Movies like The Key to Christmas (2020)
The best movies like The Key to Christmas (2020) are Candy Cane Lane (2023), Kristin's Christmas Past (2013) and Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011). If The Key to Christmas hooked you with its comedy and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMiracle on 34th Street (1947)7.4/10 from 885 votes
- NewestThat Christmas (2024)Released 2024
Candy Cane Lane (2023)
Determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, family man Chris makes a pact with an elf to help him out-do the competition. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, unleashing chaos on the small unsuspecting town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKristin's Christmas Past (2013)
Kristin, a cynical 34-year-old, drinks a mysterious champagne on Christmas Eve and wakes up seventeen years in the past, sharing a room with her 17-year-old self. Given the chance to change the worst Christmas of her life, she attempts to fix past mistakes, only to discover surprising truths about her family that may help her mend her present-day relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011)
A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa's sleigh, crash lands in a small town, and loses the magic toy bag. Beethoven must rescue the elf, recover the bag from greedy crooks, and return the sleigh to Santa in time to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDashing Through the Snow (2023)
Eddie Garrick is a good-hearted man who has lost his belief in the wonder of Christmas. While spending time with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on Christmas Eve, he befriends a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Santa Clause 2 (2002)
Better watch out! The big guy in red is coming to town once again. This time, Scott Calvin -- also known as Santa Claus -- finds out there's an obscure clause in his contract requiring him to take on a wife. He has to leave the North Pole to fulfill his obligations, or else he'll be forced to give up his Yuletide gig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElf (2003)
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020)
Kate Pierce is reluctantly spending Christmas with her mom’s new boyfriend and his son Jack. But when the North Pole and Christmas are threatened to be destroyed, Kate and Jack are unexpectedly pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoelle (2019)
Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as Santa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShorts (2009)
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGodmothered (2020)
A young and unskilled fairy godmother that ventures out on her own to prove her worth by tracking down a young girl whose request for help was ignored. What she discovers is that the girl has now become a grown woman in need of something very different than a "prince charming."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFamily Switch (2023)
When the Walker family members switch bodies with each other during a rare planetary alignment, their hilarious journey to find their way back to normal will bring them closer together than they ever thought possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasper Meets Wendy (1998)
When a warlock threatens Wendy the Good Little Witch, she and her aunts hide out at a resort where Casper the Ghost is vacationing with his uncles. Although Casper and Wendy are told ghosts and witches don't get along, the two are kindred spirits! This spooky family-friendly adventure finds Casper and Wendy bridging the ghost-witch divide to battle the warlock who is intent on destroying Wendy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008)
Step brothers Drake and Josh must give a foster family the best Christmas ever or face years in jail for a Christmas party gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020)
A rich and nasty woman returns to her hometown to evict everyone but discovers the true meaning of Christmas thanks to the local townsfolk – and an actual angel. Features 14 original songs with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisTo Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
When precocious twins Sarah and Julie feel like Mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to their grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
Follows Ralphie, now adult, who returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2022)
When Brian Conway, a successful businessman whose family relationships have suffered, gets in a car accident on Christmas Eve, Santa gives him twelve chances to redo the day and repair the relationships in his life, including with his daughter Michelle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSanta Claus: The Movie (1985)
In ancient times, a man named Claus, who delivers toys in his small village, fulfils his destiny to become Santa Claus after meeting an expert toy-making elf, Patch, in the North Pole. In the present day, Santa Claus has become overwhelmed by his workload, and the disgruntled Patch flees the workshop to New York City. There, Patch unknowingly threatens the fate of Christmas by taking a job at a failing toy company run by a scheming businessman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
When a huge snowstorm leaves everyone stranded, Mickey and all of his guests at the House of Mouse, including Pooh, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel and many more of his old and new friends, break out the cookies and hot chocolate to help Donald mend his tattered Christmas spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThat Christmas (2024)
It's an unforgettable Christmas for the townsfolk of Wellington-on-Sea when the worst snowstorm in history alters everyone's plans — including Santa's.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)
Can there be such a thing as too much Christmas? Find out... when a magical Christmas wish is granted and Elmo gets to see what the world would be like if every day were Christmas! You'll enjoy lots of songs and holiday cheer with Elmo and his new friend Lightning, the reindeer, and discover for yourself why Christmas is best kept to one day a year!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy's following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magic Garden Christmas Special (1981)
This once-lost 1981 holiday special has now become a WPIX holiday tradition!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
Mickey, Minnie and their pals attempt to celebrate the perfect Christmas at their snowy cabin. However, when Pluto causes Santa to lose all the presents on his sleigh, the friends travel to the North Pole on a quest to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCasper's Haunted Christmas (2000)
Kibosh, supreme ruler of all ghosts, decrees that casper must scare at least one person before Christmas Day so Casper visits Kriss, Massachusetts where he meets the Jollimore family and sets out to complete his mission. As usual, kindhearted Casper has a ghastky time trying to scare anyone; so The Ghostly Trio, fed up with his goody-boo-shoes behavior, secretly hires Casper's look-alike cousin Spooky to do the job-with hilarious results.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Three Investigators in The Secret of Skeleton Island (2007)
The hobby detectives “The Three Investigators” want to take a little break. So they take advantage of an offer from Peter's father, who has accepted a job in South Africa and wants to take the detectives there. But Jupiter, Peter and Bob wouldn't be the three investigators marks feared by the criminal world if they just lounged around in the sun on their vacation. So it's no wonder that the clever boys soon have their next case to solve...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Angel (1989)
It's holiday season and Christmas decorations come alive again. As her first Christmas Eve approaches, the Little Angel is eager to find her own place in the world. But to her surprise, all the Christmas positions seem to be filled.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Gendarme Gets Married (1968)
The Saint-Tropez police launch a major offensive against dangerous drivers. Marechal Cruchot (Louis de Funès) relishes the assignment, which he pursues with a manic zeal. Cruchot is after an offending driver, who turns out to be Josépha (Claude Gensac), the widow of a highly regarded police colonel. When they meet, Cruchot falls instantly in love....
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMegan's Christmas Miracle (2018)
Christmas story about a teenage girl that finds hope in a magical nativity display at her church.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Key to Christmas?
The closest matches to The Key to Christmas are Candy Cane Lane (2023), Kristin's Christmas Past (2013) and Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Key to Christmas?
Start with Candy Cane Lane (2023), the closest match to The Key to Christmas.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Key to Christmas?
Miracle on 34th Street (1947), rated 7.4/10 by 885 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Key to Christmas?
That Christmas (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Key to Christmas?
Yes: Candy Cane Lane (2023), Kristin's Christmas Past (2013) and Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011).
How are movies similar to The Key to Christmas chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Key to Christmas, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.