Noelle (2019)

As a type of origins tale Noelle has plenty of charm—the kind that makes a Christmas story not just simply amiable, but worth a look.

Noelle is often lifted up and out of a full rut by Anna Kendrick's energetic and gallantly goofy turn as the North Pole's most deserving and capable Kringle. Without her, Noelle is average fare, rehashing a lot of timeworn cliches from other, more clever, festive films.

Disney Plus’ original Christmas movie Noelle is like a recipe where all the ingredients are delicious, then realizing, once the dish has been cooked, that the flavors cancel each other out.

Noelle has a few of those peppermint hot chocolate moments, but thanks to its bizarre warm-weather detour and wasting of a stellar cast, it just barely makes the nice list.

Marc Lawrence's story about Santa's daughter, despite its solid cast, aims squarely at not-too-picky kids and mostly ignores parents' desire to be entertained as well.