HallmarkDB

Annie Claus Is Coming to Town

6.2/10 · 1,906 ratings20111h 27mChristmasWeirdness 8/10Bingo card
Annie Claus Is Coming to Town poster
Search Amazon.com

See all viewing options

Where to watch

Search Amazon.com

Amazon

Search Amazon.com for this title. Availability varies by country.

Search Amazon.com

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The premise

This year, Santa's daughter (Maria Thayer) takes her first trip away from the North Pole during the Christmas season hoping to find adventure and love in sunny California. While Santa watches his daughter through a magic snow globe, Annie arrives in L.A. and becomes friends with the owner of Candy Cane Inn, Lucy (Vivica A. Fox), and her daughter, Mia (Nay Nay Kirby). She also quickly lands a job at Wonderland Toys. Wonderland Toys' owner, Ted (Sam Page) is struggling to stay in business selling old-fashioned toys in a digital world. Annie soon realizes that she wants Ted's business to thrive because she has feelings for this Christmas traditionalist.

Themes:Finding where you belongThe importance of honestyChristmas spirit vs. corporate greedFamily legacy

How unusual is it?

Very. Santa is real, mistaken identity, Santa himself and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 7% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

Maria Thayer headshot

Our Girl

Maria Thayer

as Annie

Sam Page headshot

Our Guy

Sam Page

as Ted

Alongside them

Show all 10 cast

Behind the camera

Show

Directed by

Written by

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The North Pole is depicted as a corporate entity with VPs and an 'Executive VP of Operations'.
  • The villain's plan is essentially a corporate coup of the Santa Claus title.
  • Annie uses 'Norpole, Idaho' as her cover story.
  • The protagonist threatens a child with being put on the 'naughty list for life' to stop her from bullying.
  • The sabbatical ritual involves a rhyming chant and a spinning globe.

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 38 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Setting2

🌆Big City📍Toy Store

Time & season3

❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

Premise6

🎅Santa is Real🕵️Secret Identity✨Supernatural🎭Mistaken identity🔒Hidden secret📜Inheritance

Characters4

💼Lead: Executive/Corporate🏪Love interest: Small Business Owner👶Cute kid🏠Returns home

Conflict6

🧭Self-Discovery⚡Foreclosure/Debt💼Career stakes📉Business in peril💔Love triangle🗺️Long distance

Romance5

💕Start as complete strangers💕First kiss: final scene only💓Instant attraction💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

Tone & quirks6

🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities🎞️Montage

How it ends6

🎅Santa appears⭐A miracle💋Ends with a kiss🏘️Stays in the small town🔄Career change🏪Saves the business

Why we’d put this one on

Weirdness 8 and a fun corporate spin on the North Pole. Maria Thayer is Santa's daughter Annie, sent to sunny L.A. on a mandatory sabbatical to experience the world before deciding whether to inherit the family business, where she revives a struggling old-fashioned toy store run by cynical Ted (Sam Page). Vivica A. Fox plays the inn owner who takes her in. The detail I love: up at the Pole, there is an ambitious "Executive VP of Operations" essentially plotting a corporate coup of the Santa title, and Annie's cover story is that she is from "Norpole, Idaho." It is bright, sweet, and gently absurd. A cheery pick.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
The film opens at the North Pole, where Annie Claus serves as the Vice President of Toys. Her father, Santa (Calvin Claus), and mother (Martha), explain that she must go on a 'sabbatical' to the outside world to ensure she truly wants to inherit the family legacy. However, Chester Singleton, the power-hungry Executive VP of Operations, wants to become Santa himself. He plots to keep Annie in the human world permanently so she will sign over her rights. To achieve this, he hires a struggling Los Angeles actor named Dean Durling to pose as a philanthropic lawyer and woo her. Annie arrives in LA and stays at the Candy Cane Motel, run by Lucy and her daughter Mia. She finds a failing toy store called 'Wonderland Toys' and begins working there for free to help the owner, Ted Boone, who is facing a massive balloon payment and competition from a corporate 'Super Store.' Annie uses her North Pole expertise to reorganize the shop and infuse it with Christmas spirit. Meanwhile, Dean begins his 'operation' to win her heart, fabricating stories about his legal career and a fictional orphan named Charlie Brownstone. Annie is charmed by Dean but shares a more authentic bond with Ted as they work together to save his business and direct a local Christmas pageant. The tension rises as Chester pressures Dean to close the deal. The deception unravels when Annie sees Dean's face on a television commercial for a personal injury law firm ('Shaw, Shaw, and Shaw') and realizes he is an actor, not a lawyer. She later overhears him on the phone with Chester, confirming the entire romance was a paid setup. Devastated, Annie returns to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, believing the world is too harsh. However, her parents realize she has found her 'Calvin' (her soulmate) in Ted. Santa breaks his own rules to fly Annie back to Los Angeles on his sleigh. She reunites with Ted at the toy store, where he finally learns her true identity. The film ends with the couple celebrating together, with the implication that Ted will join her in the family business.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Annie Claus leaves the North Pole for a mandatory sabbatical in Los Angeles to experience the world.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Chester Singleton hires an actor, Dean, to trick Annie into falling in love and staying in LA so Chester can take over the North Pole.

