There’s no better time to visit a theme park than the Christmas season, in my humble opinion. When a fan's favorite park is fully decorated in lights, it can absolutely transform and already fun and special place. Luckily, if you can’t make it to your favorite theme park next Christmas, there will be not one, but two different movies that will bring holiday theme park magic to you.
Brands known for family entertainment, Walt Disney World and Hallmark Channel will unite for Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True. The upcoming Hallmark movie will star channel mainstay Lacey Chablet and will be one of the few times that a major film production, especially a non-Disney one, will film inside the park. However, Disney World isn’t the only theme park getting in on the Christmas romance action.
Silver Dollar City Is Getting Its Own Holiday Romance Movie
The Great American Family cable channel, known as well as Hallmark for its family-friendly content and its heartwarming holiday fare, is teaming with Branson, Missouri’s Silver Dollar City. Said theme park which will be one of the main locations for An Ozark Mountain Christmas, a film on the 2026 holiday slate. The movie will co-star Briana Cohen and Jonathan Stoddard, both of whom have a history with this particular genre.
While the Disney Hallmark movie will simply be set at the park, with two people continually crossing paths as part of separate Disney World family vacations, Silver Dollar City's connection to its film will be even stronger. The character played by Stoddard will actually be a woodcarver who works inside SDC. Several of the other tradespeople who work inside the park will make cameo appearances in the GAF film as well.
It's a great way to bring Silver Dollar into the film's narrative, as the craft work that is done at SDC is one of the unique elements of the park. During my first visit to Silver Dollar City, that showmanship really stood out, and I'd argue it's one of the reasons the theme park that often wins fan votes for the best parks in the country.
More Theme Park Movies, Please
I’m generally not one for these sorts of films but, as a major theme park enthusiast, I love the idea of using them as backdrops for romantic films. So many people use theme parks as locations for weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries and so many other milestones in relationships. I know more than one couple who actually did fall in love at or through the theme park world, so they're fitting settings for magical romance movies.
I hope both of these theme park holiday movies are successful and that they help kick off an entire subgenre. (The world needs a Dollywood romance, with a special appearance by Dolly herself, of course.) And we'll need a sequel to this movie so a future Silver Dollar City romance flick can include the new resort currently under construction.
Outside of these films, we are seeing other theme parks becoming parts of dramatic films and series. Disneyland was used for location shooting for the upcoming Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series on Disney+. That show might debut this year, but might not arrive until 2027, as that is the character’s 100th birthday.
