The Movie Guru: New (and free) streaming Christmas specials add some magic to the season

Dashing Through the Snow (Disney+)

There’s nothing more Christmas than watching a cynic’s heart get softened as he learns to believe in the magic of Christmas. When you add in his charming daughter, a corrupt politician, Santa’s biggest fans, and Lil Rel Howery as a sweet but silly Santa, you have an offbeat adventure with all the Christmas sweetness you could hope for. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges is unexpectedly good as a social worker with a traumatic Christmas-related backstory who refuses to believe that the strange man he finds in a neighbor’s house really is Santa. He’s determined to get him to people who can help him, but when the night spins out of control he finds real magic in the last place he was looking for it.

The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (Netflix)

Fair warning – something went very wrong with the dialogue synching and mouth movements in this animated special. If you can forgive the animation flaw (it’s only really glaring in the first few minutes), “The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday” offers up a fun, goofy adventure that proves crime and Christmas spirit really do go hand in hand. After accidentally destroying the city’s beloved Santa balloon and wrecking their Christmas spirit, the crew engage in a series of crimes to help the city get its holiday mojo back (and leave businesses free for their own heists). If you’re fond of this secretly sweet heist crew, it’s definitely worth a watch.

The Naughty Nine (Disney+)

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If you need more Christmas criminals, then you also want to spend some time with “The Naughty Nine.” When Santa doesn’t bring him the gaming system he asked for, an elementary school con man recruits a bunch of other kids from Santa’s Naughty List to pull off a heist on the North Pole and get their toys. It’s got all the fun of a mini-“Ocean’s 11,” plus a secretly soft heart that eventually reveals itself in a surprisingly natural way. The young criminals are surprisingly likable, especially Winslow Fegley as mastermind Andy, and Danny Glover has the appropriate amount of gravitas as Santa. There’s a sequel hook at the end of the movie, and I for one hope it pans out.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Apple TV+)

While this is definitely not a new Christmas special – it first aired in 1965 – it’s been harder to see ever since Apple TV+ got exclusive streaming access a few years ago. If you’re jonesing to spend some time with Snoopy and the gang but don’t want to sign up for another streaming service, Apple TV+ is making the special free to everyone on Dec. 16-17.  You’ll still have to find it on the Apple TV+ site, but you’ll get to watch it without signing in. (If you do have Apple TV+ and want a little more Peanuts this holiday season, “The Snoopy Show” Christmas special will also be streaming.)

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.