The Christmas Chronicles
By Andrea Beach,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Edgy, exciting Santa adventure has iffy behavior, peril.

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The Christmas Chronicles
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Based on 69 parent reviews
A lot of fat shaming
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not great
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What's the Story?
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES tells how siblings Teddy (Judah Lewis) and Kate (Darby Camp) sneak onto Santa's (Kurt Russell) sleigh on Christmas Eve, making the sleigh crash and Santa lose his magic hat and sack full of toys. Oh, and to top it all off, the reindeer are also MIA. If Santa doesn't deliver Christmas in time, the world will descend into another Dark Age where violence and chaos rule the day. So the three of them set out to make things right by retrieving the lost items and getting Santa's elves to help repair the sleigh. Along the way, Teddy steals a car (well, borrows a stolen car, really), Santa gets thrown in jail, and Kate finds herself alone in Santa's workshop at the North Pole. Can the three work together to save Christmas?
Is It Any Good?
This Christmas adventure has lots of kid appeal and excitement in a quest to save Christmas, but iffy behavior as well as dealing with parental loss make it best for tweens and up. The Christmas Chronicles features Hollywood veteran Kurt Russell playing a gruff Santa who doesn't do "ho, ho, ho!" and who doesn't like being portrayed as fat. But viewers old enough to handle the iffy messages, language, and themes of grieving will enjoy watching Kate and Teddy win him over. Director Clay Kaytis puts his CGI animation experience to good use, especially with the elves. They have a distinct look and sometimes an almost gremlin-like edginess that might be a bit scary for little kids, and some of the scenes seem like a bit of a marketing ploy designed to make kids want to collect them all. But tweens and up can appreciate them as refreshingly distinct from the usual visions.
It's easy to imagine producer Chris Columbus as having an influence over the inventive imagining of Santa's workshop and how to get there. The jailhouse rock-and-roll number feels gratuitous and ineffective as a way to spread Christmas spirit, but you could argue that a rock number like that is logical for something coming out of a holding cell. Parents and grandparents may enjoy looking for familiar faces in the band, as well as the inside-joke actress in a cameo as Mrs. Claus. It may not be an instant classic the whole family can enjoy, but tweens and up will enjoy the excitement and adventure, with a happy ending that wraps things up nicely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about holiday messages in The Christmas Chronicles. What's the most important part of any holiday? Is it what you get, or something else?
Lots of people feel sad at holiday times because they miss loved ones who have passed away. If you've lost a loved one, what kinds of things help you feel better?
Is it OK to do something naughty or illegal if it's for a good cause? Why or why not? How do you know?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 22, 2018
- Cast: Kurt Russell , Judah Lewis , Darby Camp
- Director: Clay Kaytis
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Brothers and Sisters , Great Girl Role Models , Holidays
- Run time: 103 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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