Disney Channel knows how to get in the Christmas spirit. From their old classics to their newer programming, the creators of the network have come up with wonderful family stories of all kinds. Amid the busyness of shopping and preparations, Disney Channel kids could stop and take a breather with their favorite characters each year.
The holiday season is a special time of year, from cooking or baking traditional foods to binge-watching favorite seasonal movies. All those questions fans have about Disney Channel and the holidays are answered here, just in time to relive the magic on Disney+.
Updated on December 1st, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: With the holidays approaching, there’s nothing better than reminiscing on that childlike wonder for the holidays than binging some of Disney Channel’s specials, original movies, and episodes that revolved around the holiday spirit. With a combination of new and old, there’s something for everyone in the family on the Disney Channel. At the same time, each rewatch or binge offers new questions for viewers
Who Was In The Ultimate Christmas Present?
The Ultimate Christmas Present premiered in the holiday season of 2000, making it Disney Channel's first Christmas DCOM. Hallee Hirsh played the main character, Allie Thompson, Brenda Song played her best friend, Sam, Spencer Breslin played the annoying but cute little brother, and Hallie Todd from Lizzie McGuire played the mom.
In the movie, the four characters are snowed in at home for much of the movie while Allie's dad is stuck at an airport, but a few other characters are important to note. Former NBA player John Salley was an elf, and Peter Scolari from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show was a sneaky weatherman out to get to the bottom of Santa's weather machine. The combination of familiar faces made this one of the best 2000s Disney Channel original movies.
Which Holiday Episodes Can Be Streamed On Disney+?
Disney+ doesn’t just have the Disney Channel original movies ready for viewing for the holidays, it also has a plethora of holiday-themed episodes. Even better, new and old shows can be binged on Disney+.
Shows like A.N.T. Farm, Austin and Ally, Jessie, K.C. Undercover, Liv & Maddie, and more have plenty of winter holiday episodes to get viewers into the magical spirit.
What’s The Highest-Rated Movie, According To IMDb?
Although there aren’t a lot of Christmas-themed DCOMs to choose from, they’re all ranked pretty highly on IMDb, proving that fans of all ages love these movies.
Among the four Disney Channel Original movies that are based on Christmas, the highest-rated movie on IMDb was Good Luck Charlie: It’s Christmas! With a 6.3 rating. In the movie, Teddy and Amy find themselves separated from their family for the holidays, prompting them to find a way from Utah to California in time for Christmas Eve.
How Many Christmas DCOMs Are There?
As of 2022, there are only four Disney Channel Original Movies about Christmas. After The Ultimate Christmas Present, Santa got a lot naughtier in 'Twas the Night (2001), starring Bryan Cranston pre-Breaking Bad. Disney waited 10 years to do another Christmas movie, Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas! (2011).
The next Yuletide DCOM that premiered in 2021 closed another decade-long gap for Christmas movies for the channel, Christmas... Again?! Disney's Christmas-themed movies are some of the best of all time.
Did Every Show Get A Holiday Episode?
Not every Disney Channel original show got a holiday episode, but some of the more popular ones did. In the days of Zoog Disney, the Christmas special was slowly introduced to the Disney Channel original series. So Weird, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, The Proud Family, Kim Possible and That's So Raven all had special holiday episodes.
As the 2000s marched on, Phil of the Future, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Hannah Montana got Christmas episodes, too. The tradition has been preserved into the 2010s with shows like Good Luck Charlie and Girl Meets World. A standout exception is Wizards of Waverly Place, which never got to bring its wizard Santa to life. It's nice that Raven came full circle, doing a Christmas episode for Raven's Home in 2019, however.
Why Were There More Halloween Programs Than Christmas?
This is a question that's never been officially answered. However, there are a few reasonable guesses. Disney Channel's episodes are pretty much equal when it comes to Halloween and Christmas, but there is a clear disparity between the Halloween and Christmas DCOMs.
Disney Channel made a big to-do out of Halloween every year and rarely let the season go by without a fresh new DCOM. This is why the Disney Channel has some of the best Halloween movies on television. The holidays, however, may have been trickier. As Disney has such a wide audience, it's theorized the network didn't want to delve too deeply into religious observances of the season.
Did Disney Channel Do Anything For Hanukkah?
Gordo on Lizzie McGuire is Jewish, so his faith occasionally comes up in the series. Hanukkah oddly doesn't figure into the show's holiday episode, though. Even Stevens is the show that finally delivered a family observance of Hanukkah.
There is a great DCOM that includes Hanukkah called Full-Court Miracle (2003) starring Alex D. Linz. A yeshiva's basketball team needs a boost, and they get some help from the first Black basketball player to graduate from the University of Virginia, Lamont Carr. The boys think that Lamont is an incarnation of the Jewish hero Judah Maccabee. He helped the team improve by leaps and bounds, and the team in the movie wins a tournament game of the abundance of a generator's fuel, likening the victory to that of the Maccabees with the oil to light up the temple.
Are There Any Thanksgiving Episodes?
Thanksgiving episodes are a staple for some beloved sitcoms, but Disney Channel never embraced these autumnal delights too much.
In 1999, 2000, and 2001, The Famous Jett Jackson, The Jersey, and So Weird all got Thanksgiving episodes. The network wouldn't air a proper Thanksgiving episode again until 2011 with Good Luck Charlie. There seems to be no outright aversion to the holiday, but it sure fell by the wayside over time. Although there aren't many, these were some of the best Disney Channel holiday episodes.
How Religious Did The Christmas Shows Get?
The true meaning of Christmas always crops up here and there, but Disney Channel doesn't usually put a religious spin on this sentiment. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody has the most Christian perspective on the holiday since a modern-day Mary and Joseph literally come to the "inn" and birth their baby in an elevator.
Matt McGuire quotes the biblical Christmas story in Lizzie McGuire's "Xtreme Xmas," And Full-Court Miracle isn't shy about introducing Jewish tradition. It's a balance, and Disney Channel has done pretty well with that through the years.
Wasn't There A Disney Christmas Parade?
In addition to the annual tradition of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, there is also a Disney Christmas Day parade. All of Disney Channel's big-name pop stars have shown up in their eras of popularity, singing some of the best songs from the Disney Channel.
It might not get as much traction as the November event, but the parade was a lot of fun since it blended the classic Disney characters with newer stars and music.
What Did Disney Channel Do About New Year's?
In commercials, the Disney Channel liked to make New Year's Eve a great party for kids. This often meant that cast members of different shows would help with the countdown or invite audiences at home to relive their favorite episodes of the year.
In the shows and movies themselves, New Year's was fleeting. One of the best songs in the High School Musical trilogy, "Start of Something New," took place on New Year's Eve. It sets the tone for the beginning of High School Musical, and it pops up in a 2012 Disney Channel crossover called Austin & Jessie & Ally All-Star New Year. New Year's was also the subject of a 2015 Girl Meets World episode, and Andi Mack had a storyline about the Chinese New Year in 2017.
Did Disney Channel Make Any Holiday Playlists?
There are a few, and the most notable is Disney Channel Holiday from 2007. Individual stars and groups had already begun making Christmas albums through Disney, like Hilary Duff with Santa Claus Lane (2002) and The Cheetah Girls with Cheetah-licious Christmas (2005).
Disney Channel Holiday brought together multiple soloists and groups, like Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, and Aly & AJ. In fact, some of these Disney songs aren't talked about enough come the holiday season.