Apple TV+ celebrates the holidays this year with an expansive lineup of programming for the whole family. From the debut of the Apple Original special, The Velveteen Rabbit, based on the beloved children’s classic written by Margery Williams, to the brand-new holiday-themed film Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, which features the Emmy Award-winning Ted Lasso actor; along with all-new holiday special episodes from The Snoopy Show, Frog and Toad, Sago Mini Friends and Shape Island Apple TV+ is your home to celebrate the season.
Apple TV+ will also provide special free windows to stream iconic holiday specials from Mendelson/Melendez Productions and Peanuts Worldwide. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will be available for all to see starting 18 November through 19 November and A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available Saturday, 16 December through 17 December. This programming is available to subscribers now and every day.
Viewers are invited to rediscover previously released holiday content including the hit musical comedy Spirited, starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer; Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special; I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown; The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse; Interrupting Chicken: A Chicken Carol holiday special; Pretzel and the Puppies: Merry Muttgomery!; The Snoopy Show: Happiness is the Gift of Giving Holiday Collection and Fraggle Rock: Night of the Lights all streaming now on Apple TV+.
In premiere order, new and returning original specials and films to be featured in this holiday-themed collection on Apple TV+ include:
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” — 50th Anniversary- Stream for FREE (18-19 November): Celebrating 50 years of this Peanuts classic, Peppermint Patty invites everyone to Charlie Brown’s for Thanksgiving, even though he’s going to see his grandmother. Snoopy decides to cook his own version of a Thanksgiving meal with help from his friends.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, premieres Wednesday (22 November)- Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, debuts globally on 22 November. In the musical event, Emmy-winning star Hannah Waddingham will ring in the holidays as she welcomes special guests for a musical extravaganza at the London Coliseum. The special is recorded live in front of an audience, and audiences around the world will be able to join Waddingham in celebrating her favourite time of year on Apple TV+ as she performs festive classics accompanied by a spectacular big band.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas is produced by Done + Dusted (Beauty & The Beast: A 30th Celebration), the same team behind Apple’s hit Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special. Executive producers are Waddingham, Katy Mullan, Moira Ross, Raj Kapoor and Nick Todisco. The holiday special will be directed by BAFTA Award winner Hamish Hamilton (Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl halftime show, London Olympics opening and closing ceremonies).
The Velveteen Rabbit premieres (22 November)- Based on the treasured, classic children’s book by Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit celebrates the magic of unconditional love. When seven-year-old William receives a new favourite toy for Christmas, he discovers a lifelong friend and unlocks a world of magic. The 40-minute special from Apple TV+ is produced by Magic Light Pictures.
The show introduces Phoenix Laroche (The Royal Nanny) starring as William alongside an all-star cast including the voices of Alex Lawther (Andor) as the Velveteen Rabbit, Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, Harry Potter) as Wise Horse, Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as Playroom Fairy, Bethany Antonia (House of Dragon) as Female Rabbit, Lois Chimimba (Still Up) as Car, Paterson Joseph (Vigil) as King, Clive Rowe (So Awkward) as Lion, Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) as Male Rabbit, Tilly Vosburgh (Inside Man) as Momo as well as Samantha Colley (Genius) as Mother.
Magic Light Pictures co-founder Martin Pope produces (Academy Award nominee The Gruffalo and BAFTA and International Emmy-winning Revolting Rhymes) with a screenplay by Tom Bidwell, creator of the BAFTA- and International Emmy-nominated My Mad Fat Diary and the Oscar-nominated short Wish 143.
The Making of ‘Spirited’ premieres 22 November- On 22 November on Apple TV+, go behind-the-scenes in The Making of ‘Spirited, featuring never-before-seen rehearsal footage starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer. Since its debut, Spirited, now streaming globally on Apple TV+, has received wide acclaim and has been hailed as “an instant Christmas classic” that is “hugely entertaining” with “show-stopping numbers reminiscent of the golden age of movie musicals.”
Frog and Toad— Christmas Eve premieres 1 December-In Christmas Eve, Frog and Toad are looking forward to spending the winter holiday together, but a last-minute errand into town sidetracks Frog, causing Toad to wonder if his best friend will make it home in time. An Apple TV+ original series based on the beloved book series by Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad are not at all alike. Frog likes new adventures. Toad likes the comforts of home. Yet despite their differences, Frog and Toad are always there for each other — as best friends should be.
