Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cute Christmas movie has some iffy bathroom humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Winter (Sean Astin) and Snowflake (Drake Bell) are two young, mischievous elf brothers who are constantly goofing off and getting into trouble. After accidentally rolling a giant snowball into and destroying the North Pole's official Christmas tree, the two are placed by Santa on the Naughty List. Along with a rebellious young reindeer named Sparkle (Naya Rivera), Winter and Snowflake are made to do difficult and mundane tasks such as cleaning the assembly line and breaking pieces of coal with hammers. While they worry about finding a way off the Naughty List, they continue to mess up every task they're given, culminating in working in the kitchen and giving everyone in the North Pole -- including Santa -- food poisoning hours before it's time to deliver the presents to all the good boys and girls. After this calamity, it's up to Winter, Snowflake, and Sparkle to find a way to save Christmas and get themselves back onto the Nice List.
Is It Any Good?
THE NAUGHTY LIST, in spite of the occasional moment of inappropriate bathroom humor, is mostly a cute and fun Christmas movie best enjoyed by young kids and anyone with a silly sense of humor. For families tired of sappy and sugarcoated holiday fare, this tale of mischievous young elves getting into trouble but eventually learning from their mistakes might be an enjoyable antidote.
The humor and the story are too juvenile for older viewers, and the gags involving flatulence might be a bit much for parents not wanting to give their younger kids iffy ideas, but the movie does impart lessons on traditional Christmas values such as selflessness and being "nice" rather than "naughty."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about holiday movies. What similarities and differences do you see between this film and other Christmas-themed movies?
How are traditional Christmas characters -- Santa, elves, reindeer -- represented in this movie?
How are traditional Christmas lessons taught in this movie?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 12, 2013
- Cast : Drake Bell , Kyle Chandler , Sean Astin
- Director : Gordon Crum
- Studio : ARC Entertainment
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Holidays
- Run time : 46 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate