The Search for Santa Paws

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.

It is difficult to be too severe about this film. Sure, it is not the best Christmas film but it has so many similitarities with the classic old films of genre than it becomes, scene by scene, more than acceptable. It is a film for the kids , with dogs, children, toyshop and Santa , elves and humor and fair punishment against bad characters, a lovely Mrs Christmas and a lot of unrealistic situations. For me, the only problem remains the make-up for the poor Richar Riehle who becomes a sort of plastic Santa Claus. But , sure, the flavour of old fashion Christmas film and the dog saves a lot.

I loved the movie "The Search for Santa Paws." Tears were rolling down my face so fast. My favorite part of the film is when Santa Paws (voice of Mitchel Musso) and Santa (Richard Riehle) come to Quinn (Kaitlyn Mayer) and Will's (Madison Pettis) new home. They were adopted by the Hucklebuckles but Quinn had lost something important to her. Santa Paws gave Quinn her mother's ornament that had been taken from her. In the story, Santa Paws and Santa are best friends. They both have a special crystal to keep them alive but when in New York, Santa is hit by a taxi, he loses his memory and his crystal. It is taken by a homeless guy named Gus. Santa was heading off to find a new ambassador for New York because Mr. Hucklebuckle, who ran Hucklebuckle Toys, had died. Meanwhile, Hucklebuckle Toys was being run by his grandson, James Huckle (John Ducey) and wife, Kate (Bonnie Somerville). But you see not everything is what you see. James wants to sell the store, but his grandfather has one condition – he had to make a profit the first Christmas he ran it. So did he? Well, you'll have to buy The Search for Santa Paws today to find out. I recommend this film to everyone. It showed me the meaning of Christmas. It will make laugh, cry, and even smile. It is a heartwarming tale to watch on Christmas!!! You can give it as a gift, a movie to help your kids get in the spirit, or even a bedtime story. So stop reading this review right now and go buy "The Search for Santa Paws." The whole family will enjoy this film. I know --I loved it! Reviewed by Lauren Boxer, age 12, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

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. **

Watched this with our grandchildren aged eight and four and they were absolutely enthralled! I can understand why the other reviewer criticised it, if you compare it to the Santa Clause ones, then it certainly falls short but then most Christmas films would, wouldn't they?. Just because a film is not the best one in a category doesn't mean that its a failure. This one certainly isn't! Don't forget you are dealing with children here and they have not seen the hundreds of Christmas films that we adults have. I would guess that they are not watching to see whether the dog's voices are in sync with their mouths, either.... My grandchildren loved it. I won't hear a word against it. Nuff said?