Dashing Through the Snow

Dashing Through the Snow is a 2023 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Scott Rosenberg, and starring Lil Rel Howery, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Teyonah Parris, Oscar Nunez, Madison Skye Validum, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. It tells the story of a social worker and his daughter who help Santa Claus when he is targeted by the minions of a crooked congressman.

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Will Packer Productions and Smart Entertainment, the film was released on Disney+ on November 17, 2023.

Plot
Eddie Garrick is a social worker who is cynical about the holidays due to an incident in his youth when a mall store Santa, whom he asked in confidence to help keep his parents together, tried to rob his house. As an adult, he is separated from his wife Allison and they have a daughter named Charlotte. While Allison does some last-minute shopping, Eddie spends time with Charlotte and heads over to his neighbor's house to feed their cat. He encounters a man dressed as Santa named Nicholas Sinter-Claus, or Nick for short, who claims to be the real Santa. Nick appears to be highly dismissive of everything and is cautious of three people who are following him.

Eddie decides to take Nick to the hospital, believing him to be mentally unhealthy, and Charlotte tags along. Nick proceeds to reveal details about himself and Charlotte that convinces her that he is the real Santa. The three grunts proceed to chase after Eddie, Nick, and Charlotte who escape, but their car breaks down. They hail a taxi, but when they are being followed again, Nick rolls out of the car and hides in a club where everyone is dressed as Santa. Eddie and Charlotte follow him and lose the trailers after getting rescued by a family named the Truckles. The Truckles are obsessed with Santa and using their equipment were able to track down Nick who once again makes a hasty exit, forcing Eddie and Charlotte to follow him again.

Nick takes Eddie and Charlotte to one of his warehouses which is loaded with many of his on-ground supporters including a couple named Gerald and Lucille, who fix his equipment. Nick reveals why he has been running: one of his stops was the house of Conrad Harf, a trusted congressman who was hiding one of his crooked schemes. The three people chasing them all night worked for him and Nick accidentally got his tablet mixed up with Conrad's, which contained a list of locations that they were hoping to pave over. Misinterpreting the situation, Eddie believes that Nick is another burglar and calls the police to come and arrest him, against Charlotte's wishes.

At the police station, Nick is taken away, but deduces that the "detectives" taking him are more of Conrad's goons. Eddie realizes that Nick left the tablet with him and manages to unlock it, learning that he was telling the truth.

Eddie and Charlotte recruit the Truckles to help locate Nick who has been taken straight to Conrad who is attending the Mayor's Christmas party. Eddie arrives to free Nick, but they are caught. Now fully believing Nick, Eddie activates his reindeer caller, causing all of Nick's reindeer to appear and beat up the bad guys. Conrad and his associates are arrested, though Nick gives Conrad an Action Arthur figure that he originally wanted as a young boy in good faith. Nick then gets his reindeer and flies away.

Eddie and Charlotte return home to Allison who is in disbelief over their claim that they were hanging out with Santa until Nick arrives to give them one last gift, a dog named Bulldozer, which he had earlier told Eddie he would be giving him. Eddie renews his romance with Allison as he invites the Truckles to spend the holidays with them, while Nick flies off to finish his Christmas deliveries.

Production
Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia in August 2022. The film's score was composed by Christopher Lennertz.

Release
Dashing Through the Snow was released on Disney+ on November 17, 2023.