Film

Noelle

Name: Noelle
Genre: Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Released: 2019
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Shirley MacLaine, Bill Hader, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Julie Hagerty

Fairy tale
Light-hearted

A cheerful Christmas comedy where Santa's daughter leaves the North Pole to rescue her brother from a crisis of conscience about inheriting the family business. It's a sweet, lightly magical film that leans on charm and earnestness rather than cynicism—the kind of thing that plays well on a December evening with cocoa nearby. Made for people who don't need their holiday movies to be ironic.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a warm, gently silly Christmas fantasy where the jokes land on family squabbling and the North Pole's bureaucracy, and you don't mind a holiday film that wears its heart on its sleeve.

Skip it if you want a sharp, surprising take on the Santa legend, since this one follows a familiar, cosy路 road and leans on sentiment more than invention.

What it asks of you: About a hundred minutes of easy, unhurried viewing with no real darkness, so it suits a lazy festive evening rather than close attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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A Christmas Story1983

A genuinely funny, endlessly rewatchable Christmas film that finds humour in real family dynamics without ever turning mean. It's as much about how families actually behave as it is about Christmas itself.

But The pacing is deliberate rather than snappy, and it's built on a very specific Midwestern nostalgia that won't resonate with everyone.

The Santa Clause1994

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But The second and third films exist and are significantly worse, so you might end up bitter about the franchise. It's also aimed at kids, which some adults find limiting.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Noelle

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Lion in Winter1968

Noelle is about a family obligation threatening to collapse. This is about family bonds being tested to breaking. Both ask: what do you owe the family you're born into?

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Klaus2019

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Mixed Nuts1994

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Last Christmas2019

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A Christmas Carol2009

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Happiest Season2020

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Trading Places1983

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But It's not really a Christmas film—it just uses Christmas as backdrop—so it might not hit the seasonal notes you're after. Some humour hasn't aged well.

Arthur Christmas2011

Both centre on a sibling relationship where one doubts their place in the family business and the other must help them find it. Both are about being valued for who you are, not what you can do.

An animated film where Santa's organisation is revealed as a high-tech military operation and a nervous, anxious son must prove himself against his brother. It's visually inventive, genuinely funny, and surprisingly moving about anxiety and self-doubt.

But It's overstuffed with plot and technology, which some find busy and exhausting. The animation style, while distinctive, isn't for everyone.

People

Noelle

Where to watch

Disney+Subscription

Checked 18 October 2026.

Age rating

Gin United States

Ratings come from the people who assign them in each country, and they do not mean the same thing in any two. We show the one given where you are.

Released: 2019
Genre: Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Status: Released
Runtime: 100 min