NOTHING SAYS ‘CHRISTMAS’ like an hour of putting your feet up with a great movie or TV show. (And maybe a chocolate or two? Nobody’s watching.)
Unless, that is, you can’t agree on what to watch. What has enough laughs for the kids AND enough smarts for the adults? What will keep the teenagers entertained without giving the grandparents palpitations?
Luckily, Disney+ is here to help with some new and exclusive Christmas releases – and we’ve picked the perfect viewing for every family below.
But let’s start by sharing. Do you tangle over the telly? Row over the remote control? Rate your screening squabbles here, and see how they compare to everyone else’s:
Wow, really? In that case, you’ll be wanting these recommendations – all of which are streaming exclusively on Disney+ this Christmas.
Read on to find the perfect festive viewing for YOUR family.
For action fans who enjoy laughs too: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
This groundbreaking blockbuster addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the studio’s first with an Asian lead – broke pandemic-era box office records when it hit big screens earlier this year.
Former stuntman Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, a martial artist and assassin who escapes his past for a life of normality with his friend Katy – only to be dragged back into the underworld by the shadowy Ten Rings organisation. “Action poetry in motion,” said ABC News. “It remembers to have fun. A kick to watch – often literally,” quipped the Washington Post.
Perfect viewing for anyone who enjoys fast and frenetic action, with a liberal dose of wisecracking dialogue too.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming for all Disney+ subscribers.
For families with young kids: Olaf Presents
Let’s face it, Olaf the snowman was the real star of the Frozen movies. And now he finally gets his time in the limelight. In this series of hilarious shorts, Olaf takes the stage (with a little help from Sven the reindeer) to tell the stories of a number of classic Disney movies, from Aladdin to Moana.
Kids who already know the movies will love Olaf’s, um, ‘creative’ retellings – and there’s plenty here for adults to enjoy too. “Beautifully animated and laugh-out-loud funny,” declared The Wrap. “Seriously funny, no matter how old you are,” wrote Slashfilm. What more do you want this Christmas?
Olaf Presents is streaming exclusively on Disney+ now.
For true crime aficionados: Only Murders In The Building
Do you enjoy a little sleuthing from the sofa? Are you one of those who can’t wait to speculate whodunnit? If so, you’ll likely love (not to mention relate to) Only Murders In The Building, a hit series which takes the true-crime boom of recent years and turns it on its head.
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez star as three strangers who share an obsession with real-life mysteries – then suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one when a death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building.
What comes next is an enjoyable satire on true crime obsessives, but also a captivating mystery in its own right. “A real humdinger of a show,” wrote Gregory Lawrence for Collider, “offering something for everyone simultaneously, pulling it all off handsomely.”
Only Murders In The Building is streaming exclusively on Disney+ now.
For Star Wars fans old and new: The Book of Boba Fett
There are few things that can bring a family together like a visit to a galaxy far, far away. So it’s great news for fans – from veteran viewers who remember their first time, to newer arrivals still in their astronaut pyjamas – that there’s a new thrilling Star Wars adventure on the table this Christmas, thanks to The Book of Boba Fett.
Set in the same era as the events of The Mandalorian, the new series follows bounty hunter Boba Fett and his assassin sidekick Fennec Shand as they attempt to make a name for themselves in the galactic underworld. It’s set to be released on Disney+ on December 29, with episodes dropping weekly, and anticipation is already sky-high. Why? Because as The Verge put it: “Star Wars’ coolest character finally has his own show.”
The Book of Boba Fett premieres exclusively on Disney+ on December 29, 2021.
For those who like superheroes with smarts: Hawkeye
For more than a decade now, Marvel’s blockbuster superhero sagas have been a cornerstone of family entertainment – providing action, thrills and memorable one-liners in more or less equal measure.
But recently, it’s the studio’s innovative TV series that have been winning the most acclaim from critics. Wandavision swept all before it earlier this year, and now Hawkeye looks set to do the same.
Festively set in New York City at Christmas, not long after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the show sees Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) trying to get back to his family for the big day. But when a threat from his past appears, he must team up with 22-year-old archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) – who also happens to be his biggest fan – to confront an unfurling criminal conspiracy. Says one reviewer: “He may be the last of the original Avengers to get his own story, but Hawkeye makes it worth the wait.”
Hawkeye is streaming exclusively on Disney+ now.
For lovers of good old-fashioned entertainment (and the puns in Christmas crackers): Jungle Cruise
Corny puns are as much a part of Christmas as stuffed stockings – so Frank Wolff, the character played by Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise, should fit right in on your festive viewing list. He’s a cheesy-gag-loving riverboat skipper on the Amazon, enlisted by scientist and explorer Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) to help her find a mythical tree with the power to heal wounds.
Things don’t go quite to plan when they’re met by a gang of resurrected conquistadors and a shady German with a U-boat… but that’s where the entertainment really starts. “A rollicking adventure full of humour and heart,” declared IGN.
Jungle Cruise is now streaming for all Disney+ subscribers.
This Christmas, Disney+ is the only place to stream these exclusive new releases. Find something great for the whole family on Disney+ for just €8.99 per month.
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