Don’t Say No to Disney Plus’ NOELLE

Move over, Hallmark.  Disney+ is celebrating the holiday season and bringing its A game along with it.  NOELLE, an original Disney+ movie, is available for streaming beginning on November 12th and this is one movie you don’t want to miss.  It’s a heartwarming movie about a woman’s journey to discovering the true meaning of Christmas and overcoming society’s expectations of who she should be.  In other words, girl power!  Keep reading for a review of NOELLE and why I think you shouldn’t cross this one off your nice list this holiday season.

Don’t Say No to NOELLE

I love a good holiday movie and when I first saw a trailer for NOELLE, I knew it was going on my “must see” list.  I just didn’t realize I would be seeing it sooner rather than later!  Like the live action remake of Lady and the Tramp, I had the opportunity to see NOELLE during a special screening when I attended The Geekly Retreat.  And if there’s one movie you see this holiday season, this should be it.

Anna Kendrick plays Noelle Kringle, Santa Claus’…….daughter.  Wait.  Daughter?  Yes!  That’s because she comes from a long line of Kringles who live in The North Pole and the Kringles pass along the mantle of Santa Claus from one generation to the next.  And this time, the Kringle to continue the tradition is Noelle’s brother, Nick (played by Bill Hader).  Except that’s not what he wants to do with his life.  So what’s a girl to do?  She tells her brother to take a weekend off, only to find herself in hot water when Nick doesn’t return to The North Pole.

Anna Kendrick does a great job of portraying the lead character.  She’s kind to everyone, loves spreading the joy of Christmas and just wants everyone to be happy.  While she openly embraces the Christmas spirit, her brother is the complete opposite.  I was also impressed by the supporting cast – Julie Hagerty plays Noelle and Nick’s mom and Shirley MacLaine plays Polly, an elf who joins Noelle in her quest to find Nick.

There are also some very funny scenes as Noelle navigates Phoenix, Arizona while trying to find her brother.  You’ll never think of yogurt (err, I mean yoga) pants the same way.  Will Nick finally embrace the Christmas spirit and the Santa suit?  Or will Noelle break the Kringle tradition?  You’ll have to watch the movie to find out 🙂

Is NOELLE kid friendly?

There are several life long lessons that kids can learn by watching this movie, like overcoming society’s expectations of who you should be.  However, younger kids, like 6 years and under, might not fully understand what is going on.  They will certainly enjoy the special effects, though – the North Pole looks extremely beautiful and reindeer-in-waiting Snowcone is adorable.  And there isn’t any bad language or sexually suggestive scenes.  There are scenes involving a mother and daughter in a homeless shelter that might raise questions from your kids (and bring tears to your eyes).  However, it’s your opportunity to teach your kids to be kind to everyone and that there are others out there who might not be as fortunate as them.

I’ll likely be watching this movie again, which says a lot, since I rarely watch the same movies over and over again.  In the meantime, here’s a trailer for NOELLE.

About NOELLE

In Disney+’s holiday comedy “Noelle,” Kris Kringle’s daughter is full of Christmas spirit and holiday fun, but wishes she could do something “important” like her beloved brother Nick, who will take over for their father this Christmas. When Nick is about to crumble like a gingerbread cookie from all the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a break and get away…but when he doesn’t return, Noelle must find her brother and bring him back in time to save Christmas. The sudden disappearance of the new Santa (Bill Hader) leads to chaos in the North Pole, so Mrs. Kringle (Julie Hagerty) must step up to rein in the hi-tech replacement Santa, Cousin Gabe (Billy Eichner). Meanwhile, Noelle and Elf Polly (Shirley MacLaine), the family’s acerbic but good-hearted nanny, are down South on a search-and-recover mission, during which Noelle (Anna Kendrick) comes to realize she has much in common with her father and begins to understand the true meaning of Christmas. Written and directed by Marc Lawrence, “Noelle” stars Anna Kendrick, Bill Hader, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Billy Eichner, Julie Hagerty and Shirley MacLaine. The film is produced by Suzanne Todd with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer.