YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Eric Stevenson This is another entry in the Buddies film series, a spinoff from the "Air Bud" movies. This doesn't even have "Buddies" in the title, nor does it seem to have any of the original characters! This movie features Santa losing his memory and then becoming a mall Santa. A stuffed dog that he brought to life has to help him. I actually am glad they didn't focus too much on the animals. That lip movement can get very creepy.Good movies like "Homeward Bound" and "Babe: Pig In The City" handled talking animals much better. One distracting part was the horrible special effects with the reindeer. They were so fake looking and creepy! At least Santa getting amnesia was kind of original. I'm glad there weren't any dog farts in this. They're too common in the Buddies films. **

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain A prequel to Santa Buddies without any of the buddies. So I guess it's kind of a spin-off too. We start in the North Pole, and it looks as crummy as before, but as Santa walks in, we see it's a different actor. Hallelujah! However, he may give an incredible performance when compared to the previous actor, but he looks so creepy. His face just has something sinister about it. We begin our story on Santa's birthday, and it's all downhill from there. This film is so dark and mature to begin with. Santa's birthday is interrupted by the announcement that his good friend has died. We are then introduced to a couple that reveal they are unable to have children. And then we go to an orphanage where the kids are mistreated. Once Santa arrives in New York, he is immediately hit by a taxi, loses his memory, and has his magic crystal stolen, while Santa Paws gets lost in the mean streets. I admit the first one was sickly cute, but this movie is rubbing shoulders with Requiem for a Dream in the depressing department. Of course all these plot threads come together eventually, and minus some garish musical numbers, it's done in a respectful manner. It's easy to care for these characters, and so I found that the Christmas spirit was earned rather than forced upon me. With so much darkness, I think this would be a great film for families to snuggle up with, as you can explain to your kids how horrible life can be sometimes.

badtoro I was expecting a family movie. Instead, it was an unnecessarily evil and depressing disaster. Families beware... this movie is awful. The story line includes young orphans frequently referencing their dead parents ("they didn't make it"), a homeless man who robs Santa of the "magic crystal" that gives him his life and who at the end of the movie is never held to account, an evil, mean-spirited caretaker of an orphanage (who remains mean throughout the movie), scenes of dolls and stuffed animals incinerated at the hands of the evil headmistress, and last but not least, Santa clause on his death bed, being watched over by the "head elf" who at one point answers a young girl's question, "is he going to make it" with a grim shake of his head.

bunecarlos The talking animals and kids are cute, and if you can make it past the cruel orphanage administrator who casts children into a creepy basement as a punishment and a dying Santa in a hospital (that included an oxygen mask and tubes!), you just might like the happy ending in the last 5 minutes of this awful movie.My 8-year old twins either just sat there quietly or cried throughout, as my wife and I reassured them that Santa wouldn't die.Richard Riehle is a good actor (see: Office Space), but miscast as a odd-looking, less-than-robust Santa. Most mall Santas would have been a better choice.