  3. Midpoint

    Annie revitalizes Ted's failing toy store and begins a dual 'romance' with the deceptive Dean and the genuine Ted.

  4. Turning Point

    Annie sees Dean in a cheesy personal injury commercial, realizing his 'lawyer' persona is a lie.

  5. Climax

    Annie overhears Dean reporting to Chester and flees back to the North Pole in heartbreak.

  6. Resolution

    Santa flies Annie back to LA on Christmas Eve to reunite with Ted, who discovers her true identity.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

  • At a weirdness score of 8, it lands among the strangest 7% of Hallmark movies we've scored.

Top 7% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 7%.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.2 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.2567

Higher-rated than 27% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Annie Claus Is Coming to Town belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Hallmark Bingo

Your Annie Claus Is Coming to Town card is dealt.

Twenty-four squares pulled from this movie’s own quirks — the cosy classics, a few only-in-this-one curveballs, and a couple of decoys. Mark them as you watch.

Open your card

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “I can put you on the naughty list for life... for life, Amy.”
    — Annie ClausAnnie intimidating a young bully who doesn't believe in Santa.
  • “I was told I may never walk again, but Shaw, Shaw, and Shaw got me $180,000!”
    — Dean Durling (on TV)The commercial that reveals Dean is an actor and not a lawyer.
  • “I need to, like, rent or... or sign out some orphans for the day, Saturday.”
    — Dean DurlingDean trying to find children to pose as his 'orphan' friends to impress Annie.
  • “My parents came from the rank and file of sleigh maintenance.”
    — Chester SingletonExplaining his 'humble' North Pole origins compared to the privileged Clauses.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Annie Claus

    Lead

    VP of Toys / Santa's Daughter

    OptimisticMagicalHardworkingNaïve

  • Ted Boone

    Love interest

    Toy Store Owner

    True love interest and boss

    CynicalKind-heartedStrugglingHonest

  • Dean Durling

    Antagonist

    Actor

    Fake boyfriend hired to trick her

    DeceptiveSmarmyAmbitious

  • Chester Singleton

    Antagonist

    Executive VP of Operations

    Family friend and professional rival

    Power-hungryManipulativeCorporate

  • Mia

    Supporting

    Student

    Friend and mentee

    SweetBelievingMusical

Questions people ask about Annie Claus Is Coming to Town

Where can I watch Annie Claus Is Coming to Town?

Annie Claus Is Coming to Town is available via UP Faith & Family Apple TV channel and UP Faith & Family Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Annie Claus Is Coming to Town?

Annie Claus Is Coming to Town runs about 1 hour and 27 minutes, and was released in 2011.

Is Annie Claus Is Coming to Town a Christmas movie?

Yes. Annie Claus Is Coming to Town is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

More like this

Browse all movies

If you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

The Christmas Wishing Tree poster

The Christmas Wishing Tree

7.8

2017 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Supernatural
  • Cute Kid
A Biltmore Christmas poster

A Biltmore Christmas

7.4

2023 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Supernatural
  • Mistaken Identity
My Christmas Family Tree poster

My Christmas Family Tree

7.4

2021 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Mistaken Identity
  • Cute Kid
The Good Witch's Gift poster

The Good Witch's Gift

7.3

2010 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Supernatural
  • Cute Kid
The Wedding Veil poster

The Wedding Veil

7.2

2022

  • Big City
  • Supernatural
  • Mistaken Identity
Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas poster

Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas

7.2

2014 · Christmas

  • Christmas
  • Big City
  • Supernatural

Talking Hallmark

Love talking about these as much as watching them?

So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.

Watch the latest episode
This Hallmark Christmas movie is aggressively stupid

“This Hallmark Christmas movie is aggressively stupid”

Data and sources

HallmarkDB catalogue. How we research filmsData refreshed .

Search JustWatch for current viewing options.

Sources:IMDbTMDB