Four classic holiday family films — National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Elf and The Polar Express — are available now on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray combo pack and digital from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
The combo packs will include a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with each feature film in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with the feature films and pre-existing special features, and a digital version of the feature films.
In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), as the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas. He pesters his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and children as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. Things go awry quickly when cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs. The screenplay is by John Hughes and based on characters by Hughes.
A Christmas Story (1983) is set in a 1940s-era Midwestern town and told from the viewpoint of a 7-year-old boy who only wants one thing for Christmas — a Red Ryder BB gun. The episodic tale chronicles not only his schemes to convince his mother and father to buy him one, but also offers a warmly nostalgic look into 1940s middle-class American life. The long-awaited follow-up to A Christmas Story, A Christmas Story Christmas will debut on HBO Max Nov. 17. In the sequel, Ralphie is all grown up and must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it as a dad. Peter Billingsley returns to the role.
Elf (2003) tells the tale of a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts on Christmas Eve and is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf. Years later Buddy learns he is not really an elf and goes on a journey to New York City to find his true identity. The film is directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner and Bob Newhart.
In The Polar Express (2004), when a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the animated film is based on the classic Caldecott award-winning children’s book written by Chris Van Allsburg. It features the voices of Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen.