My Top 10 Favorite Animated Christmas Episodes

   For every TV series I grew up with or still watch today, I always look forward to the annual Christmas episodes. It’s a special time when an all too familiar TV program can get a Bright Colorful makeover and swim with the best of what one of my favorite holidays has to offer. Originally, I was going to countdown my top 10 favorite Christmas episodes from any TV program, but then I realized that there’s more than enough live action Christmas Sit-com episodes to fill its own top 10 list. So, to make sure that I highlight as many great Christmas episodes as I can, I’m going to keep it simple and just stick to episodes from animated programs. Also, I’m not including TV specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” because they weren’t actually episodes from a TV show, they were just specials featuring the popular characters. With all that said, here are my personal top 10 favorite Christmas episodes from animated TV shows.

#10 “Xmas Marks the Spot” from “The Real Ghostbusters” 

(Season 1 - Ep.13) 

   You’d think that the Ghostbusters would be the least likely to have a Christmas themed episode, let alone a good one, but the set up for their yuletide outing is quite clever. On their way home for Christmas Eve, the Ghostbusters find themselves unexpectedly tossed into the past where they aid a man who’s being haunted by three spirits. Once their task in complete they return to their present time only to find that no-one is celebrating Christmas anymore. Turns out that the man they aided in the past was none other than Ebenezer Scrooge himself, the ghosts were the Christmas spirits of past, present and future, and with their absence, everyone in the world is acting just like Scrooge. So, through a series of time-travel and journeying into a spiritual astral plane to rescue the Christmas spirits, it becomes a wild adventure with our hero’s aiming to restore the holiday. It’s a very creative merging of both Ghostbusters and the dickens classic. There’s even a touching arc revolving around the Ghostbuster Venkman as he never appreciated the holiday until it was gone. I think a lot of people can take something from the concept of not appreciating something precious until it’s not there anymore.       

#9 “Have Yourself a Morlock Little Christmas” from “X-Men: The Animated Series” 

(Season 4 – Ep.12) 

   When you combine superheroes with Christmas, you still expect some flashy action, just with a Christmas décor. However, this special Christmas X-Men episode takes a very mature approach by putting the action on hold, shelving the villains and gives us a touching story about giving to those less fortune. That may sound odd for the X-Men to pull off, but it’s executed very well, and they have a good set-up. While shopping for gifts, our hero’s notice a group of homeless mutants called the Morlocks stealing medical supplies. Turns out that a small mutant boy is at deaths door and our hero’s need to find a cure, which means canceling all their holiday plans to save the child. Thanks to the quick heroics of Wolverine, the boy is saved, and Jubilee gives all her gifts to the homeless, making it their best Christmas they’ve ever had. It’s simple, strait forward, and quiet refreshing for once to just see comic book characters act less “super-hero” and more “charitable-hero”.    

#8 “Xmas Story” from “Futurama” 

(Season 2 - Ep.8) 

   While I prefer Christmas specials or episodes that focus on the charity and beauty of the season, I do occasionally enjoy Christmas with some dark comedy thrown in. In this regard, “Futurama” gets it just right in their very first Christmas episode titled “Xmas Story”. In this shows odd-ball setting of the future, Christmas is a time when families and friends are brought together, not through peace or love, but because there’s a crazy, laser gun shooting robot Santa who’s determined that everyone’s holiday is a real “BLAST”. However, the boy from the past named Fry is feeling nostalgia for the original spirit of Christmas and is determined to go out and get his girlfriend Leela a present … even if that means battling an evil robot Santa in the prosses. It’s a hilarious concept with no shortage of funny quirks, like how a mistletoe is no match for robot Santa’s toe-missile. 

The animation on “Futurama” is already bright, colorful, and detailed, so it’s all the more appealing for a Christmas episode. John Goodman is fantastic as the evil Santa robot, and it’s pretty surreal hearing him as the voice of a villain, as opposed to all the nicer cartoon characters he usually voices. Also, despite all the over blown comedy and action, this episode still retains some spirit of the holiday and features some touching character moments. The scenes between Fry and Leela are quite charming and I love Leela’s statement that despite how they both feel alone in the universe, on Christmas they can at least be lonely … together. Funny, colorful, and unlike any other holiday episode, “Futurama’s” “Xmas Story” has become a small classic, and a surprisingly appealing off set to what we usually get for Christmas.   

#7 "Last Christmas!" from "DuckTales" (Season 2-Ep.6)

   The McDuck family is all happy celebrating Christmas … except for Scrooge, who needs no explanation, and Dewey who’s longing for his lost mother to spend the holiday with. In a surprise holiday twist, Scrooge McDuck is secretly visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, who confused him for … a different Scrooge. As someone who grew-up with the original “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” … I loved this set-up immediately! After establishing friendships with the ghosts, Scrooge is escorted back in time to a Christmas party from the past, with sneaky Dewy hitching a ride, as this may be the only chance to meet his mother. 

