User reviews

LIKES:

Good Costumes/Decent Setting -Disney knows how to dress up their stars, and mad props to the wardrobe and costume design for helping blend modern and traditional into one.

-This film has some great fashions to which help bring a bit of the holiday magic, while also setting up for some jokes and unique standpoints that were fun to watch.

-The setting itself is again very modern, and the adaptation of the fantasy stylings of St. Nick are nicely conformed to meet the city to which they dwell in for much of the movie.

-It's simplistic, it's colorful, but it's a handshake between the two that I felt was very impressive to enjoy for the fact this movie was lower budget.

Fun Little Music Moment -One of the night's themes is ending up at and underground club where Santa's gather and of course there is a DJ to get things going.

-This moment was probably one of my favorite events during the film, the little musical number nothing unique, but just funny and cute as child and entity pair up for a fun little dance number.

-It helps add some character development moments, a few small laughs, and sort of embodies the theme of the movie and where the plot is going.

Cute/Family Friendly -No surprise here, Disney is pulling punches to make sure that no one can call this movie too violent for the holidays.

-Despite the set-up, the movie is loaded with that cute little holiday, Hallmark like, preaching that will touch the hearts, warm the soul, and make you giggle.

-All kicks, antics, and "action" scenes are like a Christmas cookie, soft and easy to see without anyone ending up in the hospital. Which for a holiday family movie is kind of important.

-Throw in the moral lessons, the simplistic character development, and the lines being pretty much Full House in a new form, and well... you've got an After School Special in Santa Clause form.

Funny At Times -Fortunately, all the PG rated goodness does still have some laughs from me, with Howery being the one who somehow had me cracking up.

-His raspy and higher pitched voice is just perfect for spouting out these lines, the way he screams, reacts, and tries to explain things so awkward and nerve driven that I found myself just waiting for him to spout out the next part of the plan.

-The Santa rules, though juvenile, are the best part for me, and his explanations and reactions he has to make when they appear are probably some of the cleverest stuff in this movie.

-This is where I find the writing genius, when incorporating the balance of adult and kid humor into a funny package, and I don't think the lines would have half the magic if not for the actor.

Touching, Eventually -The movie tries to get the heartstring tugging early, but it doesn't happen until about 70% of the way through the movie.

-All of the fluff, the jokes, and the Playhouse Disney acting sort of get in the way at first, but by the end, there is this connecting moment where everything starts to work and you feel the magic of the season.

-Sure, there are better things, but in this Disney Channel film, it worked for me at the end to really tie things up and feel a tad real or hopeful for what can come despite the past.

Acting is Good: The acting is fine, again perfect for the caliber of the film, nothing too mind blowing, but perfectly fine to keep in theme with the family friendly roles.

-Validum is cute, innocent, and plays lighthearted well. That typical child inspiration that solves the grown up problems with the belief in Christmas. She's not annoying or over the top, and she handles her lines well.

-Ludacris is still fun, but he's held back in this role and really missing the vibes of his Fast and Furious character. He's got the edge, he's got the sass, and he's got the heart, but something seems to be holding his true potential back. But still he makes it work and has great chemistry with Howery, a buddy comedy that though restrained, really has that sort of brotherly love-hate dynamic I like to see.

-Howery is the champion for me. He's not doing anything mind blowing, he's just funny in that dorky, grown up Urkel way. Clumsy, accident prone, and nervous, he's the smart saint with the bad luck and the way he sort of reacts just is very funny for me.

DISLIKES

Most of the Story Is Weak -The movie starts out with a promising couple of tales, a man who is struggling with liking Christmas secondary to his past and a potential Holiday scandal that serves to bring some spice to the holiday story.

-Sadly, both of these tales suffer for me, turning into a preachy tale that gets in the way of the natural delivery and writing this movie shows it could have.

-Sure it's heartfelt, sure it's sweet, and again if's family friendly, but the attitude could have been turned up a notch to match the level of Home Alone and actually have some suspense to the story.

