Best movies like Bush Christmas

The much loved Australian story of an outback family and a Christmas adventure that they would never forget.

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Bush Christmas Starring John Ewart, John Howard, Mark Spain, James Wingrove, and more. If you liked Bush Christmas then you may also like: Unwelcome Stranger, National Velvet, Racing Lady, Racing Stripes, Ride a Wild Pony and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

In the Australian outback a family struggles to keep its farm from foreclosure. Their only hope is that their horse, Prince, will win money in a New Year's race. But when Prince is stolen the children embark on a dangerous and exciting adventure to get him back.

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Know any good movies to watch like Bush Christmas 1983. With a similar plot or stoyline. Suggest it.

Unwelcome Stranger

Horse-breeder Howard Chamberlain has many superstitious quirks but his primary one is that he believes orphans are bad luck and a jinx to be around. This is bad news when 'Gimpy", an orphan, shows up at Chamberlain's horse-ranch in search of a place to stay. But Howard's soft-hearted wife, Madeline, allows the young boy to stay on and work in the barn with the horses. And "Gimpy" breaks Chamberlain's "orphan-jinx" in a big way.

National Velvet

Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse.

Racing Lady

A shrewd millionaire who owns races horses for publicity for his automobile business, claims ownership of a female horse trainer's thoroughbred in order to get the trainer.

Racing Stripes

Shattered illusions are hard to repair -- especially for a good-hearted zebra named Stripes who's spent his life on a Kentucky farm amidst the sorely mistaken notion that he's a debonair thoroughbred. Once he faces the fact that his stark stripes mark him as different, he decides he'll race anyway. And with help from the young girl who raised him, he just might end up in the winner's circle.

Ride a Wild Pony

Scott, a poor farm boy, is given a wild pony from a wealthy ranch owner's herd to ride to and from school. Scott and his pony soon become an inseparable team, until one day the pony suddenly disappears. Soon after, the ranch owner's handicapped daughter Josie has a wild pony especially trained to pull her cart. But Scott is convinced that Josie's pony is actually his, which leads to a court battle that divides their small Australian town. One child must ultimately lose the pony when true ownership is decided.

The Rocking Horse Winner

A strange and tragic tale of a young boy who is able to predict race winners at the horse track by riding his own rocking horse to aid his parents out of their endless round of debts.

The Black Stallion

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.

Champions

The true story of jockey Bob Champion who overcame cancer to win the 1981 Grand National

Christmas Cottage

Inspired by the picturesque paintings of Thomas Kinkade, The Christmas Cottage tells the semi-autobiographical tale of how a young boy is propelled to launch a career as an artist after he learns that his mother is in danger of losing the family home.

A Christmas Story 2

The original traditional one-hundred-percent red-blooded two-fisted all-American Christmas continues five years later with Ralphie, Randy, mom and the old man. This time Ralphie has his eyes fixed on a car. But trouble is sure to follow.

Santa Buddies

When Puppy Paws, the fun-loving son of Santa Paws, gets bored, he finds Budderball on Santa's naughty list and figures he's just the dog to show him how to be an ordinary pup. When the magical Christmas Icicle starts to melt however, and the world begins to forget the true meaning of the season, it's up to Puppy Paws and his newfound Buddies to journey back to the North Pole and save Christmas.

The Cup

At the heart of this true story is Damien Oliver, a young jockey who loses his only brother in a tragic racing accident, hauntingly reflecting of the way their father died 27 years earlier. After suffering through a series of discouraging defeats, Damien teams with Irish trainer Dermot Weld, and triumphs at the 2002 Melbourne Cup in one of the most thrilling finales in sporting history.

Dead Heat

Boston cop Pally is forced into early retirement, putting a strain on his marriage. Pally's stepbrother, Ray, attempts to lift his spirits by tipping him off to a sure-bet racehorse. But their attempts to secure the champion equine are thwarted by a local mob boss, who steals the horse as repayment for a gambling debt. With their investment on the line, Pally and Ray become entangled in a web of underworld crime and murder.

A Christmas Story

The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.

Dot and the Kangaroo

An Australian girl gets lost in the Outback, but she's befriended by a kangaroo who gives her a ride in her pouch as they search for the girl's home. Aiding the pair are musically gifted koalas, platypuses, and kookaburras in this film based on Ethel Pedley's 1899 children's book, with animated humans and animals superimposed upon a live-action background.

Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story

Ben Crane believes that a severely injured racehorse deserves another chance. He and his daughter Cale adopt the mare and save it from being sacrificed by the owner.

