Where I Watched It: Disney Plus

English Audio Description?: Yes

Cast: Winslow Fegley, Derek McCabe, and Danny Glover

Written By: Jed Elinoff

Directed By: Alberto Belli

You could do worse. It’s one of the handful of Christmas themed movies that Disney had in its output, and it had the most unique of the plots. I know the elevator pitch was someone just saying “Ocean’s Eleven for kids at Christmas” and this got a green light. but, the initial concept of kids on the naughty list conspiring to get the gifts from Santa they believe they deserve is a solid concept. I wish this was better executed.

Films aren’t shot from start to finish like you watch them. Scenes are put together in orders that make sense based on location, cast availability, crew, timing, and a host of other things the production team takes into consideration. The biggest problem I have is that this film feels like it was shot starting at the top, and as they got closer to the end, they realized that they were reaching their maximum allotted time and there was a hard runtime they couldn’t go over.

We spend a decent amount of time at the top introducing the titular gang, so you at least have a cursory idea of why they are considered “naughty”, and the more lead characters, like Winslow Fegley’s future Danny Ocean, get a bit more time to flesh out. The concept is described, so you can enjoy the possibilities. then, the film starts to lose its imagination. The North Pole has too many regular adults playing elves,that feel just like regular adults. The heist is somewhat rushed, and then because it is a holiday movie with a moral necessity, it rushes the part where the kids learn their lesson, and tries to finish the film quickly enough to give Danny Glover his due and still set up a sequel.

The kids here are well cast, with Winslow Fegley once again being the standout. He’s been in a few things before, so even the adults might recognize him at this point. He was even in a horror film a few years back called Come Play. There’s just so much he can do though. The odd pacing of the film feels like the whole thing is unbalanced, and it just isn’t crafted well enough to stand on its own.

However, this is a Disney movie aimed at kids, and I think back to the films I watched as a kid. 90’s Disney was great, and I think I would have at least enjoyed this as much as the second-tier Disney films of the time like Blank Check or First Kid, movies that had a strong concept, but didn’t quite know how to assemble the whole thing. it lacks the emotional impact of an Angels In The Outfield, or most notably, the Santa Clause, but I see it as an imperfect film that kids will likely enjoy at least once. Parents could do worse too.

The audio description here helps to establish each of the nine, since like the characters in Oceans Eleven, they all seem to have a particular purpose for being in the mission. George Clooney may have been the lead of Ocean’s Eleven, but Steven Soderbergh gave the others all their own moments, so whether you were a huge name like brad Pitt, or an up and comer like Scott Caan, you didn’t feel wasted. Despite the pacing, the one thing this film does do is establish its nine, and the audio description is a big help that way. Not to mention these kids do go to the North Pole, so obviously we want to know how they designed it. It doesn’t sound like it was super magical, but at least now I know.

I always try and take into consideration what a movie is trying to do, and for what audience it is trying to do that for. I think kids will like this enough for one holiday viewing at least, if you’re looking for something fresh to watch at home. I’ve seen worse original Christmas films this year.

Final Grade: B-