-Perhaps in doing this, there could have been more discovery of his trauma and help him get to the end, or maybe even dig into the little girl's feelings, while also exploring Santa's challenges.

-I know, that's advanced for modern Disney, but classic Disney did this better, and to have a little more of that thought and engagement could have made this movie much better.

-Even the mystery of the reindeer was kind of haphazard and thrown in for a kiddie finish that felt like it would fit well with some of my hyper Disney fans.

The Antagonists... Too Cutesy -Again, there was this potential for the bad guys to have a little bit of bite and threat, a true opposing force to try and outsmart to get to the end.

-Instead, we got typical Disney Channel bologna, bungling idiots, who look more intimidating, but can't come close to doing their jobs.

-Even when they come close, the thrill is rather pathetic and the solution is too simple, missing any of the composure or magic that past Disney did a long time ago.

-Again, for the theme of can't be anything more than G rating, it works, but I had hoped better given the build up of the opening scene.

Lot Of Christmas Components That Felt Rushed -Perhaps the story and antagonists could have been overlooked if the holiday themes could have had some impressive use.

-The Santa Bar did this right, but everything else felt a little too muddied, simplistic, plain, and just too modern in missing the magic.

-I could have seen a lot of places for Christmas magic to come in, using toys, gimmicks, and some holiday decorations like they did in Jingle All The Way. It might have been corny, but it at least had the holiday zest behind it.

-But again, the Christmas feeling was sort of flat, only arising when it came to discussing the true spirt of Christmas motif.

More Comedic Variety -Howery managed to have this presentation that worked, but that was sort of the only thinking fans like me laugh.

-Again, some Home Alone Tactics could have worked, or maybe a little more entendre like jokes snuck in to help with giving the humor a little more diversity.

-The inclusion and use of the elves a bit more could have helped with this, or even given the bad guys a little more of the Marv or Harry could have gone far. Competent, but clumsy in a nice balance.

-But again, like SpongeBob, the modern era focuses more on goofy and silly stupidity that appeals to like ten and below rather than the variety.

-Does it work for this film? Sure, this film again feels very G or PG rated, but still, classics continue to show how you balance to get everyone involved in a film.

The VERDICT: Dashing Through The Snow is fun, family friendly, and a holiday film that holds the spirt well, if not a bit too naïve and controlled for the younger audience. Good costumes, fun acting, and this light humor are great for snuggling up and watching together, which I think they were going for. But sadly, the movie still just doesn't have the cohesiveness to sell this movie better outside of the cute factor with a nice Christmas wrapping, at least in terms of the theme and the costumes. The magic fell flat in terms of using more of the Christmas theme, and the humor as well is a little too geared to kids and not as much to adults. A mediocre story with silly villains does little to help with character development, or even the Christmas motif, and I just.. wanted more. I don't hate it, but I think Disney's original streaming movies need to study the roots and find a little more storytelling and not be afraid to dive into being creative and a little more PG than G. Might tell a stronger story and get the emotion across, while letting the stars maximize their directions. Thus, with all this, I give the movie:

Comedy/Family/Fantasy: 6.0-6.5 Movie Overall: 5.0-5.5.

I'm giving this a straight five out of ten. Incredibly mediocre movie. I can't even see children enjoying this, to be honest, regardless of it being a family film. Extremely average plot. So much so that it feels like Chat GPT wrote it in 30 seconds. The acting is so incredibly bland it honestly feels like a student film with a decent budget. The progressive car commercials are more engaging with their acting and that's saying something. There isn't a single character in this movie you're rooting for or care about and the motive of the film is so mundane and ridiculous you wonder if they came up with it like a school assignment you procrastinated with and wrote it the night before.

Very boring 5/10.

Honestly, I really liked Dashing through the snow. I watched it with my parents on Thanksgiving night. I am 30 and they are in their 50s and it was just a nice, clean, Christmas movie with quite a few laugh out loud moments. Santa was the perfect Santa with all the right comedic moments. The daughter was cute and adorable. Ludacris played the grumpy, unbelieving father really well! I loved his actual job of working as a crisis counselor. We need more movies showcasing the hard work of social workers. I would watch this again if I were with my young cousins or something. Sometimes we all need pure fun!

