Movies Like An American Christmas Carol (1979)

An American Christmas Carol is a 1979 drama, family, fantasy, tv movie film from Eric Till with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with It's a Wonderful Life and The 12 Dogs of Christmas.

Drama Family Fantasy TV Movie

It's a Wonderful Life

1946

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.

8.3

MagicScore

The 12 Dogs of Christmas

2005

This holiday tale has all the elements of a classic heartwarmer--cuddly dogs, small town spirit, and even a full-fledged Christmas pageant. Set during the meager years of the Great Depression, 12 DOGS OF CHRISTMAS follows the story of Emma, a 12-year-old who is sent to live in Doverville, a rural town, with her aunt. The town has, like the rest of the nation, fallen on lean times and seem to have lost all interest in celebrating. However, Emma manages to enlist the town's dogs into a colorful holiday pageant that reminds the inhabitants that even the Great Depression cannot ruin the spirit of Christmas.

5.0

MagicScore

The Holdovers

2023

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

7.6

MagicScore

A Christmas Carol

1984

Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

7.5

MagicScore

The Muppet Christmas Carol

1992

A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

7.4

MagicScore

The Spirit of Christmas

2015

A woman falls in love with a man who is somewhat unavailable.

7.0

MagicScore

A Christmas Carol

1938

7.0

MagicScore

A Christmas Carol

2009

6.9

MagicScore

Scrooge

1970

A musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic ghost tale starring Albert Finney.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

The Nightmare Before Christmas

1993

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

7.8

MagicScore

#11

Scrooge

1951

Ebenezer Scrooge malcontentedly shuffles through life as a cruel, miserly businessman, until he is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve who show him how his unhappy childhood and adult behavior has left him a selfish, lonely old man.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

A Christmas Carol

1999

6.9

MagicScore

#13

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

2022

On a cold Christmas Eve, selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge has one night left to face his past — and change the future — before time runs out.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

Scrooged

1988

Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Scrooge

1935

Ebenezer Scrooge, the ultimate Victorian miser, hasn't a good word for Christmas, though his impoverished clerk Cratchit and nephew Fred are full of holiday spirit. In the night, Scrooge is visited by spirits of the past, present, and future.

5.9

MagicScore

#16

Christmas Carol: The Movie

2001

Animated version of the classic Charles Dickens story. Warned by the ghost of his old business partner Marley that his sins would lead to punishment in the afterlife, the cruel and greedy Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to show him how the course of his life led him to where he is - and where it will lead if he doesn't change his ways.

5.2

MagicScore

#17

Spirited

2022

Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Blackbeard's Ghost

1968

The eponymous wraith returns to Earth to aid his descendant, elderly Emily Stowecroft. The villains want to kick Emily and her friends out of their group home so that they can build a crooked casino. Good guy Steve Walker gets caught in the middle of the squabble after evoking Blackbeard's ghost.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

The Time of Their Lives

1946

Two ghosts, who were mistakenly branded as traitors during the Revolutionary War, return to 20th century New England to retrieve a letter from George Washington which would prove their innocence.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

2024

After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Betelgeuse, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like An American Christmas Carol?

The top films similar to An American Christmas Carol by MovieMagicScore are It's a Wonderful Life (8.3), The 12 Dogs of Christmas (5.0), The Holdovers (7.6). Each shares drama/family/fantasy/tv movie themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is An American Christmas Carol worth watching?

An American Christmas Carol holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 37 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is An American Christmas Carol?

An American Christmas Carol (1979) is a drama, family, fantasy, tv movie film directed by Eric Till, starring Henry Winkler, David Wayne, Chris Wiggins.

Where can I find more recommendations like An American Christmas Carol?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like It's a Wonderful Life Movies like The 12 Dogs of Christmas Movies like The Holdovers Movies like A Christmas Carol Movies like The Muppet Christmas Carol Movies like The Spirit of Christmas

About movies like An American Christmas Carol

This ranked list pairs An American Christmas Carol (1979), a drama and family and fantasy and tv movie film from Eric Till, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Henry Winkler take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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