The Black Stallion Returns

"Black" is a stunning fire-and-silk stallion celebrated the world over. But to his young American owner, Alec Ramsay (Kelly Reno), he's much more. So, when the amazing animal is stolen, Alec will stop at nothing to get him back. Alec finally unravels the mystery of Black's theft...only to discover that he must overcome even greater odds to reclaim his beloved horse.

High Ground

In a remote corner of the wild country, a bloody war rages. Travis is a bounty hunter with one last hope of redemption. Gutjuk is a young Indigenous man trying to save the last of his family. Together they embark on a manhunt, which unravels a secret that ultimately pits them against each other.

The Derby Stallion

An alcoholic former horse-trainer perceives in a fifteen-year-old boy a unique gift of horsemanship and makes it possible for the boy to conceive his dream and pursue it.

Ride Like a Girl

The story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

Christmas for a Dollar

America is in the midst of the Depression, and the Kamp family is struggling to get by, especially after Mrs. Kamp's untimely death. Now little Ruthie, with her mother gone and her father overwhelmed by doctor bills resulting from her brother's polio, expects another Christmas without presents or festivities. But when her father brings home one dollar in change and lets the children use it to buy special gifts for each other, the Kamps come to find that money isn't what fills Christmas with joy, love, and miracles.

Two in Revolt

A dog and a horse become unlikely allies when they attempt to thwart a crooked gambler from rigging a race.

Phar Lap

Phar Lap, the big bold chestnut reigned as the king of the turf in the depression that gripped Australia of the 1930s. From his humble beginnings the New Zealand bred horse raced on to become the hero of a nation.

Initiation

After the death of his mother, teenage Danny visits his father Matt Malloy on a lonesome farm in Australia, where he lives with a girlfriend and her daughter Stevie. The farm has been going bad lately, so Matt starts smuggling Marijuana for a drug connection. When Danny joins him on one of his flights, the two-seater crashes in the middle of nowhere. Since his father is wounded, he has to conquer the jungle alone in search for help.

The Christmas Box

A ski-shop owner reluctantly moves himself, his wife, and his daughter in to an estate as live-in help for an elderly widow. While struggling to balance his career and family life, he has recurring dreams about an angel.

The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story

After experiencing several stressful situations within a short time — including the failure of the family business and the loss of her mother — Janet Broderick becomes ill. Falling into a deep sleep, she dreams of returning to her hometown, taking her children with her to meet her deceased loved ones. Perhaps, during a Christmas reunion with her beloved family, she will find the answer to coping with her troubles.

The Silver Brumby

A mother tells her daughter a fable about the prince of the brumbies, brumby being a term for the feral horses of Australia, who must find its place among its kind, while one man makes it his mission to capture it and tame it. Australian adaptation of Elyne Mitchell's "The silver Brumby".

The Fire in the Stone

Teenager Ernie lives with his alcoholic father in the harsh and lawless opal fields of Coober Pedy in outback South Australia. When his cache of precious opals is stolen, Ernie and his best friend are determined to find the thief.

Home for Christmas

Mickey Rooney plays a weary old thief who befriends a young child. Home for Christmas is a 1990 Canadian made film about a young girl (Chantellese Kent) who wants a grandfather for Christmas. She chooses an elderly, homeless ex-con (Mickey Rooney) as her pseudo-grandfather and he teaches her - and her family - the true meaning of Christmas. Somewhat predictable.. but has a good plot twist about half way through that keeps it interesting. A solid, low-key performance by Mickey Rooney as the seemingly broken down homeless man saves this one from drowning in it's own mushiness.

Christmas in Montana

Before the holidays, Sara goes to Montana to help resistant Travis save his ranch. Can time on the ranch help restore her faith in Christmas in time for a miracle?

A Holiday for Love

A man is sent to a small town to assess which of the workers in the local factory that supplies the town with jobs should get the boot when the downsizing begins. He gets sidetracked when he falls in love with a local, a cute single mom.

12 Days of Giving

A Good Samaritan wins a small fortune and decides to play secret Santa to the residents of his small town, soon finding love in the process.

A Very Corgi Christmas

All Lauren Bradley, a single mom and confirmed workaholic, wants this holiday is a much deserved break. Those hopes are dashed when she runs into fellow single dad Ben who enlists her help in taking care of a cute and cuddly christmas present he plans to give his daughter. Through all the chaos and calls from work, Lauren just might get the best gift of all, the holiday spirit.

K-9 Adventures: A Christmas Tale

Luke Perry stars in this heartwarming "tail." Kassie, her friends and her dog, Scoot, organize a holiday fundraiser, but must protect the cash from some crooks in order to save Christmas.

