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One Magic Christmas

One Magic Christmas

Family · Fantasy · 1985

Ginny Grainger, a young mother, rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie and Gideon, Ginny's very own guardian angel.

Movie details

One Magic Christmas

1985 Family · Fantasy 1h 28m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

Ginny Grainger, a young mother, rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie and Gideon, Ginny's very own guardian angel.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over One Magic Christmas?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Help for the Holidays

Help for the Holidays

Family · 2012

Although she loves Christmas, Santa’s elf Christine (Summer Glau) wonders if there could be more to life than making toys in the North Pole. When Santa receives an emergency wish from a little boy in Los Angeles, he puts Christine on a special assignment, sending her to L.A. to give the VanCamp family—mom Sara (Eva La Rue), dad Scott (Dan Gauthier), and their two kids Ally (Izabela Vidovic) and Will (Mason Cook)—a holiday wake-up call. Will Christine fail her assignment and be sent back to the North Pole for good, or will the VanCamps come to their senses about the meaning of Christmas?

Dashing Through the Snow

Dashing Through the Snow

Fantasy · 2023

Eddie Garrick is a good-hearted man who has lost his belief in the wonder of Christmas. While spending time with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on Christmas Eve, he befriends a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick.

Beethoven's Christmas Adventure

Beethoven's Christmas Adventure

Family · 2011

A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa's sleigh, crash lands in a small town, and loses the magic toy bag. Beethoven must rescue the elf, recover the bag from greedy crooks, and return the sleigh to Santa in time to save Christmas.

Candy Cane Lane

Candy Cane Lane

Comedy · 2023

A man, determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, makes a pact with an elf to help him win. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, bringing chaos to the small, unsuspecting town.

The Santa Clause 2

The Santa Clause 2

Fantasy · 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.

Noelle

Noelle

Family · 2019

Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as Santa.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

Animation · 1997

Astonished to find the Beast has a deep-seated hatred for the Christmas season, Belle endeavors to change his mind on the matter.

Prancer: A Christmas Tale

Prancer: A Christmas Tale

Family · 2022

Ten-year-old Gloria and her recently widowed grandfather Bud befriend a mysterious reindeer when the family gather for Christmas. Bud comes to believe that Prancer may actually be magical, but Gloria fears his theory will send him straight to a retirement home.

Godmothered

Godmothered

Family · 2020

A young and unskilled fairy godmother that ventures out on her own to prove her worth by tracking down a young girl whose request for help was ignored. What she discovers is that the girl has now become a grown woman in need of something very different than a "prince charming."

Holiday in Handcuffs

Holiday in Handcuffs

Comedy · 2007

A ne’er-do-well thirty-something attempts to appease her family by kidnapping herself an attractive boyfriend for the family Christmas. Despite unlikely odds and dysfunctional family moments, the two fall in love and share a magical Christmas.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Phillip Borsos

Written by

Barry Healey · Thomas Meehan · Phillip Borsos

Mary Steenburgen

Mary Steenburgen

Ginny Grainger

Gary Basaraba

Gary Basaraba

Jack Grainger

Elisabeth Harnois

Elisabeth Harnois

Abbie Grainger

Arthur Hill

Arthur Hill

Caleb Grainger

Wayne Robson

Wayne Robson

Harry Dickens

Jan Rubeš

Jan Rubeš

Santa Claus

Elias Koteas

Elias Koteas

Eddie

Court is in session

Put One Magic Christmas on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Big-Idea Head

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.