Scrooge of course realizes the real fun of Christmas is spending it with family, and Dewy has a touching meeting with both his younger uncle Donald and child version of his mother. All the characters come together in the end for a climactic showdown with a fierce snow-beast, which is the icing on this crazy holiday cake. No joke, this special takes what on paper could have been a simple wink to Disney fans, and goes the extra mile, with exciting action, touching character ties, some really funny gags, and it even ties into the larger narrative of the shows story.

 

#6 “Holidays of Future Passed” from "The Simpsons" 

(Season 23 - Ep.9) 

    Oh boy, “The Simpsons” have had no shortage of memorable Christmas themed episodes, especially their very first episode “Simpsons Roasting Over an Open Fire”, but my personal favorite without a doubt is “Holidays of Future Passed”. Most fans say the show died after season six, but I’d like to argue that there’s at least a handful of worthwhile episodes to come out in the new millennium. Case in point, I honestly think this episode from the twenty-third season has an absolutely perfect blending of classic Simpsons hummer and some genuinely touching moments. This episode is set years in the future and focuses on the struggles of the now grown-up Simpsons kids and the hardships their going through with their own children. Lisa doesn’t know how to connect to her doubter, Bart is a divorced dad trying to rekindle with his kids, Maggie is a pop superstar who’s going into labor (we hilariously still never hear her speak), and in a very cool twist, Homer Simpson himself has changed from a dead-beat dad to an awesome and loving grandfather. There’s lots of terrific jokes revolving around the future setting, and there’s great satire on how the youth of this new generation are becoming empty shells that just plug into the internet. 

The real strength of this episode are all the touching interactions between the characters as they question weather or not they made the right decisions in their lives, and how maybe it’s not too late to change for the better. The scene with grown-up Lisa and Bart sharing a drink while in their childhood tree house is one of my favorite moments that really hit this Christmas special home. Finally, I love how this episode is book-ended with the family Christmas photos, which is another charm that I just find touching. There’s plenty of good Simpsons Christmas episodes out there, but for me it’s “Holidays of Future Passed” that has the most staying power.   

   

#5 The Various Animaniacs Christmas Episodes 

    While I’ve been very selective with previous Christmas episodes from shows like “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”, I just couldn’t bring myself to highlight just one "Animaniacs" Christmas episode over another. Granted, not every Animaniacs Christmas short hits a bull’s eye, but the ones that are good are worth grouping together. Naturally, the Animaniacs have their own stab at “A Christmas Carol” titled “A Christmas Plotz”, which revolves around the grouchy WB studio manager, who’s visited by the ghostly characters from the novel, and all lovingly played by our favorite Warner characters. 

They also have their own version of “The Night Before Christmas” titled “Twas the Day Before Christmas”, which brings all the shows characters together for a funny little retelling of the classic poem. A favorite of mine is “Little Drummer Warners”, which is a strait forward musical telling of the nativity story, with the Warners bringing the gift of music. My absolute favorite by far is their “Noel” short, which is both a loving, and very creative parody of the famous Noel song. With upbeat music, colorful animation, and no shortage of funny highlights, the various "Animaniacs" Christmas episodes always have something special to add to the holiday season. 

#4 “On Angles Wings” from “X-Men: Evolution” 

(Season 2 – Ep.07) 

   The X-Men again make it on my countdown, but this time it’s from a different animated series, and personally this is the one I have more nostalgia for. It’s Christmas time in New York, and a new mutant with angle wings is getting the attention of the public. Some see him as a freak, while others view him as a guardian angel watching over the city. It’s not long before his activities get the attention of our hero’s and their arch enemy Magneto, who has his own interest in the young guardian. For an X-Men episode, this one contains all the good stuff ranging from touching character moments, to exciting battles with one of the shows best villains. However, it also works especially well as a Christmas episode. I love the way this was shot and paced, as it features some really nice quiet moments that allow both the visuals and music to create some rich atmosphere. 

We get some nice scenes of snow-covered New York locations at Christmas time, including Central Park, Washington Square and Rockefeller Center, and I just love looking at all the decorative details. I also admire this episode for focusing on the more spiritual side of Christmas, which is something that we don’t usually see in cartoons aimed at children. Cyclops ponders the possibility of a real guardian angel, Beast quotes a passage of the Bible (from Hebrews 13-2) and the climactic battle takes place inside a church. I don’t know if I can recommend this episode to anyone not familiar with the source material, but it’s definitely special to me, and one of my all time favorite Christmas themed superhero outings. 

#3 “A Pinky and the Brain Christmas” from “Pinky and the Brain” 

(Season 1 - Ep.8) 

     Now here’s a special case in which a single Christmas episode from a TV show was so good that it’s become a small classic in its own right. Perhaps I should say that it’s become a tradition for fans to re-watch this every year. I personally didn’t appreciate “Pinky and the Brain” as a kid, even when they were on TV it was something that I just watched passively. Looking back as an adult, these guys are more charming then I realized, and yes … to call this a great Christmas themed episode is an understatement. It’s Christmas eve and the Brain has devised a brilliant new plan to take over the world, and it all involves mass-produced hypnotizing dolls hidden away in Santa’s toy bag. 

