by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
October 31, 2020
I am one of those people who refuses to acknowledge the Christmas holidays until at least after Halloween. I’d honestly prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving as its own holiday, and not just as the best time to shop for Christmas.
Despite the fact that my local stores have had a Christmas aisle(s) for nearly three weeks now, and even Disney has started putting up Christmas decorations at Walt Disney World, I will not give the slightest nod to Christmas until at least November 1. Which is after Halloween. Which is still too early for me. Which just happens to be tomorrow.
So, if we’re officially entering the Christmas zone, and tonight will see the final airing of Hocus Pocus on Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween” while you are handing out Snickers’ bars to the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood, what comes next on the Freeform channel?
Freeform’s Kickoff to Christmas begins tomorrow (November 1) and will run all month long, with such warm and fuzzy holiday favorites as E.T. the Extra Terrestrial; Jingle All the Way (1 & 2); Deck the Halls; Mathilda; Christmas with the Kranks; The Hunger Games, in varying editions; Alvin and the Chipmunks; The Santa Claus (1, 2 & 3); Miracle on 34th Street (1994); The Preacher’s Wife; Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009); A Cinderella Story; Prancer Returns; Home Alone (1 & 2); Snow; The Mistle-Tones; and Boxtrolls.
There’s also a plethora of Disney/Pixar offerings filling the month, with Coco; Frozen; Hercules; Finding Nemo; Finding Dory; Brave; Moana; The Emperor’s New Groove; Inside Out; Zootopia; The Princess and the Frog; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Beauty and the Beast (1991); The Incredibles; Chicken Little; Tarzan; Wreck-It Ralph; A Bug’s Life; Tangled; Mulan; Up; Mary Poppins (1964); Lilo & Stitch; Wall-E; Cars (1, 2 & 3); Zootopia; Bolt; Monsters, Inc.; The Little Mermaid; Ratatouille; and Pocahontas on the schedule. Other animated shows will include Shrek; The Simpsons; the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs roundups; Minions; and Despicable Me 3.
Freeform will also premier showings of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000); The Magic Snowflake; A Very Merry Muppet Movie; Santa’s Apprentice; The Secret Life of Pets; Christopher Robin (2018); A Wrinkle in Time; Black Nativity; and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
And in case you didn’t get enough of it during the “31 Nights of Halloween,” or because you think it’s a Christmas movie instead of a Halloween flick, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas remains in the line-up, as does Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. The Goonies also stays on the schedule, carrying over from the Halloween extravaganza as well.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and it only carries you through November 30, when the 25 Days of Christmas schedule takes over December 1, bringing you such entertaining goodies as … well, many of the same movies as the “Kickoff to Christmas” line-up, including The Santa Claus trilogy; Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas; Deck the Halls; Snow (1 & 2); Christmas with the Kranks; Miracle on 34th Street (1994); The Preacher’s Wife; Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009); Prancer Returns; Home Alone (1 & 2); and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) all reappearing.
For those of you looking for the more traditional classics you grew up with, Freeform will be adding Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town; and The Little Drummer Boy in mid-December, as well as newer favs such as Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice and The Star.
If you are interested in the entire listing, as well as the days and times, you can connect with the Freeform Kickoff to Christmas schedule here, or the 25 Days of Christmas schedule here.
__________
Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