Had a cute line or two, but mostly watching this was just painful. Poor writing, unnatural, choppy dialogue, and disjointed transitions between scenes made this difficult to watch. Unoriginal plot. Terrible acting by everyone (except the little girl and Nick), along with the dialogue made us laugh but not in a good way, I am amazed Disney would put their name on this. 10 times worse than a cheesy Hallmark movie. With more time with a quality director, better acting, and some subtle rewriting and editing, it could be believable and funny. Feels like it was it was thrown together in a week with no test audience or review. Like a made for after school special. Shots around Atlanta are a nice break from LA, NY, and Vancouver BC. Still, Two thumbs down. 👎

This is basically the identical plot to Catch Me If You Claus on Hallmark, which is like when Hollywood made Armageddon and Deep Impact and released them the same summer, like nobody would notice. I like Ludacris as a dad driving an SUV, not a "Furious" street racer. Overall, it's a tad slow and not as magical as I'd hoped. I watched with my first grader and he started working on his Christmas list through most of the second half which isn't a good sign for a movie with a real Santa Claus. The best joke in the movie is Santa's beard which is black and white. Spoiler alert he dyed it white because he's really old. The joke works. And, for a movie with the title "snow" there is a concerning lack of snow, in Atlanta no less.

Pretty sad display. Nick is great actor and super funny but the rest of it so dull and empty. I shut it off after 15 minutes. I don't know why but the little girl is so annoying and terrible in acting. Cant believe Disney did this. They are falling apart like everything they do. These Xmas movies need to stop. Most of these kids just like xmas cause of presents. They don't even know what that is. Don't waste your time with this movie. Move along and save yourself hour and a half of your life and do something that is more useful for you but it's definitely not this. Only reason I wanted to watch this is because of Ludacris but it's just not good.

Dashing Through the Snow is not a top 10 Christmas movie of all time but it's not trying to be. This film was in the middle of the road and is very family friendly since Disney is behind it. This movie made me smile from time to time as it does have some charm but ultimately very predictable with throwing a lot of cliches throughout. Lil Rel Howery as Santa was a very good casting choice as he plays the role very well and gives the character his own style. Ludacris plays the father/husband who is not a believer in Santa and dislikes Christmas very much. That all changes when his daughter and him meet Santa and experience one crazy night together. Like I said before don't expect any big suprises from this film but sit back and enjoy the show. Dashing Through the Snow gets a mild 6 stars out of 10 from me.

I mean this was a BAD movie. Yikes?... The only part that I liked was the little girl, she was very sweet and I adored her Christmas spirit, but that's about it.

The Santa Clause character don't know when to shut the fudge up. He goes on, on, and on to the point that my brain blocks him out then realize that he's still talking.

However, thank you Disney because I was about to add the $2.99 with my Hulu, but scratch that! You save me and my pocket from making a horrible decision. But I'm not going to lie, I am kind of sad because around the holiday season Disney is my go-to Christmas movies and shows, especially for the new stuff, but last year you disappointed me with Tim Allen's reboot Clause and this year with this movie...

As the years go on, we seem to be flooded more and more with Christmas movies every year. Yes, it's a staple that Hallmark Channel movies are released weekly, but it also seems that all of the streaming services have gotten on the bandwagon. Disney+ has released a few, but I'm here to share my thoughts on Dashing Through the Snow. I have thought nothing of this film over the last couple of months but decided to give it a try. While it's not very good overall, this movie's heart is in the right place. Here's where I found some mild enjoyment in this aggressively mediocre holiday flick.

Eddie Garrick (Ludacris) is a social worker who always works on Christmas. Not this year though, as his daughter Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum) is left with him on Christmas Eve by his ex-wife Allison (Teyonah Parris). Having a traumatic childhood involving Santa Claus, Eddie's Christmas spirit has been absent his whole life. Well, when the real Santa appears in front of him and his daughter, the movie becomes a night on the town with Nick (Lil Rel Howrey). Along the way, Eddie just may start believing again and may even have a chance at earning his family back in the meantime.

