Apple prepares Little Santa, its animated Christmas bet for TV Plus

Published on June 20, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

Apple TV+ has announced a new animated film titled Little Santa, based on a children's book. The film, directed by Oscar winner Peter Baynton, will tell the story of how a young Santa travels across the North Pole to give birth to Christmas. For subscribers, this represents a fresh option for family and holiday content on the platform.

young Santa in a red hooded parka building a wooden sleigh in a snow-covered arctic workshop, small glowing tools and gears floating around him while he assembles a golden compass, cinematic animation style, warm lantern light contrasting with cold blue snow outside the window, detailed wooden textures, metallic components reflecting sparkles, soft snow falling through a cracked roof, whimsical technical illustration, dynamic action pose as he tightens a bolt, photorealistic holiday render

Animation and Direction: Technical Details of the Project 🎬

The production will be handled by Apple's internal animation studio, with Baynton at the helm following his success on shorts like Robin Robin. Although specific technologies have not been revealed, the studio is expected to use advanced rendering tools and stylized 3D animation to capture the winter atmosphere. The release date is not yet confirmed, but it is aimed at the 2025 holiday season.

Young Santa: Apple's New Strategy to Avoid Running Out of Gifts 🎁

Because, of course, if you don't have a young and adventurous Santa, what kind of streaming service are you? While Netflix bets on cooking reality shows, Apple prefers to show us how Santa Claus learned to make toys. A smart move: if the film is a success, they'll have an excuse to launch a sequel, a reindeer spin-off, and perhaps a documentary about unionized elves.