Netflix sequel follows two kids who protect Santa's Village from a former elf named Belsnickel. Overall, there are some overt cinematic homages and fun recreations of popular movie scenes.
In The Christmas Chronicles 2, Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) struggles to accept her mother's boyfriend, Bob (Tyrese Gibson), during a vacation in Cancun, Mexico. So, the teenager devises a plan to return home, yet she's tricked by Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) and sent to the North Pole. There, the elf-turned-human tries to ruin Christmas forever, along with Kate's holiday spirit.
Fans of classic holiday movies should enjoy their experience with The Christmas Chronicles 2, as there's a little something for everybody. Younger audiences may spot some of the modern references that older viewers could easily overlook, and vice versa, given all the callbacks to films from decades past (and even to Columbus' own filmography).
Elf & Bad Santa
The Christmas Chronicles 2 references the 2003 comedy Elf as the main attraction.
Directed by filmmaker Jon Favreau, Elf stars Will Ferrell as a human who was raised by elves. During the climax in Central Park, various people sing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" to produce enough Christmas spirt that will allow Santa to take off in his sleigh. In The Christmas Chronicles 2, Tyrese Gibson's Bob sings to raise Christmas spirit early on, only to discover that "O Christmas Tree" was the favorite song of Kate's late father. Santa later sings at Logan International Airport in Boston to raise Christmas spirit amongst grumpy travelers.
During the "elf bane" extended sequence, The Christmas Chronicles 2 flips the narrative concept. In Terry Zwigoff's 2003 comedy, Billy Bob Thornton stars as a thief with a bad attitude who lands a convenient job as a mall Santa. In Columbus' 2020 holiday sequel, it's the elves who act naughty and cause problems for the kind-hearted Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Home Alone
During the Logan International Airport sequence, Columbus thematically references his 1990 classic Home Alone. While Kate looks for batteries to power Belsnickel's time travel device, Santa tries to raise the low holiday spirit so that his reindeer can fly. After the first good deed — giving money to a faux Santa from The Salvation Army — an airport employee named Grace (Darlene Love) informs travelers that all flights have been cancelled. One particularly angry woman states that she's trying to get back to Chicago, which is a direct reference to a memorable Home Alone sequence.
In The Christmas Chronicles 2.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
With the airport scene in The Christmas Chronicles 2, Columbus pays homage to the late John Hughes and his 1986 classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In the Netflix film, a boy (Sunny Suljic) spots a morose Kate and playfully calls her "a grinch." He subsequently discusses how people gets so easily rattled by "a little snag" in their plans, and suggests that Santa will find a way to work it out. Doug also states that he's a "true believer" like Kate, who opens up to the traveler about her late father. Kate eventually discovers that the 1990 boy is none other than her father — Doug Pierce from Lowell, Massachusetts. She then says goodbye and thus receives a sense of closure.
In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Jeanie Bueller (Jennifer Grey) gets arrested for making a false report about Vice Principal Edward R. Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) breaking into the family home. At the police station, a brooding juvenile delinquent (Charlie Sheen) teases Jeanie about her worried demeanor. She opens up about her brother Ferris (Matthew Broderick) ditching school, which prompts the male juvie to suggest that she needs to work on her personal issues. The scene ends with Grey's character revealing her name, which is similar to the end of the conversation between Kate and Doug in The Christmas Chronicles 2. For Columbus' homage, the overall sentiment is the same: worry less, enjoy life more.
It's A Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life. When Belsnickel plots again Santa at the North Pole, he enlists Fleck to poison the elves with the powder "elf bane." Meanwhile, Santa and Mrs. Claus fall asleep by the fire while watching It's a Wonderful Life, which appears for a few seconds on their television, with the characters speaking in Elvish.
It's a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who plans to kill himself but then meets his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Based on Philip Van Doren Stern's 1943 short story The Greatest Gift, Frank Capra's film follows George as he goes back in time to understand how his good deeds affected the bigger picture.
The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause. When Kate and Jack are saved by Santa, Mrs. Claus enlists the elf Jojo to brew up some hot chocolate to help thaw out the nearly-frozen kids. After a small sip, Kate and Jack immediately return to their normal selves. In The Santa Clause, Judy the Elf (Paige Tamada) perfects the art of hot cocoa and notes that it can take several hundred years to master the craft. However, Jojo works his magic in just seconds during Columbus's Netflix sequel.
The Polar Express
The Christmas Chronicles 2 shares a thematic connection with The Polar Express. In the beginning of the Netflix sequel, Belsnickel targets Kate because she's a "true believer" who embraces all the magic associated with Christmas. During Robert Zemeckis's 2004 animated film, a boy can't hear reindeer bells until he truly believes in Santa.
