Miracle on 34th Street1947Miracle on 34th Street
1947
A kindly old man who calls himself Kris Kringle becomes the Macy's Santa in New York. A skeptical single mother and her daughter, who were raised not to believe in fairy tales, watch him end up in court defending his sanity.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
The 1947 original: a department-store Santa's sanity trial in which a skeptical mother and daughter learn to believe. It ends in a family.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Doris is divorced and has raised Susan to disbelieve; the film treats that skepticism as the thing to overcome and ends with a new family, and the divorce is only backstory. Kris bops a cruel man on the head, and a drunk Santa appears at the start.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why didn't Susan believe in Santa?
- What happened with the letters at the trial?
- Why was Mr. Sawyer so unkind?
- What did Doris learn?
Content advisory
Common Sense Media 5+: Kris bops a cruel man on the head; cigars and two drunk scenes; one kiss.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
Miracle on 34th Street Blu-ray (70th Anniversary Edition)
Blu-ray · October 10, 2017
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.