It features all the funny shenanigans and colorful animation you’d expect from Pinky and the Brain, as well as some really clever lines. One of my favorite jokes revolves around the reindeer Donner who’s throwing a Christmas party, to which the Brain responds by saying that it’s probably not wise to attend “the Donner Party”. Of course, the most famous part of the episode is the ending, which was so powerful it’s reportedly made grown men cry. While I can’t say I actually cried during this finale, I will say that I got more chocked up then I’d ever expect watching a “Pinky and the Brain” cartoon. If you never grew up with Pinky and the Brain, I’d still recommend looking up this episode, as it really is something worth seeing for the Christmas season.       

#2 (A.) “Christmas with the Joker” from “Batman: The Animated Series” 

(Season 1 – Ep.02) 

   There are actually two Christmas themed Episodes from "Batman: The Animated Series", and I'm highlighting both at the number two spot ... “Christmas with the Joker” being the first. It’s Christmas eve, The Joker has escaped from prison, he’s openly attacking the city, and our hero has to stop him. Not sense “Die Hard” has a Christmas special been this explosive and action packed. While previous super-hero Christmas episodes on my list have had some kind of special moral or substance attached, this episode really has nothing at the center … yet, it’s still kind of perfect. It’s got great holiday visuals spread throughout, the music puts you in the Christmas mood, and it’s just a plain awesome set-up to see Batman battle the Joker in a colorful holiday environment. 

The action is thrilling, as is expected with Batman, but there’s a really cool variety on display ranging from a derailed train, to a cannon blasting the city, and a fight with giant tin soldiers. The song “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” really sparked in popularity among kids of my generation thanks to this episode. There’s just something about the strait forward simplicity of this episode that makes it work so well, and it’s become a small tradition for me to watch it every holiday season. It may not have much of a message at the center, but it’s consistently entertaining, it has the Christmas décor upped to eleven, and with Batman and the Joker at the center of it all, it’s just enough to stand as one of my personal favorite animated Christmas episodes.

#2 (B.) “Holiday Knights” from “The New Batman Adventures” 

(Season 4 – Ep.1) 

   Now we come to the second of Batman's Christmas episodes, and while not on the same level as the first, I just couldn't leave this one off my list. “Holiday Knights” takes a very different approach for a Christmas themed episode as it’s an anthology revolving around various events throughout the month of December in Gotham City. First, Bruce Wayne has to escape the clutches of both Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn who are taking advantage of his money to go on a Christmas shopping spree. Then, two police officers disguised as a mall Santa and an attractive elf find themselves aiding Bat Girl in taking out Clayface. Finally, it all comes to a close with a New Years eve celebration in which the Joker threatens to bomb time square. Each event has their own holiday appeal, the animation is great, and it’s just another really cool merging of Christmas with super hero action.  

Before I reveal my #1 favorite, here are some Honorable Mentions … 

“The Phineas and Ferb Christmas Episodes” 

“Reinforcement” from “Spectacular Spider-Man”

“A Jolly J-Team Xmas” from “Jackie Chan Adventures”

“Comfort and Joy” from “Justice League”

“A Very Possible Christmas” from “Kim Possible”

#1 “Frozen Out” from “Static Shock” 

(Season 2 – Ep.05) 

   Once again we have another super hero Christmas episode, but this one has its own distinct strengths that for my money surpass any of the previously mentioned. The holidays have come, but Dakoda’s young hero Static Shock isn’t feeling the magic as he’s stuck in the rush of attending countless public events, while also trying to attend various parties for his friends of different faiths. Things take a sudden dark turn with the appearance of a new super-powered girl calling herself Permafrost, who’s threatening the city with relentless cryokinetic abilities. It’s eventually revealed that Permafrost is a homeless girl who suffers from mental problems stemming from her mother's death and stepfather's neglect. The built-up trauma makes her unable to control her powers, especially when people ignore her when she asks for money or food. Static eventually finds Permafrost and, rather than fighting her, offers her aid, and through this event our hero learns the true meaning of the holidays. I distinctly remember being a little kid, waking up Saturday morning, watched this episode when it first premiered, and I just felt very moved by what I was watching. 

The message is similar to one of my previously mentioned “X-Men” episodes, but this time it’s taken one step further than merely giving to those in need. This episode is also about “acknowledgment”, and making sure that those less fortune don’t become faceless figures to just be branded as “homeless”. I find that a really powerful message, as well as admirable to convey in a kid’s super-hero program. It’s also handled with a mature presentation that doesn’t come off as preachy. There’s also some dramatic content that’s quite intense for a program of this sort (a sick mother dying on Christmas eve being one of them), but it feels earned and allows for some genuinely powerful moments. While many of the episodes mentioned on my list are just personal favorites I like to talk about, this episode is something I highly recommend watching this Christmas, even if you’re not familiar with the series. It’s a Christmas episode that took risks, maintains the upbeat spirit of the show, and has the courage to cover some genuinely deep topics that few other animated programs of this sort look into.   

Thanks for reading my countdown, and ... HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!