Overview: From the creators of the "Buddies", Disney's "The Search For Santa Paws" is a fun-filled holiday adventure that takes us to the beginning of Santa Claus' legendary friendship with Santa Paws. In this prequel to the hit holiday classic "Santa Buddies", Santa Paws and his new canine and kid friends embark on a journey in New York City to find Santa Claus and restore the spirit of Christmas.

Blu-ray+DVD Verdict: My wife and I sat down with our kids and decided to watch/review this for my daughters boss. Basing our expectations solely on the cover art, we all agreed right off that the dog looked cute! The trouble is, this movie tries WAY too hard to please and falls short in every department - sadly.

It's got Santa ... a very scary looking Santa. In fact, he looks like one of the Geico cavemen dressed as Santa. I don't know who did his makeup but his face is ghostly pale. For some reason, he wears a bowler hat instead of Santa's traditional red cap. That bothered my son and so my son began whining about it. That bothered me.

Santa visits NYC, gets hit by a cab, gets amnesia, forgets that he is Santa Claus, and finds a job as a toy store Santa. Of course he's great at his new job. The toy store is run by a childless couple. In the meantime, Santa's puppy, "Paws", takes shelter with some singing and dancing orphans straight out of "Annie."

Childless couple? Orphans? HOW WILL IT END? The rest is an overly long, goose-chase for Santa and the puppy filled with more expository dialogue than you can shake your angry fist at.

By the time the littlest orphan sheds a tear and asks, "Is Santa going to die?" you'll be sorry you made this purchase. It was only made worse when my son turned to my wife and tearfully asked, "Is Santa going to die?" in the same manner. "No, son, Santa will be fine ... but I think I need more eggnog." [NC]

But, as a nice bonus here today, why not print-and-play with these very special Craft Pages ... enjoy!

'Search For Santa Paws' (2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Animated Pop-Up Book: Sing-Along To Christmas Carols With The Buddies
"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" Music Video
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes

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