During the holidays many people share in all types of different traditions. One of these traditions is watching Christmas movies with the family. Every year people sit together, get some snacks, and watch the movies that they grew up with that made them feel the holiday spirit. What if some of these holiday movies had sequels though? Most of the time a sequel isn’t necessary of course but it is interesting at times to imagine what happened to some of our favorite characters after the credits roll. Here are 5 Christmas movies where a potential sequel could work.
Elf
Elf became an instant classic after it was released. A comedy that had a smart script, great energy, heartfelt moments, and a fantastic lead easily captivated audiences and critics in 2003 and has become a Christmas traditional viewing for many.
We last see Buddy back at the North Pole with his love interest Jovie and a new son. What could come next? It would be interesting to see what has changed in Buddy’s life. What is his son doing now? Maybe he doesn’t even like Christmas. Maybe Santa is having health issues. Who knows?
Will Ferrell was offered a lot of money to star in an Elf sequel especially after the first movie was a huge success. He ended up turning it down due to not fully believing in the project. We may never get an Elf sequel but its nice to wonder.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch is a classic Christmas icon and in the year 2000 director Ron Howard brought him to life in the live-action adaptation. Critics didn’t love it too much but it still became a box office smash. What would a sequel look like?
With the Grinch’s heart growing, it seems like there isn’t much more story to tell in that storyline. Halloween Is Grinch Night was a 1977 children’s television special and a prequel to the original. Yeah, it isn’t a sequel but it could still work. When it is Halloween time in Whoville, the Grinch loves to cause chaos and terrorize the town. It would be fun to see Jim Carrey return and with all the makeup, age wouldn’t matter. It would also be great to see the excellent set design.
It has been known that the makeup for The Grinch as well as the contacts were very uncomfortable so there is that issue. Also, after the disaster that was The Cat in the Hat live-action adaptation, Dr. Seuss’ estate demanded only animated features from here on out. Probably for the best but it does mean we most likely won’t see any Grinch sequel or prequel anytime soon.
Christmas Vacation
Here is a comedy classic and arguably the most famous film in the Vacation franchise. The movie is truly hilarious, has a great cast, and captures the chaos and stress that a lot of us go through during the holidays. There have been many Vacation sequels but nothing has touched this one.
In 2003 a sort of spinoff focusing on Cousin Eddie was released and not only was it not very good, it wasn’t anything anyone wanted. It would be super interesting to see how the Griswolds would try to plan the perfect Christmas in this day and age. Would it be possible for things to be as magical with companies like Amazon and everyone glued to their cell phones?
A Christmas Story had a sequel last year that was well-received by critics and audiences so why not Christmas Vacation?
The Polar Express
Based on the children’s story, this film was released in 2004 and was a holiday hit at the box office. What could a sequel be about?
This is a tough one because it seems the story was finished and the message was learned. The trip was great but it was pretty amazing once we got to the North Pole. It seems that there is so much to explore and see. I wish we got to see more and spend more time here to truly see how this world works. A sequel somehow focusing on that would be nice. Plus, maybe with some less creepy animation, we could get a beautiful entertaining Christmas film.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
This one seems incredibly obvious at this point. The success of this film is massive and knows no bounds. The amount of merchandise created and sold proves just how popular these characters are to the masses. It’s honestly crazy how there hasn’t been a sequel yet.
Seeing Jack and Sally and the rest of the Halloweentown crew return would be a real treat for a lot of people. Maybe Jack could even discover another holiday or maybe all the residents could enter Christmas town. New music and some more gorgeous stop-motion animation would be easily welcomed.
What Christmas movie deserves a sequel to you? What are some of your favorite Christmas movies in general? Tell us in the comments below.