Snowmageddon

A seemingly-harmless snow globe unleashes a devastating winter storm on a peaceful mountainside community, prompting one family on a race to save their town from certain destruction. As night falls on Christmas Eve, the Miller family finds a gift-wrapped snow globe just outside their door. Inside is an exact replica of their town - right down to the smallest detail. But this isn't your typical holiday decoration, because every time it's shaken, a blank of snow a blizzard blasts through town. Later, when the buttons on the globe plunge the town into total chaos, the Miller's must find a way to stop the destruction once and for all.

Blinky Bill the Movie

Blinky Bill is a little koala with a big imagination. An adventurer at heart, he dreams of leaving the little town of Green Patch and following in his missing father’s footsteps. When Blinky discovers a mysterious marker that hints at his Dad’s whereabouts, he embarks on a journey that takes him beyond the boundary of Green Patch and into the wild and dangerous Outback.

Five More Minutes: Moments Like These

The second holiday story inspired by Scotty McCreery’s song “Five More Minutes,” a young widow’s Christmas wish for her son is answered in unexpected ways when she returns to their old home for the holidays.

Long Lost Christmas

Hayley is an interior designer who plans to surprise her recently widowed mother Patricia with the perfect holiday present: the extended family she knows her mom yearns for.

A Christmas Wish

MARTHA EVANS has been abandoned by her ne'er-do-well husband, who took all their cash and left her homeless and virtually destitute with her two daughters and stepson. Martha leaves town in hopes of finding a job and a place to stay, she finally finds a job at a sleepy rural diner, formerly famous for its home-made root beer. But with her car broken down and the bills piling up, it looks like it's going to be a bleak Christmas for the Evans family. However, there are warm hearts working behind the scenes that ultimately make this the happiest holiday of Martha's life -- a real answer to her prayers

12 Gifts of Christmas

When Anna Parisi, an unemployed fine arts painter, is unable to make ends meet, she is hired to become a personal Christmas shopper for Marc, an uptight corporate exec. As they begin working together, Marc learns that Christmas giving has less to do with the amount of money spent and more to do with the importance of the gift, while Anna discovers she might find success as an artist in a way she never expected. The best gift of all of course is the love they discover with one another.

Road to Christmas

Los Angeles television producer Maggie Baker unwittingly falls for Danny Wise, the son and former producer of his mother’s popular annual Christmas special Julia Wise Lifestyle. When Maggie’s secret plan to reunite Danny and his two brothers with Julia during the live broadcast in Vermont goes awry, Maggie is reminded that above all, it is the love for family and friends that makes the merriest of Christmas.

Christmas with a Capital C

An attorney returns to his small home town in Alaska and quickly rocks the boat by getting an injunction against the nativity display tradition and attacking Christmas.

Project Christmas Wish

For years Lucy has played Santa to her small town’s community by making their holiday wishes come true. But when Lucy grants a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mom, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true in life and love.

Silver Bells

Manhattanite Catherine O'Mara (Heche) bonds with a young man who has run away from his father. When the father returns to New York a year later to sell his Christmas trees, he and Catherine cross paths.

McLeod's Daughters

Tess returns home to Drovers Run, a family-run ranch in Australia’s outback, to reunite with her estranged father Jack and half sister Claire. Although Tess and Claire have feuded in the past, they must now work together to save the ranch from bankruptcy.

Wish for Christmas

When a high school senior finds out from her parents that she must miss the town's winter dance in order to attend church, she successfully wishes their faith away, bringing disastrous consequences to her family and community. To restore their faith, she is led through a series of Christmas adventures that change her heart and those around her.

A Town Without Christmas

In the small town of Seacliff, Wash., a child's letter to Santa Claus captures the nation's attention. When the little boy, Chris, writes that he wishes to leave this world so he will no longer be a burden to his divorcing parents, a race begins to find him before he harms himself.

A Cheerful Christmas

Lauren and her best friend Colleen think they have landed their dream job – giving people the best and most magical Christmas ever as their personal ‘Christmas Coaches.’ This holiday season promises to be their biggest ever when they land a royal client, the Anderson family, who has moved from England. When Lauren meets James, the eldest son, he wants nothing to do with planning Christmas as he’s busy negotiating a big acquisition for his father’s company. But Lauren won’t be thwarted in helping this royal family embrace the true spirit of Christmas. The more she prods James about their family holiday traditions the more he opens up. Sparks start to fly but she faces competition in the form of an old childhood friend and business colleague of James. Now Lauren must win his heart while giving the Andersons their best Christmas ever.

Santa Switch

A struggling dad gets a new start after a strange encounter replaces his mall Santa gig with the real thing.

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