trio formed over the holiday break at a New England boarding school. The film won Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph and was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Original Screenplay, & Best Editing. And it also should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Dominic Sessa!