Holidays with Kanopy
There are plenty of holiday movies out this time of year, and we have more to add to your list! With your Plano Public Library card you have access to Kanopy, a video streaming service. Filled with classics, documentaries, and award-winning films there is plenty to queue up. With an account, you can watch five films each month (Great Courses are counted as one view per collection; unlimited views for Kanopy Kids).
To get started, all you need is your Plano Library card and an email address.
- Visit our Kanopy page to create an account
- Verify your account by clicking on the link Kanopy sends via email
- Log in on the Kanopy site
- Add your library card number
- Start watching!
One of the latest features for Kanopy are trailers, which do not count against your five views each month. Be sure to look out for the “Trailer” button to preview the video. You can always add a video to your watchlist using the “+ My List” button.
Kanopy has an entire “December Holidays” section where you can find more films to browse. Here are a few recommendations:
The Man Who Invented Christmas
This is the story of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real-life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today.
Nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay and Achievement in Make-Up at the Canadian Screen Awards.
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas: Jewish Songwriters Composing Christmas Music
“Set almost entirely in a Chinese restaurant, DREAMING OF A JEWISH CHRISTMAS is an offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Torme, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday.
“It’s an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture’s mainstream – a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe in it.”
Nominated for an International Emmy Award for Arts Programming. Winner of the Czech Crystal Award at the Golden Prague International Television Festival.
Getting to the Nutcracker: The Making of a Christmas Classic
Every Christmas The Nutcracker is performed in cities around the world. What does it take to produce this timeless ballet? Witness the passion of young dancers, from auditions to the final, triumphant performance.
The Nutcracker Ballet
This classic tale takes place on the night before Christmas, when Clara and Franz receive a Nutcracker as a gift from their uncle. This present sparks a magical dream, and a night filled with amazing stories and characters. The Mouse King, Sugar Fairies, Chime Puppets and other timeless characters, makes this ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s music, an unforgettable experience.
Ballet of the Slovak National Theatre, Sofia National Opera Orchestra, Conducted by Boris Spassov. Filmed at the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava.
Saint Nicholas – The Real Story
Everybody knows the story of Santa Claus, the red-suited figure who lives at the North Pole and distributes gifts to good children every Christmas Eve. But is there any historical evidence on which this jolly old character is based? Was there a real Santa Claus? To answer that question, host Mark Wilson, a distinguished historian and archeologist travels not to the North Pole but to modern-day Turkey and Italy. There he uncovers clues that lead to the truth about the man behind the legend.
Even if you aren’t interested in these holiday movies and documentaries, there are thousands of movies to choose from on Kanopy. Similarly laid out to other movie and television streaming services, you can scroll a variety of genres and curated lists. Here are a few to try:
Newly Added: Movies, Documentaries, World Cinema, and Series
