Santa is dead. That’s the holly, jolly premise of Noelle, a Disney+ original movie debuting for the service’s pre-Thanksgiving launch.
There’s no explanation of how Santa died, but without the big guy around, his reluctant son, Nick (Bill Hader), must take up the velvet cap and coat to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. It’s a format tackled by countless other movies, but with an added twist here.
What follows is a comedy of errors somewhere between Elf and Enchanted.
At Nick’s side are his sister, Noelle (Anna Kendrick), his mother, Mrs. Claus (Julie Hagerty), and the Claus family’s personal elf, Polly (Shirley MacLaine). There’s also Cousin Gabe (Billy Eichner), who works in the IT department, an adorable reindeer-in-training named Snowcone, and a gaggle of nosey North Polians eager to see replacement Santa pull off the big delivery.
When Nick flees from the mounting pressure, it’s Noelle who must save Christmas. Tasked with finding her brother, the dutiful Kringle battles her way through a Phoenix, Arizona strip mall where, it turns out, Nick is bailing on his family duties to teach yoga classes.
What follows is a comedy of errors somewhere between Elf and Enchanted. Noelle tries out public transportation, hires a private detective, eats a tube of sunscreen, and surprises strangers with her liberal use of words like “jolly” and “naughty,” while persuading her brother to come home.
She also visits a homeless shelter, explores the emotional turmoil of divorce, and assists in what was probably some very expensive brand representation for Petco along the way. (Think the hot UPS guy from Legally Blonde, but y’know, for Petco.)
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable It is complete and utter chaos.
In the background of that mess, all hell is breaking loose at Santa’s workshop.
Cousin Gabe is attempting to optimize holiday magic with a naughty-or-nice algorithm that has determined all but a few thousand of the world’s children deserve coal. He is letting the world know about the results via a mass “We regret to inform you” e-mail, and plans to deliver what few presents there are via drone and Amazon Prime.
It is — and I mean this most sincerely — complete and utter chaos.
Like a kid struggling to fit their Christmas wish list into a 30-second spiel, Noelle can’t seem to take a breath for even one moment of its runtime. When we’re not enduring yet another joke about iPads, Noelle is spouting off one more holiday lesson as the plot barrels towards one more topical theme. (Gender roles, capitalism, Big Tech, you name it: if a 2019 movie could try it, Noelle probably does.)
SEE ALSO: 'Lady and the Tramp' isn't great, but it's good enoughThat's not to say this Christmas rompis all bad. Kendrick is committed to her cheery role, delivering its saccharine and slapstick elements with equal enthusiasm, and pretty much everyone else in the cast is good enough. It's all just a lot.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable From A Charlie Brown Christmas to Home Alone, many seasonal classics are charming because they're so simple. In Noelle's many efforts to strike a chord, the genuine joy of the holidays gets lost. Despite a passionate fifth act monologue from Kendrick, the overarching message of the movie isn't clear and its most notable elements fall short of being memorable.
If you’re looking to placate some rowdy children or cranky grandparents this holiday season, then Noelle will hit the spot. But if you’re looking for a new Christmas tradition, Santa's sister can't deliver — at least, not in the ways we'd wished for.
Noelleis now streaming on Disney+.
Topics Disney+
‘Ramen Heads’ Screening at Nuart
A baby elephant pushed Melania Trump during her visit to the Nairobi National Park
Can someone explain this clueless senator's random selfie?
Hurricane Hilary is headed to California. See the path, impact predictions
On the Road with Hello Kitty
This Key and Peele sketch is every fandom's new meme
Wikipedia demotes Breitbart to fake news
The presidential alert meme is here for all of your emergencies
An Evening with Renee Tajima
Julian Assange is no longer editor
Screening of ‘Nuclear Cattle’ at Art Share L.A.
Very good husband Prince Harry flattens Meghan Markle's hair in the wind
This guy makes a 'September' music video every year, and this year it's the best
Moth memes will light up your life
‘Allegiance’ and the Persistence of Little Tokyo
People are freaking out that Meghan Markle closed her own damn door
The best Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson memes to ever exist on the internet
An etiquette expert weighs in: When do you remind someone about an unpaid Venmo request?
Deadlock стала самой желанной игрой в Steam
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex make first visit to their namesake, Sussex
MSU vs. MD basketball without cable: Game time, streaming dealsBest Kindle Paperwhite Kids deal: 24% off at AmazonBest Kindle Paperwhite Kids deal: 24% off at AmazonBest Garmin deals: Get 25% off Garmin Forerunner 745 plus more great dealsTikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is Singaporean, not Chinese. Somebody please convince Senator Tom Cotton.Bard creates Taylor Swift image despite Google implying it won'tHow to edit photosWordle today: The answer and hints for February 1Best Apple AirTag deal: Get 14% off at AmazonApple Vision Pro: First customer to grab it causes quite a commotion 'The Outside Story' is the perfect movie to ease you back outside Twitter is celebrating a very important, very niche 10 Marvel's 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' composer interview Google to turn two Apple's new M2 chip might start shipping this summer 'Mythic Quest' Season 2 review: More heart, less focus Peloton recalls its Tread and Tread+ due to growing safety concerns EU accuses Apple of anti 'Jupiter's Legacy' tells two stories, gets nowhere with either: Review Tesla has unleashed Full Self
0.1609s , 10001.53125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【phim b? ng??i l?n】'Noelle' delivers relentless Christmas chaos for Disney+: Review,Global Hot Topic Analysis
