The Magic Snowflake
| Industry | Animation, Film production |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Animated films, TV shows |
| Parent | Gaumont Film Company |
The Magic Snowflake (original French title L'Apprenti Père Noël et le flocon magique) is a 2013 animated Christmas-themed adventure comedy, serving as the sequel to the 2010 motion picture Santa's Apprentice. This film is adapted from the SantApprentice series created by Jan Van Rijsselberge. Produced collaboratively by Gaumont Animation, Snipple Animation, and Dapaco Productions, it is designed to appeal to family audiences with a strong emphasis on holiday narratives.
Plot
The narrative opens with a young boy sending a letter to Santa Claus, requesting a remote-controlled flying insect toy. At the North Pole, Tim-Tim, an Inuit boy, gathers the incoming mail for Santa’s Workshop. Beatrice Lovejoy, Santa’s wife, oversees the mail system but limits Tim-Tim’s access. As Santa prepares to retire in Sydney, he entrusts the workshop leadership to Nicholas.
Nicholas begins displaying an unusual symptom—his white hair grows rapidly—a condition known as "Grown-up-itis," which hampers his ability to oversee the workshop and manufacture toys. His attempt at creating the requested flying bug results in a fiery bee that causes destruction. Beatrice notifies the Council of Retired Santas, who arrive to provide aid. Meanwhile, Santa attempts to find work at the Daffodil Orphanage but faces rejection.
Nicholas investigates magical doors on an advent calendar that reveal glimpses of his potential future as a corporate executive promoting products that hasten children's maturity. Through Tim-Tim’s mother, an Eskimo Shaman, Nicholas learns he must locate door number 3 near Bear Mountain to cure his condition. Despite cautions, he explores forbidden doors leading into past memories and ultimately overcomes his ailment by rediscovering his childhood spirit.
Back at the workshop, Victorian Santa disapproves of contemporary toys and replaces them with bricks, believing they encourage creativity. He confines Beatrice and later imprisons Santa and others after they confront him. Nicholas and his allies rescue them using a remote-controlled butterfly he created to unlock their cages.
Nicholas convinces Victorian Santa to abandon his destructive plan, allowing toy production to resume just in time for Christmas. Utilizing butterfly wings to speed up deliveries, they successfully fulfill all gift requests worldwide. The story concludes with Nicholas opening the workshop doors to children and Victorian Santa joining the group for Christmas dinner. Mr. Ratchet offers Santa a position managing the orphanage, strengthening community bonds.
The film explores themes contrasting tradition with innovation and highlights leadership succession within a festive commercial framework.
Cast
| Character | French | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada/ DaCapo Productions | United States/ Weinstein Company | ||
| Nicholas Barnsworth | Nathan Simony | Tristan Mackid | Cole Sand |
| Nicholas Barnsworth (adult) | Robyn Slade | Tim Bandfield | |
| Santa Claus | Benoît Allemane | Laurie Mustard | Michael Sorich |
| Beatrice Lovejoy | Dorothy Carroll | Bailey Gambertoglio | |
| Beatrice Lovejoy (adult) | Gloria Nikkel | Cheryl Chase | |
| Mrs. Claus | Gloria Nikkel | Mary Pat Gleason | |
| Mr. Ratchet | Jean-Claude Donda | Gary Jarvis | Richard Steven Horvitz |
| Humphrey | Brian Cook | Andy Morris | |
| Waldorf | Alexis Tomassian | Geoff Hughes | Richard Tatum |
| Rufus (grunts) | Céline Melloul | Robyn Slade | Jerni Stewart |
| Tim-Tim | Kylian Trouillard | N.E. Infante Neal | Paulette Victor-Lifton |
| Shaman | Jolie L'Esperance | Mari Devon | |
| Zoe | N.E. Infante Neal | Jerni Stewart | |
| Mrs. Palmer | Fabiana Arrastia | ||
| Constable Stevens | Terrence Stone | ||
| Hugo | Parker Lauzon | Fabian Arrastia | |
| Polar Bear Spirit | Ian Mikita | Philip Williams | |
| Victorian Santa | Bernard Boland | Robert Cait | |
| Contrary Santa | Kevin Aichele | Michael Sorich | |
| Grumpy Santa | Corny Rempel | Terrence Stone | |
| Insane Santa | Nolan Balzer | Robert Cait | |
| Scottish Santa | Terrence Stone | ||
| Absent-minded Santa | Pete Hudson | Robert Cait | |
| Jokey Santa | Gene Pryz | Terrence Stone | |
| Circus performer' | Heather Madill | Paulette Victor-Lifton | |
Release
The Magic Snowflake made its debut in France on 20 November 2013, followed by a limited release in Canada on 30 November 2013. Distribution in the United States was managed by The Weinstein Company, which also intended to release the film in the United Kingdom. On 20 December 2015, the movie became accessible on Netflix within the U.S. market.
Home media
In the United States, The Magic Snowflake was issued on DVD as part of a double feature alongside Santa's Apprentice on 1 November 2016. Subsequently, it was released on Blu-ray in the U.S. on 19 February 2019.