The premise itself screams that it has all the right intentions. The main problem is that many other films, especially holiday films have tackled stories like this numerous times. Ludacris is fine as the lead, Lil Rel Howrey is quite amusing and easily the best part about the movie, and Ludacris' chemistry with Validum as his daughter was believable. It has all the hallmarks of a Christmas movie involving Santa and is very much the ending you expect it to have. I rolled my eyes countless times watching Dashing Through the Snow, but I will say that it was sweet enough that it held a smile on my face most of the time. So did I like it or dislike it? I'm honestly not even sure, and I have taken the time to think about it.

For families, I think there are far worse new options out there this year, but for adults, it's a lot like many classics that you already love. It looks very clean and well-decorated, as all Disney films do, but it does get bogged down in the final act by some CGI that clearly says this film was made for television. With a bigger budget and some risks taken in the story, this had the potential of being much better. It sadly just feels like a replica, and not a great one. Dashing Through the Snow is now streaming on Disney+ and it's a harmless watch. It's probably not one that I will revisit, but it was passable.

I am so proud of Ludacris, all the actors, actresses, producers, and everyone involved in this movie. I loved everything abt it. It was pure and so refreshing from all the other Christmas movies over the past decade. They all did amazing. We didn't want it to end. We really loved the characters, the culture, background, the theme, the values and all displayed in this movie. You can tell they really put great thought into it. Nothing like the others. You all should definitely do more. Thank you. My daughter and I really loved and enjoyed this movie. Thank you once again. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

IN A NUTSHELL: A divorced social worker takes his daughter on a crazy ride along with him on Christmas Eve.

This Christmas caper is directed by Tim Story and written by Scott Rosenberg.

THINGS I LIKED: One of the characters says that Ludacris looks like John Legend. Do you think so? Seeing him in a family-friendly holiday movie sure mixes things up from his usual high-octane action movies.

Lil Rel Howery offers an entertaining Santa Claus, including a little ring dipped in white on his requisite beard.

Madison Skye Validum is totally adorable as Charlotte. I'm sure we'll see her in much more, as she's quite a natural.

The rest of the cast did a good job and included Oscar Nunez, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Ravi Patel, Kevin Connolly, Teyonah Parris, and more.

There is plenty of Christmas decor and spirit in this goofy holiday offering.

Fun costume design by Salvador Perez Jr.

The movie was filmed in Atlanta. I lived in a suburb north of Atlanta for 15 years and loved it there. Southern hospitality is a real thing.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The villains are completely ridiculous and innocuous.

It's pretty doggone predictable and filled with cliches.

It's an occasionally amusing distraction you'd put on the TV for the kids to watch while you're in the other room wrapping presents.

Disney worked very hard at diversity. They should have worked harder at writing a good script. Did Chat GPT write this one during the writers' strike in Hollywood?

Unfortunately, the movie is forgettable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: It's family-friendly.

Talk about believing in Santa Claus Lots of shenanigans and chaotic action Talk of dishonest politicians Talk of a home invasion Talk of a divorced family An adult talks about going to therapy.

Thank God we didn't have to pay for this movie it was so utterly bad. A bunch of rambling and noise is all it was. I couldn't believe Disney would put their name to this. I'll stick with the classics or something entirely more comical. Nothing funny to see in this movie at all. Gave it a chance, but just had to turn it off it was so boring. The one guy's voice was so utterly annoying I couldn't stand to hear him talk. I'd rather watch the old Rankin & Bass Christmas cartoons than this junk. If I'd have to pay to see this I'd be asking for a refund right about now. Save yourself and pick something else.

