Amazon Prime has been slammed for axing what many fans call the 'emotional core' of the beloved Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life.

Holiday viewers were left furious after discovering Amazon Prime Video had chopped 22 minutes from Frank Capra's iconic 1946 film and gutting one of its most famous scenes. 

The decades-long staple pulls in millions of viewers every Christmas season, with 4.7 million people tuning in in 2017 and nearly 4.5 million still watching in 2020.

But fans were left scratching their heads this year after realizing they'd been served an 'abridged' cut of the film - confusion fueled by what insiders say is the movie's notoriously chaotic copyright history, according to CNN.

That didn't stop thousands of outraged viewers from spending Christmas Day online, ripping the quiet scene cut as an 'abomination' and a betrayal of the film. 

The axing of the 'Pottersville' scene - arguably the most important moment in the story - had the internet insisting that ripping it out destroys the entire movie. 

In it, the heartbroken hero suddenly finds his will to live, realizing just how much the world would crumble without him. 

'Are they insane? This sequence encapsulates the point of the entire film! How one man's life and good deeds affect many others, and why the world is worse off without him,' one viewer wrote on X.

Amazon Prime Video is being slammed for cutting what many fans call the 'emotional core' of the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life

Viewers were left furious this holiday season after realizing the streaming giant chopped 22 minutes from Frank Capra's iconic 1946 film and gutted one of its most famous scenes

The axing of the 'Pottersville' scene - arguably the most pivotal moment in the story -had the internet insisting that ripping it out destroys the entire movie

Another added: 'Yeah... we watched it last night unknowingly and they deleted the MOST IMPORTANT part! UGH! That version should be removed!'

In the film, protagonist George Bailey - played by James Stewart - wishes he'd never been born, only to have the angel Clarence show him a grim alternate reality of life without him. 

But viewers quickly saw the plot jump from the actor contemplating his life to joyfully sprinting through town the next moment - an abrupt mood swing with no explanation in between. 

In the original, untouched film, Bailey's hometown of Bedford Falls collapses into the corrupt town of Pottersville, with countless other misfortunes unfolding as a result of his nonexistence.

His brother dies young, his wife never finds love and the whole town is ruthlessly ruled by the greedy banker - completely unchecked.