When the end of the year approaches, just what’s offered on television (or being streamed) is always a curious mix of comfort-food to get some folks in the mood for Deceember, and seasonal spectacle. Just whether these holiday specials are marketed for a specific reason or not (think Batman: TAS venture into the medium from decades ago), this year is no different.
Whether it’s about Yule, Winter Solstice or Christmas, this year’s offerings has enough to sate any taste. Here’s a roundup of this year’s brand-new animated or animated-adjacent winter specials. Please check your local listings for showtimes.
North America
Prep & Landing: The Snowball
Disney brings back the elf-operative duo Wayne and Lanny for a new crisis at the North Pole. The unstable “Snowball Protocol” threatens the entire Christmas mission, forcing the pair into action. It’s classic Prep & Landing—spy comedy, festive warmth, and a lot of holiday mischief. This new 22-minute special is the first fresh Prep & Landing story since 2011, reuniting the original cast while adding a few new North Pole recruits to the team.
A PAW Patrol Christmas
Adventure Bay freezes over when a massive blizzard disrupts every holiday plan. The pups launch a full rescue mission complete with festive gadgets and winter vehicles. It’s flashy, predictable, and comforting for younger viewers. Running a full 44 minutes, it plays like a mini-movie where Rubble’s big choice about his dream gift gives the special a surprisingly heartfelt centre.
Elmo & Mark Rober’s Merry Giftmas
Elmo teams up with YouTuber and engineer Mark Rober to design the perfect gifts. Their inventions fizzle, explode, wobble, and ultimately teach cheerful STEM lessons. It blends Sesame Street warmth with creative tinkering. The half-hour Netflix special also debuts three new songs—including “Failure Is Awesome”—to underline its “try, fail, learn” message without losing the fuzzy holiday charm.
A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas
Whether this idea is simply a marketing ploy or not, it seems in those countries where this pizza and arcade operation still operates, the idea is sound to bring back sales. Here, Chuck discovers Santa has never had a Christmas party and sets out to host one that spirals into a full musical adventure. A melodramatic villain named Frostbite Fred tries to ruin the festivities.
It’s wildly earnest, brightly animated, and unintentionally perfect for memes. Produced by HappyNest with animation from Pixel Zoo, it premiered across YouTube and kid-focused streamers as a backdoor pilot for a possible series—complete with in-store watch parties at select restaurants.
The Christmas King
A boy in a small town uncovers an ancient prophecy tied to the destiny of Christmas itself. His journey to protect the season leans heavily into faith-forward storytelling. It’s family-friendly, adventurous, and warm-spirited. Created by Butch Hartman’s Garden Cartoon studio and distributed by Angel Studios, this feature retells the Nativity story with talking garden critters and rolls out on Angel’s platforms after an early streaming window on kids service Yippee.
A Loud House Christmas Movie:
Naughty or Nice
Lincoln Loud’s attempt to fix a holiday disaster pits him against the “naughty list” itself. With the entire Loud family in tow, chaos is guaranteed. It’s loud, colourful, and faithful to the series’ humour.
The 78-minute TV movie is the third animated feature spun off from The Loud House and stuffs in new original songs like “Christmas in the Loud House” so the family chaos plays like a full-blown holiday musical.
The World
(Canada → International)
This musical special celebrates the ways families come together for winter holidays. Songs explore kindness, food, and shared traditions. It’s soft and joyful, ideal for younger kids worldwide.
This 30-minute Canadian production has already been picked up by a raft of U.S. public TV stations, and it even introduces Stu’s favourite holiday instrument, the wonderfully named “thing-a-ma-jingle.”
Undead Unluck: Winter Arc (Japan)
A one-hour anime TV special airing on Christmas Day, adapting the emotional Winter Arc. As supernatural forces tighten, the heroes confront sacrifice and destiny. It’s intense and dramatic rather than cosy, but seasonally fitting. Billed as a standalone, hour-long event, it’s being positioned as a big, self-contained adaptation of one of the manga’s most pivotal storylines before it heads to international streaming.
SANDA (Japan)
In a future Japan where Christmas is forgotten, a boy discovers he’s connected to the mythical Santa lineage. His awakening sparks conflict between those who want to revive the season and those who oppose it.
The series blends humour, action, and clever Santa mythology. Based on Paru Itagaki’s manga, the 2025 TV anime follows Sanda Kazushige as he uncovers his link to a sealed-away Santa in a world where Christmas has literally become a forbidden legend.
The First Snow of Fraggle Rock (UK/USA)
Dancing your cares away is important to deal with the stress of the holidays, and honestly, without the music of Fraggle Rock, some folks might freak out. This release can’t be anymore poignant as we return to Fraggle Rock! Here, Winter’s first snow transforms life in the Fraggle caves. Some friendships are tested.
The Fraggles rediscover the meaning of togetherness as the cold season settles in. Though performed with puppetry, it carries the same warmth and whimsy as a classic animated holiday tale. The Apple TV+ special premieres globally on December 5 and even brings in guest star Lele Pons for a duet on “Our Melody,” tying the new story back to classic Fraggle songs.
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