The hottest tickets in town: Five things to do in Toronto

The Strumbellas

We've got Spirits in our heads and it won't go – away. The ever-catchy sing-along hit from the cottage-country folk-rockers catapulted the group to the top of the Billboard alternative-songs chart and onto The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The song is lyrically dark but upbeat musically, a mix of vulnerability and determination that serves as proper an anthem as any for a trying, frightening 2016.

Dec. 22 (7 p.m.) and Dec. 23 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.). $19.50 to $34.50. Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave., 855-985-5000 or ticketmaster.ca.

Spirited Away: The Films of Studio Ghibli

"Disney movies touch the heart," it has been said, "but Studio Ghibli films touch the soul." A retrospective covers the hits from the acclaimed Japanese animation studio, including Spirited Away, arguably the greatest animated feature ever made. A young girl plunges into the spirit kingdom to rescue her parents in Hayao Miyazaki's thoughtful, unordinary coming-of-age tale.

Dec. 24 to Jan. 8. $10 to $14. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 416-599-8433 or tiff.net.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in Concert

In the summer of '82, a wrinkly blob spoke to the homesick alien in all of us. But the film's lush, Oscar-winning soundtrack – the peak of a long, fruitful collaboration between Steven Spielberg and John Williams – spoke to us as well. The 15-minute finale is near operatic; we really can (on a flying bicycle or some other way) go home again. And we can revisit an extra-magical film, here screened with live orchestral accompaniment.

Dec. 29 and 30, 7:30 p.m. $49 to $99. Sony Centre, 1 Front St. E., 855-872-7669 or ticketmaster.ca.

The Nutcracker

Skating bears and warrior mice, oh my. Audiences never seem to tire of James Kudelka's sumptuous dream of a Nutcracker – only scattered single seats and standing-room tickets remain for this season's National Ballet run. Your best hope to get into the magical palace of Tchaikovsky, sugar plums and pas de deux is as a celebrity volunteering to perform as a cannon doll. T

o Dec 31. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., 416-345-9595 or national.ballet.ca.

Hocus Pocus

Unlike the whiz-bang razzle-dazzle of The Illusionists – Live From Broadway over at the Princess of Wales Theatre, this show of illusion casts a more intimate spell. Performed by David Ben, Hocus Pocus elegantly employs spoken word and cinema along with sleight-of-hand shenanigans, all in a salon-like setting. To Dec. 31. $25 to $60. Young Centre, 50 Tank House Lane, 416-866-8666 or soulpepper.ca.