5 Oscar Nominated Christmas Films

The Nightmare Before Christmas

It’s that most wonderful time of the year when everyone sits in front of the fire with a glass of mulled wine to enjoy their favorite festive films. And for those of us not in the movies, we can hopefully take a break from drunk family quarrels, food fights and present opening to watch a couple of Christmas classics.

It is one of those genres that find it notoriously difficult to win any acclaim from the Academy. Christmas films are primarily about the money – a good one generates a consistent stream of royalty payments for everyone involved. Consequently the studios try to tug more on the heartstrings than the ballot papers with feelgood nostalgia wrapped in tinsel and glitter, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Occasionally a film will succeed in being both a great film and a timeless festive hit, reaping box office rewards and enough critical acclaim to earn a couple of Oscar nominations. Below are 5 films that had their Christmas cake and ate it too…

It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946)
Nominated for 5 Oscars, winner of none, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is seen by many as the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Perhaps what made it so popular with critics was its scarce use of Christmas. Less is more.

The story is simple – after a series of unfortunate incidents, a troubled family man is visited by a guardian angel who rescues him from the brink of suicide, all in time for Christmas. It’s a life-affirming tale reinforcing traditional values, and it works. Capra’s masterful direction creates a timeless tale that resonates with people of all ages, and fully deserved its nominations.

Miracle on 34th Street (Seaton, 1947)
A lawyer defends an innocent department store Santa who is institutionalized after claiming he’s the real deal. It’s a war between head and heart that for one brief moment does get you believing in Father Christmas. It won 3 Academy Awards for Supporting Actor, Original Story and Screenplay, as well being nominated for Best Picture.

Most of you will only be aware of the 90s remake starring Richard Attenborough, but Miracle on 34th Street is an Oscar winning classic written and directed by George Seaton. It oozes enough festive cheer to melt even the Scroogiest of hearts.

Home Alone (Columbus, 1990)
This is what happens when you put John Hughes, John Williams, Chris Columbus and Joe Pesci together – a great family film with a terrific Oscar nominated score. Put a couple of Christmas trees in and all of a sudden it’s a hit! Home Alone is universally likable – empowering kids and terrifying parents, but uniting everyone with some Christmas magic and good old fashioned violence.

Very few people openly dislike Home Alone, making it one of the films you are guaranteed to see on television every year. So don’t bother buying the DVDs, just check the listings. It’s rare to see a film like this appear at the Academy Awards, but when they do you know they have earned it.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, 1993)
Any film produced by Tim Burton will be somewhat unconventional, though conventionally Tim Burton, and The Nightmare Before Christmas is no different. This dark stop motion musical follows Jack Skellington as he attempts to bring Christmas to Halloweentown.

The film was nominated for Visual Effects – a rare achievement for a Christmas movie, and if the animation category existed back then it would almost certainly have been nominated for that too. It doesn’t look like a heartwarming family film but it really is, and why this isn’t a staple part of any family’s holiday viewing schedule is a mystery.

Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)
This Bruce Willis action flick is regularly voted one of the most popular Christmas films. However you look at Die Hard – either as a Christmas film or an action film – this had very little chance of Oscar nominations. Both genres are terribly out of favor with voters and lack the necessary quality credentials to be on the Oscar radar. But somehow it managed 4 nods, though it didn’t win any.

It even won Best Foreign Language Film from the Awards of the Japanese Academy, for what that’s worth.

These are just five that we could think of. What other Oscar nominated Christmas movies are there? Is there a festive flick that was grossly undervalued and subsequently snubbed?