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Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

Essential Christmas · 2019

Noelle

63/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 63 ↓
Not BBFC rated100 min
Comedy · Family

Anna Kendrick carries this, and she is very good at being keen in a way that never curdles.

On Disney+ · UK subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 9 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyIt can't exist without Christmas.30/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for about half.10/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details3 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.5/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Disney+

Included with a subscription
Open Noelle on Disney+ (opens in a new tab)

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab).

The story

About Noelle

After Santa dies and his anxious son is lined up to take over, the old man's daughter, who has always loved Christmas more than anyone, talks her brother into taking a short break. When he fails to come back from the sunny desert city he fled to, she sets off by sleigh with her elderly elf nanny to find him before Christmas Eve, hiring a divorced private detective to help, and the search starts to raise the question of who should really be wearing the red suit.

The CineClaus verdict

Anna Kendrick carries this, and she is very good at being keen in a way that never curdles.

Marc Lawrence's film turns the Santa succession into a gentle argument about who actually wants the job, which is a kinder idea than most streaming Christmas fare bothers with. The long middle swaps snow for sunshine and loses some festive glow, and Bill Hader is underused.

Shirley MacLaine is a treat as the elf nanny. A low-stakes family film that suits younger viewers best and asks little of anyone else.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: the nearest thing to a villain is a fussy, numbers-obsessed cousin, and the old Santa has died before the story starts, so most primary-age children will be fine.

Content advice & accessibility
Not BBFC rated
The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Close photograph of a smiling woman with long brown hair speaking at a panel, a microphone beside her face.Anna Kendrickas Noelle Kringle
Close photograph of a smiling dark-haired man in a navy jacket and blue open-collar shirt, in a dim crowded room.Bill Haderas Nick Kringle
Black and white side-on portrait of a woman with a fringe and shoulder-length hair, wearing a small earring.Shirley MacLaineas Elf Polly
Smiling woman with long auburn hair and a dark brown draped top, shown in a head-and-shoulders interview frame.Julie Hagertyas Mrs. Kringle
Smiling man with short curly hair and a beard, wearing a maroon sweatshirt, photographed against a dark backdrop.Kingsley Ben-Adiras Jake Hapman
A man with short curly brown hair wearing a black tuxedo and bow tie at an evening event.Billy Eichneras Gabriel Kringle

Behind the camera

Directed by
Marc Lawrence
Writing & production credits
Writer
Marc Lawrence
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Anna Kendrick · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Bill Hader · Greg2600 · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Shirley MacLaine · Roland Godefroy · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Julie Hagerty · Sidewalks Entertainment · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Kingsley Ben-Adir · Segolene Liger · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Billy Eichner · Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Yahoo News · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

Every track on the soundtrack album, in album order.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

MusicBrainz ↗ (opens in a new tab) Film Music Reporter ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Noelle. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapVancouver Film Studios

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

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Choose your next scene

2 places from Noelle

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Location sources

Vancouver Film Studios · ET Online set visit (opens in a new tab)

Whistler, British Columbia · ET Online set visit (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Noelle

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

Shot in the cold, released on a streaming launch

Cameras began rolling in late October 2017 around Vancouver and Whistler, with the main set built at Vancouver Film Studios. The shoot ran into January 2018, so the winter scenes were made over the real winter, nearly two years before the film arrived on Disney+.

Read the story

Source: Destination Vancouver ↗ (opens in a new tab) · ET set visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Anna Kendrick was the first name the producers asked

Producers say Anna Kendrick was the first actor they approached to play Noelle. The lead role went to the very first choice, rather than to the end of a long casting list.

Read the story

Source: ET Online set visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

A cottage set made way for the town hall

The Kringle family cottage was built on a soundstage at Vancouver Film Studios, then taken down so the North Pole town hall could be built on the same stage. One floor served two of the film's main interiors.

Read the story

Source: ET Online set visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

Elf Polly's look came from Arizona

Shirley MacLaine's Elf Polly dresses in Arizona-inspired style, with a cowboy hat trimmed with desert flowers, silver earrings and turquoise jewellery. It sets her apart from the polished North Pole elves around her.

Read the story

Source: ET Online set visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: On streaming (US). Launched on Disney+ on the service's first day in the US.
: On streaming. Reached UK and Irish Disney+ subscribers about eight months after the service launched there.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

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Collections, stories & Christmas memories

Elsewhere on CineClaus

More places to find Noelle, and a few good reasons to keep exploring.

In this collection

Best family Christmas films

Noelle is in this collection

Explore the collection

Read a little further

Collection

The best Santa Claus films

Explore the collection
Stay for another story.All collections · The Christmas Edit