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The holiday season is a time of giving and receiving—and of cozy books and movies with heartwarming lessons, too. And in the English-dubbed Norwegian family film, Teddy’s Christmas, an adventure-seeking teddy bear and a little girl with a big imagination both learn some valuable lessons about the true spirit of the holidays.
Teddy’s Christmas visits a small town in Norway, where Mariann (Marte Klerck-Nilssen) first sees a magical teddy bear at the Wheel of Fortune booth at the Christmas market. Though she tries to win him, she doesn’t succeed—because Teddy (voiced by Zachary Levi) doesn’t want her to—and though she does everything she can to get him back, her quest only gets her in trouble.
Meanwhile, Teddy is on his own quest—one that he hopes will lead him to riches and adventure. But with the help of a lovable stuffed hedgehog, he discovers the joys of cuddling.
As Teddy makes a new friend, Mariann and her family go through all of the preparations for their Christmas celebrations—complete with all of the traditions. It’s about as cozy as it gets: the festive small-town setting, the children enjoying the excitement of the Christmas market—with all of its sights and smells—the traditional meals, and Grandma and Grandpa gathered with the family, enjoying all of the holiday celebrations together.
The story, meanwhile, sometimes feels a little unfocused—jumping back and forth between Mariann’s mischief and consequences and Teddy learning that love and affection are more important that material things. And there’s so much going on here—and so many different messages—that you might wonder what it’s really trying to say.
Still, there’s just something charming and old-fashioned about the story and its characters—and though the stuffed animals may walk and talk and cause trouble, it isn’t as flashy and over-the-top as many current holiday movies for kids. It’s just a sweet holiday story. Be warned, though, that there may be some holiday spoilers here—so if you don’t to have to field questions from your younger kids about why Santa looks a lot like Grandpa, you should proceed with caution.
With its traditional celebrations and its lovable story about the magic and joy of the holiday season, though, Teddy’s Christmas is just a cute holiday movie for the family. If you need a break from the noise and flash of today’s typical Christmas movies, it’s a charming choice for a cozy winter night.
You can visit Norway without leaving town when Teddy’s Christmas arrives in theaters on December 1, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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