The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
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Two children must team up with Santa Claus to save Christmas after a mishap causes his sleigh to crash.
The story
In December 2018, in Lowell, Massachusetts, widow Claire Pierce struggles to look after her family at Christmas after her firefighter husband Doug died in a fire. Her teenage son Teddy has lost much of his Christmas spirit, while their younger daughter Kate keeps it alive and continues to believe in Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, Claire is called to work, leaving the children alone. While watching old family videos, Kate notices Santa Claus and they follow him onto his sleigh. However, they cause the sleigh to crash in Chicago, and the children must now help Santa recover his lost items and deliver the presents before the morning arrives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a sleigh crash in Chicago, Santa Claus loses his reindeer, hat, and bag of presents. He and the children, Kate and Teddy, must recover these items to ensure Christmas continues. They use a stolen car to find the reindeer while facing police. Kate is teleported to the North Pole inside Santa's bag, where she meets elves and helps them while Teddy is captured by thugs. Meanwhile, Santa is detained at a police station but is eventually released after a performance of 'Santa Claus Is Back in Town' convinces the officers. The elves repair the sleigh, and the children help Santa deliver the remaining presents just before sunrise. The film ends with the children returning home to find their mother, and Santa returning to the North Pole to reunite with Mrs. Claus.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clay Kaytis
- Writers
- Matt Lieberman · screenplay; Matt Lieberman · story; David Guggenheim · story
- Cast and characters
- Kurt Russell · Santa Claus / Saint Nick; Judah Lewis · Teddy Pierce; Darby Camp · Kate Pierce; Lamorne Morris · Officer Mikey Jameson; Kimberly Williams-Paisley · Claire Pierce; Oliver Hudson · Doug Pierce; Martin Roach · Dusty; Goldie Hawn · Mrs. Claus
- Genres
- comedy; adventure
- Themes
- belief; family; tradition
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; heartwarming
- Setting
- Lowell, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois during the Christmas season.
- Premise and plot tags
- holiday; fantasy; adventure
- Franchise connections
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Kurt Russell's performance but criticized the formulaic story, uneven humor, and visual effects.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Production trivia
- The film features a cover of 'Santa Claus Is Back in Town' performed by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.; The film was streamed by 20 million households in its first week.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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