Eddie Garrick (Ludacris) has always hated Christmas since 30 years ago when a mall Santa robbed their home and broke up his parents' marriage. He's a divorced social worker in Atlanta and Christmas is here once again. He is with his daughter Charlotte when he goes over to his neighbors to check on their cat. He finds Nicholas Sinter-Claus (Lil Rel Howery) stuck in the chimney. There is a snowman (Ravi Patel), an elf (Marcus Lewis) and a toy soldier (Mary Lynn Rajskub) stalking Nick for a notepad.

I'm not a big Lil Rel Howery fan, but I do like him as the black Santa. I like the initial premise. I thought the three stalkers are actually from the North Pole. That may be funnier. The second half does lose a bit of steam. Santa should do more magic as the movie goes on. He could talk to animals and Eddie can continue to dismiss it. He could help the downtrodden and that would win over Eddie. The second half just needs some more happy magic.

I don't even know where to begin because this movie is an utter failure from all points of view.

Initially, I was attracted by the cast, but as soon as the movie started, my disappointment kicked in. Every actor was painfully goofy and unappealing, except for the little girl and her mother.

The so-called Santa Claus was nothing short of a joke. Far from the iconic image of Santa, he's a middle-aged guy with a weird beard, dressed in outrageously ugly clothes, and behaving like a complete buffoon. He looks outrageously fake! This is an outright insult to the cherished tradition of Santa.

And don't get me started on how much this Santa blabbers, spouting a load of idiotic things to the point of irritation! He even has the audacity to claim he hails from the North Pole, but his appearance screams anything but authenticity.

I didn't like the setting either because everything looked dry, and a Christmas without snow lacks the essence of the holiday spirit.

What truly exasperated me was the shameless promotion of progressive ideas, forcefully shoved down the audience's throat. I'm not against progressivism, but having Santa talk about therapy has absolutely nothing to do with the Christmas spirit. Christmas is about joy, hope, and happiness, not a depressed Santa. Some modern ideas should stay far away from our cherished traditions, especially when it comes to the most beloved holiday of the year. Let Christmas be Christmas, for God's sake!

All in all, it stands as the most horrible Christmas movie I've ever watched. Its attempt to infuse a modern touch into Christmas was a complete disaster. This movie is a poor, cheap adaptation of the best and most beloved holiday of the year.

It almost works thanks to Lil Rel Howery, but 'Dashing Through the Snow' ultimately falls flat.

Howery does produce some good stuff as Santa, though he - as with the film in general, really - isn't given enough to work with to make it a success. There is mild amusement throughout, but the film needed more entertainment from its plot and much better pacing to be enjoyable.

The bad guys are particularly poorly written and used, while the Xmas vibes aren't really all that abundant. The cast, namely Howery, Ludacris and Madison Skye Validum, all do try and are the film's strongest element. I just needed more from elsewhere with this, I could feel my interest waning from around the midway point.

In unremarkable but fun Christmas family comedy "Dashing Through The Snow" Atlanta PD crisis counsellor Ludacris, with daughter Madisun Skye Validum (terrific - for a kid), inadvertently ends up on Christmas Eve helping Santa (Lil Rey Howery - always good value) escape the "Home Alone" styled goons (Mary Lynn Rajskub, Marcus Lewis & Ravi Patel) of crooked congressman Oscar Nuñez - while en route recapturing enough 'belief' to win back estranged wife Teyonah Parris. It's light, silly guff (writer Scott Rosenverg does not go deep) but director Tim Story applies just enough Chritmas magic (with a CGI boost at the end) to make it passable - just about anyway.

My family has watched this movie several times already. We love it! I was so happy to watch a holiday movie that was actually funny. It wasn't another boring hallmark hoilday movie about boy meets girl. Thank you Disney for creating a hoilday film starring a prominently black cast with zero stereotypes. Its rare find a movie for my family to enjoy that doesn't give into societies stereotypes when containg a black and brown cast. I love that it's an original. Disney is known for making multiple remakes and sequels. We will enjoy "Dashing Through the Snow" for years to come. I just loved the Santa's suit. A must see film this hoilday season.

It felt blan and kind of empty.

It felt like they just didnt get enough money to do sets properly maybe. There are a few parts that i feel could use some more story.

