The Snowman, The Polar Express, The Grinch, A Boy Called Christmas, That Christmas and Let It Snow all started life as books. The first three are picture books you can share in one sitting before the film. A Boy Called Christmas is a longer novel and will take a few evenings. That Christmas folds three short books into one film. Let It Snow is a teen novel by three authors, and its film is the only one here rated 12.
Read the book first and a familiar film becomes a fresh discovery. You can notice what the screen adds, what it leaves out and which version of a moment stays with you.
| Film | Year | UK rating | The book | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Snowman | 1982 | U | The Snowman (1978) | Raymond Briggs |
| The Polar Express | 2004 | U | The Polar Express | Chris Van Allsburg |
| The Grinch | 2018 | U | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | Dr. Seuss |
| A Boy Called Christmas | 2021 | PG | A Boy Called Christmas (2015) | Matt Haig |
| That Christmas | 2024 | PG | The Empty Stocking, Snow Day and That Christmas | Richard Curtis, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb |
| Let It Snow | 2019 | 12 | Let It Snow | John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle |
Let It Snow's 12 rating is the one displayed by Netflix UK. Book and film suitability can differ, even when they share a title.
The Snowman: a book with no words
Hamish Hamilton first published Raymond Briggs's The Snowman in 1978, and it tells its story entirely in pictures. The 1982 film, directed by Dianne Jackson, was drawn by hand on paper. Its makers had to work out how to stretch a short picture book into a half-hour film, so look for what they added.
Go through the pages first, at whatever speed the youngest reader wants. Then watch how music and timing do the job the page turns did.
One thing to check when you borrow or buy: Penguin also sells The Snowman: The Book of the Classic Film, which is a different starting point from the 1978 original. The film is rated U, and on our scale it sits at 66/100 Festive Factor.
The Snowman · Film guide →The Polar Express: a short book, a long train ride
Chris Van Allsburg's picture book, which the American Library Association lists among its award winners, became Robert Zemeckis's 2004 film with Tom Hanks. It runs about 100 minutes and is rated U for mild threat.
This is the pairing for noticing what a feature film has to add. A picture book can hold you on one painting for as long as you like. A film has to keep the train moving for roughly 100 minutes. Afterwards, ask everyone which moment they remember from each version, and see whether you agree. The film scores 87/100 Festive Factor with us.
The Polar Express · Film guide →The Grinch: pick your version first
Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! has been adapted several times, so be clear which film you mean. This pairing uses the 2018 animated feature from Illumination, directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead voice. It is rated U.
Read the book, then watch how a short picture book is stretched to feature length. Notice which scenes are new and which are straight off the page.
If it goes well, there are two more to try later: the 1966 television special directed by Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff (U, about 25 minutes), and Ron Howard's 2000 film with Jim Carrey, which is a PG. The 2018 film scores 95/100 Festive Factor.
The Grinch · Film guide →A Boy Called Christmas: give the book a head start
Canongate published Matt Haig's novel in 2015, with illustrations by Chris Mould. Gil Kenan directed the 2021 film, whose cast includes Maggie Smith.
A Boy Called Christmas · Film guide →Start the book a week or so before you plan to watch. The point of this pairing is time to picture the world yourself before a film shows you its version. When you do watch, notice the first place or person that looks different from what you imagined.
The film is a PG, and the BBFC flags mild scary scenes, upsetting scenes and injury detail. That is worth knowing if the book was a bedtime read for a younger child.
That Christmas: three books, one film
Richard Curtis wrote The Empty Stocking, Snow Day and That Christmas, all illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. Penguin now collects them as That Christmas and Other Stories, and the three were woven together into Netflix's 2024 animated film, directed by Simon Otto with a voice cast including Bill Nighy and Brian Cox.
This one works differently from a straight adaptation. Read the books separately, then watch how the film threads them through one town over one Christmas. A good question for afterwards: if the film could only keep one of the three stories, which should it have been?
The film is a PG for threat and rude humour.
That Christmas · Film guide →Let It Snow: the one for teenagers
John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle wrote Let It Snow together, and it takes place on a Christmas Eve when a blizzard has buried a small town. Netflix made the 2019 film, directed by Luke Snellin, with Kiernan Shipka, Isabela Merced and Joan Cusack.
Choose it when picture books are long behind you. The comparison worth making is how three writers' stories become one film with one director.
Netflix UK rates the film 12. Check its content guidance before choosing it for a younger reader who loved the book.
The Muppet Christmas Carol · Film guide →Making it stick
Borrow or dig out one book. Read it without rushing to the film, then book the evening.
Afterwards, ask three things: what changed, what surprised you, and which moment would you revisit? You do not have to agree on a winner to enjoy the comparison.
