I think we can all agree that Christmas movies always put us in a festive mood for the holiday season. When I saw Disney Plus had released a brand new Christmas movie, I was yearning for Friday night to be able to finally watch. After a rough week of assignments, endless studying, a group presentation and 3 exams, saying I was ready to relax was an understatement. I put on my comfy pajamas, made myself some hot chocolate, lit my Fresh Balsam candle and plopped down with my roommate to watch.
This festive cinema follows Santa’s daughter, Noelle (Anna Kendrick), in the adventure of trying to find her brother Nick (Bill Hader) after he escapes to Phoenix, Arizona after he becomes too overwhelmed with filling the role of becoming Santa after his father passes away. Needless to say, it is difficult for Noelle to adapt to life outside of the North Pole which adds some cute, comedic value to this film.
One of my favorite parts about Noelle is the strong sibling bond there is between the main character and her brother. Through the toughest of times, Noelle constantly looks out for her brother and does her best to help train him to become Santa although she clearly shows the skills of being the ultimate Santa to fill her father’s shoes. Without spoiling too much, Nick ends up giving Noelle the greatest Christmas gift she could ever imagine. Sibling goals!
Besides the fact that this movie is fun, festive and feel-good, it also challenges the idea of Santa having to be a male. Have you ever thought about the fact that in every single Christmas movie, Santa is always played by a man? And ever since we were little and learned about Santa, he has been a man? Noelle takes an interesting spin on this social construct that Santa HAS TO BE a man. Throughout the film, Noelle begins to gain confidence in herself and others begin to start believing in her ability to be Santa as well.
Noelle consistently shows immensely selfless qualities which is why she is so perfect for the role of Santa. She also has this amazing skill of being able to look at a person and know whether they are naughty or nice in addition to knowing what someone wants for Christmas before they even say anything. Something only the true Santa would know how to do!
Overall, Noelle made me laugh, smile, and even become teary-eyed at certain points. Not to mention, it really hit the nail on the head for being a movie that is fun and Christmas-y and even has a deeper meaning and message to it … in this case, the power of feminism! If you have a Disney Plus account, I would definitely recommend checking this one out!