Santa’s sackload of recently released treats for all the family should fill those fractious hours between teatime and bedtime on Christmas Day. Top billing goes to the bovine action cartoon Home on the Range, which employs the strident tones of Roseanne Barr as the curvaceous show cow Maggie. Young children, possibly baffled by the cattle rustling and bounty hunting theme, will be distracted by cute farmyard critters, animated in classic Disney style. Maggie’s wit, Alan Menken’s music and a ludicrous posse of human — and equine — baddies should keep everyone amused. A corral of special features include deleted scenes, jokes, Mrs Calloway’s dairy tale and a yodelfest.

Big cat lovers can choose between two feline features whose stars come from very different sides of the cat flap. In Two Brothers, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, a pair of tiger cubs are separated and taken into captivity, only to be reunited as enemies years later by a greedy explorer. In Garfield, the lasagne-loving star of the strip cartoon is a CGI-animated ball of ginger fluff with the voice of Bill Murray.

Variations on a traditional Christmas theme for the smallest family members include snowy cartoon capers in Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas. The main story in the more pedestrian Balamory Christmas DVD is PC Plum’s panto, starring the smiley Miss Hooley as Cinderella. Ghosts of Christmas past come courtesy of a trio of Rankin/Bass musical classics, prettily animated old-timers from the 1950s and 1960s. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with narration and songs by Burl Ives, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town with Fred Astaire and Micky Rooney, and Jimmy Durante’s Frosty the Snowman all hark back to the days when Christmases were white. (RONNIE HAYDON)

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010