User reviews

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. **

I am just laughing reading all the reviews of parents freaking out about how scary this movie is. When I watched it, it didn't even occur to me how dark some of the events were, but looking back, yes, it does get pretty dark at times for a Christmas movie about Santa and his puppy best friend. But it's not scary, and I'm trying not to judge, but when I read about 8 year old kids being scared and crying because of this movie, I can't help but laugh, and just think about how sheltered some kids are in this world. I know I come from a different era, and having watched Child's Play by age 8, I admit my tolerance for the macabre is higher than others. But if this movie is too scary for your kid, you might be a bit too overprotective and your kid is gonna have real bad smack of reality when they are not under your watchful eye.

...at the vociferously negative reviews... and so many of them. It is almost as though some folks are ganging up on the rest of us. Calm down. Not every movie is for everyone. Just because it has a Christmas motif doesn't make it universal. And it also doesn't mean it's a horrible film.

I found The Search for Santa Paws to be very charming. If some viewers are looking for Christmas stories that are entirely upbeat and positive, then no, this isn't for them. However, others of us have different expectations. Reading reactions from reviewers running off with their hair on fire because the film didn't live up to their standards is very misleading. (I don't care for films in the tradition of Bad Santa, so I simply avoid them. I don't come unglued.)

Now then, that having been said, several characters could have used some more development. Mr Huckle was alternatively both unsympathetic and silly for no apparent reason, while his wife seemed mostly oblivious to his mood swings. The orphanage matron was just relentlessly and boringly obstinate. If she had even tried to be really mean rather than just persistently irritable, we might have learned something about how she even got into the orphan business. (She openly complains that it doesn't pay very well.) Mrs Claus was mostly sycophantic. Surely, she has a lot to say about how the North Pole operation is conducted. We needed to hear that. And Quinn - who is apparently a regular in these movies - is just annoying. Her diction is terrible, and her acting is wooden. (There are plenty of good child actresses. Go find one.)

Still, overall, the film is engaging. It certainly doesn't deserve to be castigated just because the viewer wanted something else. What I mostly read here weren't reviews. That were just complaints.

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?

Pretty enjoyable movie to watch especially since I'm tired although I wouldn't recommend this to most kids it has some mean spirited actions. Has sweet moments as well though, very cute, and solid amount of entertainment!

I really enjoyed this movie, and my two girls, age 4 and 1 did as well. The plot line was great, with a lot of suspense. It's just like one of the Buddies movies, without the Buddies. Its has a lot of the same characters as the Santa Buddies movie, which was a little confusing for my 4 year old Buddies lover, when there were no buddies in the movie. This seems like it could be more of a prequel to the Santa Buddies movie. Unlike the previous review, I thought the animated characters looked pretty life like. Of course their mouths moving aren't going to look like humans mouths moving! But if you are familiar with the Buddies movies, you know, and are used to that. I hope you and your children enjoy this movie as much as me and mine did!

As fun as The Search for Santa Paws is to watch every few years, it's certainly not a kids' movie. It's supposed to be, but there's so much in it that will result in tearful children boo-hoo-ing into their hankies. If you're going to watch this with your kids, tell them exactly what happens beforehand so they won't be upset.

Up in Santa's workshop, Santa gets a present of a stuffed dog who comes to life with a magical crystal. The dog becomes Santa Paws, his right-hand-dog in charge of making sure animals have a merry Christmas. In America, a childless couple, Bonnie Summerville and John Ducey, inherit a toy shop, and while they want to sell it, Bill Cobbs warns them that after a season, they might change their minds and stay. Santa Claus and Santa Paws come to the city and accidentally gets hit by a taxi cab and gets amnesia. He and Santa Paws are separated and no one knows where he is or how to get him back to the North Pole. Do you believe this? How many kiddies want to watch Santa get run over by a taxi for Christmas entertainment?

Meanwhile, in a nearby orphanage, a sweet little girl, Kaitlyn Maher finds the little dog and smuggles him in so the other girls can have some enjoyment out of life. In the tradition of orphanages, the headmistress is incredibly mean and likes destroying the kids' toys in the incinerator. You can guess what she might want to the dog if she ever finds it. Again, this is not entertainment for children.

If you're a dog person and want to see a fun musical about Santa and his furry friend getting reunited, check this one out. Just be sure to tell your kids what's going to happen so they stop crying. The songs are pretty cute, and the production values are good, so you won't be gritting your teeth through a "family friendly" flick, like some others out there.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving children, I'd warn my kids before letting them watch it.

I can't even begin to explain how horrible this movie was. My kids thought they were going to get a funny movie about a puppy. But instead they got scared out of their minds. Halfway through the movie they ASKED to go to bed. A big point of the movie was the foster mom (was that what she was? or was it an orphanage....but they don't have those anymore) was MEAN. She wouldn't let any of the kids have toys of any kind. If she found them, she would burn them. Now imagine my 4 year old who just LOVES all of his stuffed animals witnessing another child's doll getting incinerated. He was fairly traumatized, despite our protests that it was just a movie. The worst part was that she was mean just to be mean, and there was no redemption. The Santa was really creepy looking as another reviewer pointed out. There are many other issues I had with it, but there is really no point. It's just to bad that there wasn't much funny puppy stuff in it. It was mostly people talking, or crying, or being mean.

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 a horribly-acted rip-off of Annie. And with the creepiest looking Santa Claus thrown in for good measure. They couldn't find an actual bearded old man to act as Santa. Instead, they used a ton of what appears to be plaster on the actor's face. The result looked like botched plastic surgery. I'm an adult and this is going to give me nightmares. Stuffing him full of tubes in a hospital bed was pretty traumatic for my daughter. No one needs to see Santa like that! Also, the black dog being given a Jamaican accent is racist. I thought this would be a feel-good movie. Stick to Miracle on 34th Street or the actual movie Annie instead.

You would expect a seasonal family movie to bring the family together and have something for everyone. This movie fails to do anything but waist your time and your children's time.

Poor acting, bad effects, and terrible casting...hands down it's just a stupid movie. Go grab something good like A Christmas Story or find another classic. It's a chore to even sit through this piece of junk. The only positive aspect about this intensive pile of rubbish is that it ends.

The holiday movie mill churned out this piece of garbage and you are better off finding something else to see.