Last year saw the release of SANTA BUDDIES. I thought it was a cute film. After reviewing it, I passed it along to my niece Emily (then aged 6) and nephew Jimmy (3).
The two LOVED the film. They would watch it over and over again. They set up chairs in their basement to make it look like a movie theatre and then invited all of their friends over to see it. It became a favorite.
Now, there is a sequel, THE SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS. This is sort of the origin story of Santa Paws, Santa's dog.
The story begins with Santa receiving word that Mr. Hucklebuck, a toy store owner in New York City, has passed away. He was responsible for so much of the Christmas spirit in the city that Santa heads to see how the city is doing without him. He brings along Santa Paws, a gift from Hucklebuck.
The toy store has been taken over by Hucklebuck's grandson, James Huckle (John Ducey) who has dropped the buck from his name, since he thought it was silly. He and his wife Kate (Bonnie Somerville of NYPD BLUE) want to sell the store but are told that there is a stipulation in the will that they can't sell until they have a profitable Christmas season. They decide to stick it out.
I won't give too much of the story away. Let's just say it involves magic, and amnesia, and muggings, and singing orphans.
And it all works.
Even for an adult, this is, well, I'm going to use that word again, a very cute film. It is perfect for Christmas.
How is it for kids? Who better to ask than Emily and Jimmy. I had them watch it and write a review.
EMILY (age 7) "This movie was the best. It reminded me of ANNIE. The voices sounded familiar. There was a very crabby orphanage lady. She wasn't nice at all. This movie was even better than ANNIE. I liked the ending the most. That movie was the best."
Jimmy (age 4 - review dictated) "Movie was good. Liked the ending. Puppy almost got in fire - made me sad. Liked magic powers. Didn't like orphanage lady."
Jimmy wondered where Rudolph was, as the reindeer appear but Rudolph isn't with them.
When asked how many stars they would give it out of 4, Jimmy gave it four stars, and Emily gave it six.
So, if they are any indication, kids are going to love this film.
The DVD and Blu-ray contain a few extras. There is a storybook, a sing along track, a music video and some deleted scenes.
If you have a "Buddies" fan in your family, this is a perfect Christmas gift.
THE SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS is available on Walt Disney Home Video.
2 comments:
My two boys are the same ages as your niece and nephew, and they really enjoyed Space Buddies, so I may have to throw this one into the queue. Thanks for the review!
I got to see a preview of this movie about a month ago. It is perfect for kids 6 years old and under. Also, they had a few different versions of the poster for the movie as they hadn't decided on which one to use. The dog wasn't as large in the ones they had and they were asking for input on the movie poster.
Post a Comment