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Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol

Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol

Animation · Comedy · Fantasy · 2025

Christmas elves Lanny and Wayne panic when their holiday missions go awry, leaving Wayne thinking he's in BIG trouble with Santa and accidentally revealing other merry mishaps.

Movie details

Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol

“Dropping in for the holidays!”

2025 Animation · Comedy · Fantasy 22m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Christmas elves Lanny and Wayne panic when their holiday missions go awry, leaving Wayne thinking he's in BIG trouble with Santa and accidentally revealing other merry mishaps.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

Animation · 2011

When Grouchy Smurf behaves badly to everyone and refuses to celebrate Christmas, the Smurfs of Christmas Past, Present and Future teach him to appreciate Christmas.

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

Animation · 2004

Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse and all his Disney pals star in an original movie about the importance of opening your heart to the true spirit of Christmas. Stubborn old Donald tries in vain to resist the joys of the season, and Mickey and Pluto learn a great lesson about the power of friendship.

Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa

Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa

Animation · 2010

Wayne and Lanny, now partners, are called by Magee to meet with a secret contact – Mrs. Claus, who sends them on a new mission to retrieve a box from Santa’s secret workshop. Later they sneak into Santa’s office while he is asleep, using their high tech equipment from the previous film. Lanny’s expertise at dressing the tree enables them to enter the hidden workshop where they recover the box and escape just in time. But what is the box for?

Prep & Landing

Prep & Landing

Animation · 2009

Wayne gets a new rookie partner, Lanny, after his previous partner got the promotion he wanted. Lanny has to remind Wayne of the Spirit of Christmas and the importance of being an elf in Santa's Prep and Landing elite unit.

The Grinch

The Grinch

Animation · 2018

The Grinch hatches a scheme to ruin Christmas when the residents of Whoville plan their annual holiday celebration. But a certain little who might change things.

The Year Without a Santa Claus

The Year Without a Santa Claus

Animation · 1974

Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to see to where all the season's cheer has disappeared. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children's hearts and put Santa back in action.

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale

Animation · 2007

Christmas is never so spirited as when Tom and Jerry lock horns for the holidays in their new original movie--Tom & Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale In an empty opera house, Jerry wishes for a chance to perform -- and magically his dream comes true. The little mouse is whisked away to an enchanted kingdom where anything is possible: candy forests, singing snowflakes, even the toys spring to life! Jerry has a great time with his new friends, and when Jerry dances with the music box ballerina, he is as happy as happy can be. Unfortunately, alley cats led by Tom crash Jerry's party, kidnap the music box ballerina and wreak havoc in the holiday kingdom. It's up to Jerry to set things right -- and with help from a fellow mouse named Tuffy and more newfound friends, Jerry just may win the day!

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

Animation · 2011

Lanny and Wayne are at it again! With the Big 2-5 fast approaching, Wayne and Lanny must race to recover classified North Pole technology which has fallen into the hands of a computer-hacking Naughty Kid! Desperate to prevent Christmas from descending into chaos, Wayne seeks out the foremost Naughty Kid expert to aid in the mission: a bombastic member of the Coal Bucket Brigade who also happens to be his estranged brother, Noel.

Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas

Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas

Animation · 2021

After a series of mishaps, Mickey, Minnie and the gang are separated all over the world and must try to get back to Hot Dog Hills by Christmas Eve. A mysterious and jolly stranger shows up to tell them about The Wishing Star, which could be the secret to bringing everybody home in time to celebrate together.

Elf

Elf

Comedy · 2003

When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Shane Zalvin

Written by

Hilary Helding · Colleen Evanson

Dave Foley

Dave Foley

Wayne (voice)

Derek Richardson

Derek Richardson

Lanny (voice)

Sarah Chalke

Sarah Chalke

Magee (voice)

Debi Derryberry

Debi Derryberry

Nog (voice)

C

Colleen Evanson

GBM Voice (voice)

Manny Jacinto

Manny Jacinto

Renato (voice)

Danny Pudi

Danny Pudi

Chef Geoff (voice)

Court is in session

Put Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.