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Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

Essential Christmas · 2022

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

56/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 56 ↓
Not BBFC rated45 min · TV special
Comedy · Musical

James Gunn grew up loving the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, and this is what that childhood affection…

On Disney+ · UK subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 10 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas in good measure.

Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas drives it, but another occasion could stand in.20/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for about half.10/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details5 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.8/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Disney+

Included with a subscription
Open The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ (opens in a new tab)

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab).

The story

About The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Their leader is moping through the festive season, so two members of a ragtag band of space outlaws fly to Earth to find him the perfect Christmas present. They settle on his childhood film hero, Kevin Bacon, and set about bringing the bewildered actor back across the galaxy whether he likes it or not.

The CineClaus verdict

James Gunn grew up loving the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, and this is what that childhood affection looks like with a proper budget and better jokes. The plot is one daft errand, kidnapping Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present, and Bacon himself steals it, playing his own bewildered terror completely straight.

Opening on The Pogues tells you the sort of Christmas it has in mind. It leans hard on knowing the gang from the films, so newcomers will find it thin. Marvel households should grab it as a short, happy oddity.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: comic fights where nobody is badly hurt make it suitable for children who already know the Guardians films, though a kidnapping played for laughs might need a quick word with younger ones.

Content advice & accessibility
Not BBFC rated
The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.

The series

The Guardians of the Galaxy films

2 films, in release order

  • 2017

    The film before

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

    2017

    A standalone special that follows the second feature in the series.

    Not in our catalogue yet
  • 2022

    You’re here

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

    2022

    You’re on this film’s page
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Close portrait of a smiling man with short brown hair and light stubble, wearing a grey checked suit jacket, white shirt and blue patterned tie.Chris Prattas Peter Quill
A bald, bearded man in tinted glasses and a dark velvet jacket holds a microphone while speaking on a stage.Dave Bautistaas Drax
Pom Klementieffas Mantis
A smiling woman with long ginger hair, wearing a denim jacket over a black and white checked top, seated at a convention panel.Karen Gillanas Nebula
Vin Dieselas Groot
Bradley Cooperas Rocket
Sean Gunnas Kraglin
Kevin Baconas Himself

Behind the camera

Directed by
James Gunn
Original score
John Murphy
Writing & production credits
Writer
James Gunn
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Chris Pratt · Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Dave Bautista · Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Karen Gillan · Pedro Heshike for Galaxy Con · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

James Gunn · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

The original score album, track by track.

Behind the music. John Murphy composed the score.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

Wikidata: composer ↗ (opens in a new tab) MusicBrainz release ↗ (opens in a new tab) wikidata.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapTrilith Studios

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Location sources

Trilith Studios · Wikidata: filming locations (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

Kevin Bacon said yes before reading a page

James Gunn, a long-time Christmas enthusiast, rang Kevin Bacon with the idea of Bacon playing himself as the gift Mantis and Drax pick for Peter Quill. Bacon has said he agreed without reading the script.

Read the story

Source: ABC7 coverage of the Disney+ release ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: On streaming. Debuted on Disney+.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

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Collections, stories & Christmas memories

Elsewhere on CineClaus

More places to find The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and a few good reasons to keep exploring.

In this collection

Best family Christmas films

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is in this collection

Explore the collection
Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit