Movies Like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 animation, family, fantasy film from Henry Selick with a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Santa Clause 2 and The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas.

Animation Family Fantasy

The 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.

6.0

MagicScore

The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

2003

When Princess Morebucks finds out that she's been put on Santa's naughty list (in fact, she's the only one on it!), she does a quick re-write, resulting with Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup with nothing but coal for Christmas! On top of all that, Princess gets the one thing she wants for the holidays: super powers! Now, the girls have to stop Princess and make sure that Christmas is saved for children everywhere.

7.2

MagicScore

The Christmas Chronicles

2018

Siblings Kate and Teddy try to prove Santa Claus is real, but when they accidentally cause his sleigh to crash, they have to save Christmas.

7.2

MagicScore

Yes, Virginia

2009

New York City, 1897. A little girl named Virginia O'Hanlon loves Christmas more than anything else in the world. When a schoolyard bully challenges her belief in Santa Claus, Virginia embarks on a quest across the city to prove he is real. Based on the true story of the most famous newspaper editorial of all time.

7.0

MagicScore

The 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.

6.5

MagicScore

Corpse Bride

2005

In a 19th-century European village, a young man about to be married is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious corpse bride, while his real bride waits bereft in the land of the living.

7.6

MagicScore

Return to Halloweentown

2006

As Halloweentown prepares to celebrate its 1,000th anniversary, Marnie Piper and her brother Dylan return to Witch University, where trouble is in session from the Sinister Sisters and from someone who's plotting to use Marnie's powers for evil.

6.7

MagicScore

Violent Night

2022

When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.

7.2

MagicScore

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

1966

Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

The Santa Clause

1994

On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

Santa's Slay

2005

Santa Claus is actually a demon who lost a bet with an angel, so he became the giver of toys and happiness. But this year the bet is off, and Santa is about to return to his evil ways.

5.4

MagicScore

#12

James and the Giant Peach

1996

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

Pet Sematary

1989

After the Creed family's cat is accidentally killed, a friendly neighbor advises its burial in a mysterious nearby cemetery.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

1970

A postman, S.D. Kluger, decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a baby named Kris who is raised by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Mayor is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, the Winter Warlock lives between the Kringles and Sombertown.

7.1

MagicScore

#15

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

1964

Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his glowing nose, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudolph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea...

7.4

MagicScore

#16

The Year Without a Santa Claus

1974

Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to see to where all the season's cheer has disappeared. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children's hearts and put Santa back in action.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

Anna and the Apocalypse

2018

A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

6.1

MagicScore

#18

My Santa

2013

A young, single mother, Jen, begins to lose her faith in the magic of Christmas. However, when she takes her son Eric to see the local mall Santa, Jen immediately feels an attraction and connection with Chris, the young, attractive man filling the suit. As they begin spending time together, she begins to rediscover her belief in Christmas.

5.3

MagicScore

#19

Garfield's Halloween Adventure

1985

Garfield and his pup pal Odie go trick-or-treating, only to wind up in a house haunted by ghostly pirates.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

1966

Join the Peanuts gang for a timeless adventure as Charlie Brown preps for a party, Snoopy sets his sights on the Red Baron, and Linus patiently awaits a pumpkin patch miracle.

7.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas?

The top films similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas by MovieMagicScore are The Santa Clause 2 (6.0), The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (7.2), The Christmas Chronicles (7.2). Each shares animation/family/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Nightmare Before Christmas worth watching?

The Nightmare Before Christmas holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10 from 9,988 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas?

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is a animation, family, fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, starring Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Nightmare Before Christmas?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like The Santa Clause 2 Movies like The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas Movies like The Christmas Chronicles Movies like Yes, Virginia Movies like The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two Movies like Corpse Bride

About movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas

This ranked list pairs The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), a animation and family and fantasy film from Henry Selick, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Danny Elfman 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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