The start of the movie is, in my opinion, very bad. I was close to just find another christmas movie, but i gave it another chance.

It progressively got better and it even made me chuckle at one time. (Candy Cane Lane is still on the top of my 2023 Christmas movie list)

In my opnion, still a good watch, kinda boring in the start but its ok to explore.

It still is a disney movie and there were good things, but in my opinion, there were a lot of "meh" reactions throughout the movie.

I recently watched Dashing through the Snow (2023), newly released on Disney+. The storyline revolves around a man undergoing a divorce with a tragic past that fuels his disdain for Christmas. As it's his turn to have his daughter for the holidays, their lives take an unexpected turn when Santa Claus, having lost his iPad, lands on their doorstep, prompting the father and daughter to help Santa and save Christmas.

Directed by Tim Story (Barbershop), the film stars Ludacris (Crash), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Madison Skye Validum (Best. Christmas. Ever.), Teyonah Parris (Dear White People), and Sebastian Sozzi (Choke).

Dashing through the Snow offers an uneven addition to the Christmas holiday genre, with both enjoyable and less compelling elements. Lil Rel Howery stands out as Santa, delivering impeccable lines and mannerisms. The film also effectively addresses themes of tragedy and coping mechanisms. However, the villain falls short and feels somewhat hollow. On a positive note, the inclusion of Santa hunters and martial arts reindeer adds a unique touch.

In conclusion, this family holiday film is entertaining and worth a watch, albeit with a few shortcomings. I would give it a score of 5/10.

All I knew going into this was that this is a Disney Christmas movie starring Lil Rel Howery and Ludacris, with one of them playing Santa Claus; I was not expecting much from this movie since the premise sort of sounds like movies that have done the same thing. This movie Dashing Through the Snow (2023) is ok with fine performances from the main two lead actors, and little moments that were a bit funny; though it has some little funny moments, the movie just feels like certain movies that have done something like this before involving Santa Claus showing someone why he should like Christmas because the person has lost faith in many in the holiday and what it stands for.

Lil Rel Howery as Nick/Santa Claus was fine in his performance, and he was entertaining to watch in the movie with some funny little moments when he talks about how he works or how weird the North Pole is; there were other things involving him keeping his electronic tablet that has his naughty or nice list on it or that he changes his methods on Christmas Eve that relates to the present times, which was a bit funny. Ludacris as Eddie Garrick also gives an ok performance, and his character does not care that much for Christmas which leads to Nick/Santa Claus running into him and getting him to believe in him and the holiday, along with Eddie Garrick's daughter trying to help as well. Both Lil Rel Howery and Ludacris are not bad in the movie, with occasional funny moments that either are aware of Christmas traditions or updates them in interesting ways.

The antagonists are standard with them going after Nick/Santa Claus because he accidentally took something of theirs, that involves taking money from people, when sneaking into a house; the lead antagonist was generic with him sending his workers after Nick/Santa Clause and Eddie Garrick and was not that funny. Most of the comedy comes from the updated Christmas methods Nick/Santa Clause does to get into houses and tell between naughty and nice people, along with learning many things about himself and how he is different from what people know about him in songs and stories; most of these things were funny on how they were shown and used.

There is nothing too bad about this movie, it just might sound like other movies that have done things like this before; the movie Dashing Through the Snow (2023) had ok performances, some funny moments, a good Christmas feel to it, and it you understand enough about the main characters. This not is not a movie that is worth rushing to see on Disney+, but it is worth watching at least once, and is at least an entertaining Christmas that you can enjoy watching.

We just finished watching this with the kids and we all absolutely loved it. I wasn't expecting much as I hadn't heard of it but what a great Christmas movie it was. We only really watch made for tv Xmas movies at this time of year as we keep all the good movies for nearer Christmas but this was so good it's definitely making our Christmas Eve movie list for next year. It's similar to a christmas chronicles but in my opinion does it even better as all of the cast in this movie have stuff to do and do it well. This movie has plenty of action. Comedy and Christmas magic that will keep kids and adults entertained.