It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Drama Fantasy Romance Family

Rated PG | Threatrical Jan 07, 1947 (US) | Genres Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Family | Runtime 2h 10m
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Drama Fantasy Romance Family Poster

It's a Wonderful Life Plot Synopsis:

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born.


Synopsis / Plot Summary: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Tagline: Frank Capra"s..."It"s a Wonderful Life".

More: Most Anticipated Horror Movies Coming Soon in 2026-2027!

Official Trailer

  • It's a Wonderful Life Official Trailer

It's a Wonderful Life Movie Information:

Type: Movie
Year: 1946
MPAA Rating: PG
Runtime: 130 minutes /
Genres:  Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Family
Directors: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers … (cast list)
Release Date: Theatrical Release Date Jan 07, 1947
Box Office: $1,483,643
Awards: 11
Nominations: 7
Language: English, French
Country: United States
Release Dates: Movie Release Dates / It's a Wonderful Life Release Dates In Theaters: Jan 07, 1947
Writers: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, Jo Swerling, Philip Van Doren Stern, Michael Wilson
Producers: Frank Capra
Editors: William Hornbeck
Trending in Movies:

Whistle (2025), Forgive Us All (2025), Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025), 28 Years Later: The Bone… (2026), 28 Years Later (2025), We Bury the Dead (2024), Strange Harvest: Occult Murder… (2024), Bring Her Back (2025), Parvulos (2024), and ZombieCON Vol. 1 (2024)

Check Out the Best Horror Movies of 2026 You Must See!

Check out more movies that start with I and movies from 1946. Also, here is a list of more fantasy movies that start with I.

More: Must See New Horror Movies in 2026!

(11) Movie Recommendations


Source: IMDB, Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, HellHorror.com fans like you!