Vanellope & Friends: Christmas

Disney In The House: Christmas
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tim Hill
Produced by	David W. King
Screenplay by	Joe Ansolabehere
Story by	Tim Hill Joe Ansolabehere Jill E. Blotevogel Kevin Hopps
Starring	Sarah Silverman Mckenna Grace Jason Marsden Bill Murray Jerry Stiller Tom Hanks Ginnifer Goodwin Natalie Portman Martin Short Ed O'Neill
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography	Matthias Koenigswieser
Edited by	Robert Fisher Jr.
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	December 25, 2017 (American Holiday Festival) December 27, 2017 (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$125 million
Box office	$151 million

Disney In The House: Christmas is a 2017 American live-action/computer-animated Christmas comedy film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Tim Hill, the film serves as the sequel to Disney In The House: 4th Of July and the third film in the Disney In The House Cinematic Universe. Returning actors Sarah Silverman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ed O'Neill, Tom Hanks, Owen Laramore, Michael J. Fox, and Travis Oates are joined by Mckenna Grace, Jason Marsden, Bill Murray, Jerry Stiller (in his final acting role before his death in 2020), Natalie Portman, and Martin Short. In the film, Vanellope von Schweetz sets out to save Christmas from extinction after Santa Claus crashes in Disneyville..

Disney In The House: Christmas was released theatrically in the United States on December 27, 2017. The film grossed over $151 million worldwide against its $125 million budget, becoming Walt Disney Wonder Studios' first box office disappointment. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the humor, use of Christmas carols, Harry Gregson-Williams' musical score, nostalgic feel, cast, and respect for Christmas culture, but massively criticized its tone and narrative. Despite this, it was followed by a sequel, Disney In The House: Wild Wild West, on May 11, 2018.

Plot

Vanellope von Schweetz is hosting the Disneyville Christmas Party. She, Judy Hopps, Hank, Mr. Ziploc, Lawrence Pierce, Piglet, and Iggy expose Sheriff Woody to Vanellope's party. Santa Claus flies by, but crash-lands in Disneyville, erasing his memory and causing the others to worry that Christmas could be permanently canceled. Vanellope volunteers to save Christmas, calming down her family and the rest of the hysterical Disneyville. Before setting off, Vanellope leaves Woody in charge of her party.

Vanellope builds a snowman and names him "Frosty". Frosty starts to get warmer. To avoid the fate of melting, Frosty joins Vanellope on her quest, in order to reach the North Pole to avoid melting. Vanellope and Frosty witness Santa's reindeer (except Cupid) blaming Rudolph for causing Santa's crashing. Their leader, Donner, puts Rudolph on the naughty list and says they only take orders from Santa. After the reindeer leave, Rudolph joins Vanellope and Frosty. As they prepare to get going, a six-year-old girl named Cindy Miller befriends Vanellope, whos agree to let her join them.

Meanwhile, Piglet sings "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". As the children put presents under the party's Christmas tree, Santa rediscovers his ability to make toys, letting the children give presents to each other, but inadvertently angering Woody. A wooden airplane wreaks havoc in the kitchen, covering Woody in caramel. Woody declares that all everyone's presents are his from now on, much to the kids' disappointment, and the party is ruined as a result.

After several deliveries, Vanellope and Cindy get into a falling-out over a secret last sack of gifts and whether to deliver it or not. Thinking Cindy is deliberately bailing on her, Vanellope breaks up with Cindy, who walk off into the snowy woods with Rudolph and Frosty. Hours later, Santa convinces Woody to give someone a present, lifting his mood and prompting him to share his realization with Disneyville. Cindy's parents are worried over their daughter's disappearance, but Lawrence, inspired by Woody's discovery, convinces them and all the Disneyville citizens to work together in order to rebuild Vanellope's party and save Christmas.

In the snowy mountains, Vanellope, depressed and alone, discovers that the gifts are for her, Cindy, Rudolph, and Frosty. Having a change of heart, concludes she must find her friends, give them their gifts, and make amends. Vanellope, the sleigh, and the gifts almost fall off the edge of a cliff, but Cindy, Rudolph, and Frosty help pull the sleigh back to safety and reconcile with Vanellope. With only enough sparkles for one last trip, they fly back to Disneyville. Suddenly, the sparkle tank runs out. Rudolph thinks happy thoughts and uses every ounce of his strength to get to Disneyville Suburb, where they bump into Santa, restoring his memory.

Initially shocked, Donner blames Rudolph for ruining Christmas, but Cupid, fed up with Donner's bossy ways, comes to his defense, confessing her love for him. Vanellope explains the true meaning of Christmas, prompting the reindeer to finally accept Rudolph as their friend and let him go back on the nice list. Santa, Frosty, and the reindeer depart. Vanellope and company sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and Vanellope's Christmas party goes on as planned.

Cast

• Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz, a resident of Disneyville.
• Mckenna Grace as Cindy Miller, a six-year-old resident of Disneyville who befriends Vanellope.
• Jason Marsden as Rudolph, a red-nosed reindeer.
• Bill Murray as Frosty, an anthropomorphic snowman whose silk hat brings him to life.
• Jerry Stiller as Santa Claus, a Christmas legend. This was Stiller's final film in his acting career before his death in 2020.
• Martin Short as Dan Miller, a resident of Disneyville who is Cindy's father and Cass' husband.
• Natalie Portman as Cass Miller, a resident of Disneyville who is Cindy's mother and Dan's wife.
• Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, a resident of Disneyville and one of Vanellope's best friends.
• Ed O'Neill as Hank, Disneyville's greatest septopus and another one of Vanellope's best friends.
• Tom Hanks as Woody, a resident of Disneyville who often visits Vanellope's house.
• Michael J, Fox as Mr. Ziploc, an anthropomorphic plastic bowl and the news messenger of Disneyville.
• Owen Laramore as Lawrence Pierce, the mayor of Disneyville.
• Frank Welker as Iggy, an iguana and Vanellope's pet.
• Travis Oates as Piglet, a citizen of Disneyville.
• Andy Dick as Donner, the noble put pompous leader of Santa's reindeer who ridicules Rudolph.
• Annabelle Wallis as Cupid, one of Santa's reindeer who has a crush on Rudolph.

Additionally, Dasher, Dancer, Pancer, Vixen, Comet and Blitzen appear, but do not have any dialogue.

Box office

Disney In The House: Christmas opened theatrically on December 26, 2017, and grossed $63 million in the United States and Canada, and $88 million in other territories. It ended its theatrical run on March 26, 2018, having to have grossed $151 million worldwide. Produced on a $125 million production budget, the film became Walt Disney Wonder Studios' first box office disappoinment, losing Disney $50 million.

Critical response

Disney In The House: Christmas received mixed reviews from critics, with a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 214 reviews. The consensus reads, "With spunky charm, nostalgia, and outstanding acting, Disney In The House: Christmas respects Christmas culture and may entertain much young viewers in general, but its narrative and tone are too uneven to recapture the showstopping feel of the first two films". It is the first Walt Disney Wonder Studios film to earn a "rotten" certification. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, calculated a score of 55 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.