The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Gunn directs. Henry Braham behind the camera. John Murphy scores. Greg D'Auria cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Tight 45-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
• 2Released 4 years ago.
• 3265+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
• 4Directed by James Gunn, shot by Henry Braham. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by John Murphy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Greg D'Auria shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "The perfect present is a galaxy away.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt13623136 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 13 themes, including "holiday", "superhero", "celebrity", "saving christmas".
• 11Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Henry Braham

Original score

John Murphy

Editing

Greg D'Auria

Production design

Beth Mickle

Costume design

Judianna Makovsky

Makeup / hair

Alexei Dmitriew

VFX supervisor

Stephane Ceretti

Sound

Liz Marston

Stunt coordinator

Hank Amos

Runtime

45 min · 0h 45m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG-13

IMDB

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) ↗

Also by

James Gunn

• 
  Peacemaker

  2022 · ★ 8.2
• 
  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

  2023 · ★ 7.9
• 
  Guardians of the Galaxy

  2014 · ★ 7.9
• 
  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

  2017 · ★ 7.6
• 
  The Suicide Squad

  2021 · ★ 7.4
• 
  Superman

  2025 · ★ 7.3

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Review

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here) Sing-Along

  Featurette
• 

  ▶
  Here It Is Christmastime

  Clip
• 

  ▶
  Christmas Time

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  Featurette

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• The Movie Mob2022-11-26
  ★ 7/10

  The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is all out ridiculous kid humor and not critical to the overall MCU story, but it’s a fun way to spend 45 minutes. Marvel’s second Disney+ special is another success! This Guardians of the Galaxy special is much more kid-focused than Werewolf by Night, with the humor dipping into extreme goofball. Still, it is nice to laugh with some of the goofier characters of the Marvel Universe. The idea to bring Kevin Bacon into the MCU as himself was comedy genius, and the whole special ends with a sweet, sincere family feeling. I wouldn’t say this Holiday Special was as impressive as Werewolf by Night, but it was fun, and the quality and effects felt on par with the movies. Again, I wouldn’t say it is a must-see, but if you love Marvel movies and a good laugh, you will enjoy giving this 45 minutes of your time.

  Read full review ↓
• Nathan2022-12-01
  ★ 5/10

  The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special does what it needs to in order to be an effective Christmas tale. It is funny, heartwarming, and filled with fantastic original Christmas songs. It is nothing overly special but does what it needs to. The writing for this special was pretty lackluster, there were more than a handful of lines that felt very awkward. I would question the acting, but we've seen and fell in love with these characters on the screen before, so the writing seems to be the culprit. Many of the Kevin Bacon and Kraglin's lines were cheesy and inorganic. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it just did not work for me. The comedy is fantastic and hand me audibly laughing at many scenes. It was great to see the gang back together again and has me that much more excited for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3. Overall, this was a decent entry into the MCU. Short, fun, and lighthearted. It does not attempt to be more than that. Score: 55% | Verdict: Average

  Read full review ↓
• Manuel São Bento2022-12-03
  ★ 8/10

  MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is irrefutable proof that James Gunn just can't fail. A Christmas special surrounded by the seasonal, familiar spirit, packing a huge heart and full of the filmmaker's typical, efficient humor. The main cast shares incredibly authentic chemistry, with Pom Klementieff standing out this time with a hilariously sweet, emotional performance. Final remark for the musical numbers with amusing lyrics and Kevin Bacon perfectly playing... Kevin Bacon. I hope Marvel continues to make these TV specials." Rating: A-

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Marvel Studios

  US

• KE

  Kevin Feige Productions

  US

• 

  Troll Court Entertainment

  US

Key crew

• Set DecorationRosemary Brandenburg
• Production DesignBeth Mickle
• Makeup Department HeadAlexei Dmitriew
• EditorGreg D'Auria
• OtherKevin R. Wright
• Executive ProducerLouis D'Esposito
• Executive ProducerVictoria Alonso
• Executive ProducerKevin Feige
• Executive ProducerSimon Hatt
• Executive ProducerSara Smith
• Co-ProducerLars P. Winther
• Executive ProducerJames Gunn
• Co-ProducerDavid J. Grant
• Executive ProducerBrad Winderbaum
• Music SupervisorDave Jordan
• Visual Effects SupervisorStephane Ceretti
• Costume DesignJudianna Makovsky
• Visual Effects ProducerBryan Searing
• EditorGregg Featherman
• Music SupervisorTrygge Toven
• Visual Effects ProducerSusan Pickett
• Line ProducerNik Korda
• Second Assistant DirectorAmir R. Khan
• Stunt DoubleColin Follenweider

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• holiday
• superhero
• celebrity
• saving christmas
• talking dog
• based on movie
• aftercreditsstinger
• marvel cinematic universe (mcu)
• christmas
• christmas special
• short film
• holiday special
• space dog

Release history · US

When it landed

• Digital2022-11-25PG-13· Disney+

Also known as

International titles

• Guardiões da Galáxia: Especial de NatalBR
• Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday SpecialUS
• マーベル・スタジオ スペシャル・プレゼンテーション：ガーディアンズ・オブ・ギャラクシー ホリデー・スペシャルJP
• Marvel Studios présente : Les Gardiens de la Galaxie : Joyeuses FêtesFR
• Marvel Studios Apresenta Um Especial: Guardiões da Galáxia: Especial de FestasBR
• אולפני מארוול מציגים: שומרי הגלאקסיה: ספיישל חג המולדIL
• 银河护卫队：假日特辑CN
• Une présentation spéciale de Marvel Studios : Les Gardiens de la Galaxie : Joyeuses FêtesCA
• รวมพันธุ์นักสู้พิทักษ์จักรวาล ตอนพิเศษรับวันหยุดTH
• Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday SpecialUS
• Вартові галактики: Спеціальний святковий випускUA
• Вартові галактики: Святковий спецвипускUA
• Стражи Галактики: РождествоRU
• Guardianes de la Galaxia: Especial Felices FiestasES
• 가디언즈 오브 갤럭시 홀리데이 스페셜KR