The Christmas Chronicles 2 Parent Guide

Two years after her first adventure with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), Kate (Darby Camp) is spending the holidays in Cancun with her family, much to her displeasure. While attempting to run away, Kate and Jack (Jahzir Bruno), the son of her mom’s boyfriend, are thrown into a wormhole that takes them to the North Pole. Once there, they discover that a trouble making ex-elf named Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) is trying to ruin Christmas by taking away the Star of Bethlehem that powers the North Pole. Along with Santa and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn), Kate and Jack must do everything they can to stop Belsnickel and save Christmas.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not yet seen the original Christmas Chronicles, but after seeing the sequel I’m thinking I might have to go back and watch it this season. Sometimes in life the universe knows what we need before we do, and this is one of those times. The universe has graciously given us Santa Kurt Russell wearing sunglasses and playing a saxophone. In the instant this glorious image graced my television, my seasonal depression was lifted and my skin was cleared. Saxophone Kurt Russell is the hero we need right now.

This movie is bonkers, and I mean that in a good way. Let’s start with the positives. Kurt Russell is absolutely killing it as Santa. He is having so much fun and you can see it on screen. The messages being portrayed are positive overall. Belsnickel learns to let go of selfishness and envy, Kate learns to accept and love her new family, and she also learns that running away doesn’t solve problems. There are also very few content concerns, aside from a few frightening scenes, which makes it a great choice for most families.

As far as the negatives go, you do need to turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride. There are a few plot points that come out of nowhere, and the entire premise falls apart if you apply logic to it, but I find that to be the case with almost every Santa-centric flick. The runtime feels long, and there are some bits in the middle that drag. Tighter editing would have been prudent here. The elves are a mixture of cute and annoying and feel very much like Minion rip-offs as they waddle around speaking gibberish and getting into shenanigans. I wouldn’t call this a great movie, but it’s fun enough to be passable.

Overall, The Christmas Chronicles 2 is a decent Christmas film with positive messages and some fun sequences. With limited content concerns, I’d say it’s a safe choice for a family movie night, and just might help to get you in the holiday spirit.