The Christmas Chronicles

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2:34

The Christmas Chronicles

TV-PG

2018

1h 44m

Kids & Family

Holiday

Comedy

Fantasy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it's too late.

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Critics Consensus

Viewers seeking a fresh holiday viewing option -- or those simply in the mood for Santa Kurt Russell -- should find The Christmas Chronicles well worth a yuletide stream.

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Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

11/05/2019

2/4

In the end, the film succumbs to the tropes and emotional contrivances of the family melodrama at its core, ending up as a serviceable yet mostly forgettable addition to the already overstuffed genre of holiday-themed films.

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Charles Bramesco

AV Club

11/05/2019

C+

The film doesn't know how to get out of its own way and foreground what's working, namely the dynamo of screen presence placed more prominently in the advertising than the feature itself.

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Melanie McFarland

Salon.com

12/18/2018

The film's no great shakes, but Russell's star power in "The Christmas Chronicles" is a gift anyone should be happy to claim.

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Dallas King

Flick Feast

11/10/2022

2/5

With a plot as old as the jokes you find in a Christmas cracker... The Christmas Chronicles, would find itself firmly on the naughty list.

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

08/24/2022

C

Russell plays Santa with absolute integrity, which in this context means he plays Santa as Kurt Russell playing Santa, which is the only reason most people of legal age would want to watch this.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/19/2022

3.5/5

A fun, spry holiday movie that should fit nicely onto your Christmastime watchlist.

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Michael

12/08/2024

Good production quality for a Netflix film. Saw it a second time recently on the big screen and really does well there. I was susceptible to the sentimentality of it all. Instant classic.

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Blake- N

@PBSAniDom Apr 18

The Christmas Chronicles is actually a solid and enjoyable holiday film on Netflix that deserves more credit than it gets. It doesn’t try to reinvent Christmas movies or be overly serious—it just focuses on fun, heart, and festive adventure, which makes it easy to watch and get into the holiday spirit. Kurt Russell as Santa is definitely one of the film’s biggest strengths. He brings a cool, energetic, and slightly unconventional take on Santa that makes the character feel fresh without losing the classic charm. The chemistry between the siblings also helps ground the story and gives it a bit more emotional weight than expected. While the plot is fairly simple and some moments lean into typical holiday movie clichés, the film still delivers strong entertainment value and genuine Christmas spirit. It’s a fun, feel-good watch that works especially well for families. Overall, i'd gave it a 8/10.

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Austin B

@Austin35 Jan 7

Probably the best new Christmas movie in years. Kurt Russell best Santa ever.

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Michael B.

@KVD1969 Jan 3

After accidentally crashing Santa Claus's sleigh, a sister and brother must pull an all-nighter to save Christmas with a savvy, straight-talking St. Nick. If they don’t help Santa find his reindeer, hat, and bag of presents before Christmas morning, the "Christmas Spirit" will disappear, leading to global chaos.

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Stijn D

@Stijn259 Dec 30

A really fun Christmas movie that has made its way on my yearly watchlist! The story could be seen as pretty generic, but its hard to come up with an original story when there are already so much Christmas movies. Kurt Russel absolutely nailed it as Santa and the rest of the cast was great aswell! I also really loved the car chase and the prison scenes. Definitely worth a watch!

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Winston R

@Rockafella Dec 29

Not my fav Christmas movie.. but Kurt Russell is always fun

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Clay Kaytis

Director

Kurt Russell

Santa Claus

Darby Camp

Kate Pierce

Judah Lewis

Teddy Pierce

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Claire Pierce

Oliver Hudson

Doug Pierce

The Christmas Chronicles: Movie Clip - Kate and Teddy Catch Santa

2:04

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The Christmas Chronicles: Trailer 1

2:34

The Christmas Chronicles: Teaser Trailer 1

1:38

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Synopsis

Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it's too late.

Director: Clay Kaytis
Producer: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, David Guggenheim, Adam Kolbrenner, Mark Radcliffe
Screenwriter: Matt Lieberman
Production Co: Cinesite Animation, 1492 Pictures, Ocean Blue Entertainment, Madhouse Entertainment
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Holiday, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 22, 2018
Runtime: 1h 44m