The talented voice cast includes Academy Award winner Nat Faxon (Our Flag Means Death, The Connors) and Emmy Award nominee Kevin Michael Richardson (The Simpsons, Family Guy) as Frog and Toad, as well as appearances by Ron Funches (Trolls), Fortune Feimster (Good Fortune), Cole Escola (At Home with Amy Sedaris), Aparna Nancherla (The Great North), John Hodgman (Up Here), Yvette Nicole Brown (Disenchanted), Stephen Tobolowsky (The Goldbergs), Emmy Award nominee Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Selene Luna (Coco, Mayans M.C.), Emmy Award nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Betsy Sodaro (Duncanville, Tiny Toons).
Shape Island— The Winter Blues premieres 1 December-Shape Island, the acclaimed stop-motion series for kids and families based on the internationally bestselling trilogy of Shapes picture books written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, is back on 1 December with an all-new holiday special titled The Winter Blues. The chilly season leaves Square feeling sad, so Circle and Triangle try to cheer him up by creating a new holiday: Yeti Night. The clever, funny and inspiring stop-motion animated series from Apple TV+ takes place on a charming island and invites viewers to join serious Square, intrepid Circle and tricky Triangle on their silly adventures as they dig up some fun, search for answers and build on their friendship — all while learning how to navigate each other’s differences. Shape Island shows kids that friendship can take many shapes.
The series features the beloved familiar voices of Gideon Adlon (Blockers), Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) and Yvette Nicole Brown (Disenchanted). Shape Island was co-created by Barnett and Klassen, who serve as executive producers alongside Bix Pix Entertainment’s Emmy Award winners Kelli Bixler and Drew Hodges. Ryan Pequin serves as co-executive producer and head writer.
The Snoopy Show”— Happiness is Holiday Traditions, premieres 1 December- In Happiness is Holiday Traditions, Snoopy searches for the perfect tree topper; Woodstock gets trapped in a window display; and Snoopy and Woodstock visit Spike for Christmas. An Apple TV+ original series from Peanuts and WildBrain, The Snoopy Show gives the world’s most iconic dog his close-up and dives into new adventures with the happy-dancing, high-flying, big-dreaming beagle, who’s joined by best friend Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Josh Scherba, Anne Loi, Stephanie Betts, Paige Braddock, Craig Schulz and Mark Evestaff serve as executive producers. Alex Galatis serves as executive story editor.
Spirited” Sing-Along, premieres 1 December- Starting 1 December a sing-along version of the holiday hit musical comedy, Spirited, starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer, will be available on Apple TV+. This sing-along version of the ‘instant Christmas classic’ allows audiences to belt out fan favourite tunes composed by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) such as Good Afternoon and Bringin’ Back Christmas.
A Charlie Brown Christmas stream for FREE 16-17 December- In this beloved Peanuts special, feeling down about the commercialism of Christmas, Charlie Brown becomes the director of the gang’s holiday play. Can he overcome his friends’ preference for dancing over acting, find the “perfect” tree and discover the true meaning of Christmas?
Sago Mini Friends— New Year’s Steve premieres 22 December- In an all-new holiday special titled New Year’s Steve, Harvey makes a wish to stay awake until midnight when a firefly swoops in to help — and starts a scavenger hunt for the whole crew. The series is an adorable nod to gratitude, featuring Harvey the floppy-eared dog and his best friends, Jinja the cat, Jack the rabbit and Robin the bird. Along with a unique cast of residents as colourful as their own whimsical world, the four friends play, explore, imagine and celebrate daily in their joyful town of Sagoville. In each episode, Harvey and all his friends express their true thankfulness for all things, big and small, through optimism, kindness, preschool-friendly humour and unforgettable original songs!
Sago Mini Friends is executive produced by Daytime Emmy Award nominees Jennifer Dodge (PAW Patrol), Ronnen Harary (PAW Patrol), Tone Thyne (Wonder Pets!) and Dustin Ferrer (Esme & Roy).Daytime Emmy Award nominees Laura Clunie (PAW Patrol) and Toni Stevens (PAW Patrol) serve as co-executive producers, with Chad Hicks (Kingdom Force) as series director.
The series is produced by Daytime Emmy Award-nominated Spin Master Entertainment (PAW Patrol) and animated by 9 Story Media Group’s Emmy Award-winning studio Brown Bag Films. Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and expert in the science of happiness, serves as the gratitude expert on the series through Apple TV+’s changemakers initiative.
There are many more shows streaming on Apple TV plus that add to the festive cheer.
