Christmas Recommendations: What Animated Things You Should Be Watching This Christmas

It's that time of year again (notice our festive banner and logo, once again designed by the fantastic Damien Chevrier), and we hope you're all having a restful, relaxing and enjoyable Holiday season so far! So, for those of you here in the UK, here are our ho-ho-hot picks for animated stuff (and generally-linked-to-animation stuff) that's on tele over the next couple of weeks.

The film and TV listings come via the 21st December - 3rd January edition of the Radio Times. Our top picks for each day are in bold - I've avoided putting multiple films in one day that clash as a pick, so it's been a hard choice... (Note, this is excluding Sky Movies channels, but you'll be able to catch loads of Disney greats, in particular, pretty much every day, if you have Sky.) So, starting tomorrow (23rd December):

Monday 23rd December

• Valiant - 6:15 AM, Channel 4
• That Darn Cat - 7:25 AM, Channel 4
• The Mighty Ducks - 10:25 AM, ITV
• Howl's Moving Castle - 11:00 AM, Film4
• Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers - 11:35 AM, BBC1
• The Santa Clause - 1:40 PM, BBC1 (repeats at 7:30 PM on BBC3)
• Toy Story - 3:15 PM, BBC1
• A Christmas Carol - 4:30 PM, BBC1

Christmas Eve, Tuesday 24th December

• The Gruffalo - 9:00 AM, BBC1
• The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause - 10:20 AM, BBC1
• Space Chimps - 12:00 PM, E4 (repeats on Monday 30th December)
• Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice - 1:40 PM, E4 (repeats on Boxing Day)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - 1:30 PM, BBC1
• Toy Story 2 - 3:40 PM, BBC1
• The Grinch - 3:50 PM, Channel 4 (repeats on Sunday 29th December)
• Fantasia - 4:15 PM, BBC2
• Finding Nemo - 5:55 PM, BBC1
• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas - 7:05 PM, Channel 4 (repeats on Saturday 28th December)
• The Snowman and the Snowdog - 7:30 PM, Channel 4 (repeats on Christmas Day)

Christmas Day, Wednesday 25th December

• James and the Giant Peach - 8:50 AM, Channel 4
• The Gruffalo's Child - 9:00 AM, BBC1
• The Penguins of Madagascar in a Christmas Caper - 9:25 AM, BBC1 (repeats on Friday 3rd January)
• Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - 10:25 AM, Channel 4
• Chicken Run - 11:00 AM, BBC1
• The Princess and the Frog - 12:30 PM, BBC1
• Spirited Away - 12:45 PM, Film4
• The Snowman - 1:40 PM, Channel 4 (repeats at 7:00 PM on E4)
• The Snowman and the Snowdog - 2:10 PM, Channel 4 (repeats, again, at 7:30 PM on E4)
• Tangled - 3:20 PM, ITV
• Toy Story 3 - 3:20 PM, BBC1
• The Muppet Christmas Carol - 4:35 PM, Channel 4
• Madagascar - 7:10 PM, BBC3
• Iron Man - 9:00 PM, Film4 (repeats on Monday 30th December)

Boxing Day, Thursday 26th December

• Room on the Broom - 9:00 AM, BBC1
• 101 Dalmatians (1996. The live-action remake. Boo.) - 9:55 AM, BBC1
• The Flintstones (1994. Again, live-action. Boo!) - 11:00 AM, ITV
• Flushed Away - 11:30 AM, BBC1
• Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - 1:05 PM, BBC1
• Casper - 1:05 PM, ITV
• Alice in Wonderland (2010. Again, live-action. Booo!) - 2:25 PM, BBC1
• Alvin and the Chipmunks - 2:25 PM, E4
• Cars 2 - 4:05 PM, BBC1
• Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice - 4:10 PM, E4
• Fantastic Mr. Fox - 6:10 PM, More 4 (repeats on Sunday 29th December)

Friday 27th December

• A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures - 8:20 AM, Channel 4
• 102 Dalmations - 9:50 AM, BBC1
• Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties - 12:40 PM, ITV2
• Enchanted - 2:35 PM, BBC1
• Megamind- 4:10, BBC1

Saturday 28th December

• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas - 9:10 AM, E4 (repeats on Monday 30th December)
• Planet 51 - 11:30 AM, E4 (repeats on New Year's Day)
• Up - 6:50 PM, BBC1
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - 8:15 PM, BBC3 (repeats on Friday 3rd January)

Sunday 29th December

• The Grinch - 11:00 AM, Film4
• Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave - 1:15 PM, BBC1
• Monsters vs. Aliens - 1:55 PM, BBC1
• Shrek: The Pig Who Cried Werewolf - 1:45 PM, BBC1
• Happy Feet - 2:15 PM, 5*
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - 3:40 PM, E4
• Fantastic Mr. Fox - 6:10 PM, More4
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - 8:00 PM, BBC1

Monday 30th December

• Space Chimps - 12:20 PM, Channel 4
• Anastasia - 12:50 PM, Film4
• Coraline - 2:00 PM, Channel 4
• Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out - 2:20 PM, BBC1
• WALL-E - 2:45 PM, BBC1
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - 3:50 PM, ITV
• Mary Poppins - 4:15 PM, BBC1 (repeats on Thursday 2nd January)
• Iron Man - 6:40 PM, Film4
• Shrek Forever After - 7:30 PM, BBC1
• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas - 8:00 PM, E4

New Year's Eve, Tuesday 31st December

• Bee Movie - 9:00 AM, BBC1
• Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders - 9:25 AM, ITV
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua - 10:30 AM, BBC1
• Astro Boy - 11:10 AM, E4
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - 1:20 PM, BBC1
• Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five - 3:35 PM, BBC1
• How to Train Your Dragon - 4:00 PM, BBC1

New Year's Day, Wednesday 1st January 2014

• Flight of the Navigator - 7:50 AM, BBC2
• The Ant Bully - 9:00 AM, BBC2
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit - 10:20 AM, BBC1
• Planet 51 - 10:20 AM, Channel 4
• Gnomeo & Juliet - 6:45 PM, BBC1
• Freaky Friday - 6:55 PM, BBC1

Thursday 2nd January 2014

• The Pacifier - 10:30 AM, BBC1
• Arrietty - 11:00 AM, Film4
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 1:45 PM, BBC1
• Mary Poppins - 7:30 PM, BBC4

Friday 3rd January 2014

• The Cat in the Hat - 9:10 AM, BBC1
• Race to Witch Mountain - 10:25 AM, BBC1
• The Shaggy Dog - 1:45 PM, BBC1
• Ice Age - 7:30 PM, E4
• The Penguins of Madagascar in a Christmas Caper - 7:30 PM, BBC3
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - 7:40 PM, BBC3

Note, there is no excuse for not watching all 3 Toy Story films when they're on.

There you have it! And, if you're planning on heading to the cinema over the Holidays, you should really see Frozen (or the new Hobbit's quite good too).