amc1
I caught the last half of this movie on TV a couple of years ago and loved what I saw so much I went out and bought it---it's now one of our favorite family Christmas movies! Apart from the really sweet story, I loved the 'nostalgia' and atmospheric aspects---the outdoor skating rink with people in vintage knitted Mary Maxim sweaters, the lovely little girl skaters, the 'small town' wintery feel---all things that brought back such memories growing up in Ontario in the 50's and 60's. British actress Brenda Blethyn did a great job as Aunt Millie, although it took me a couple of minutes to get used to her North American accent! Using Quebec for the North Pole was great and really makes me want to go for a visit. The only thing, and a relatively small one, that I noticed was it was clearly obvious the young girl skating was not Zoe Warner (Katie). Her face could be seen clearly several times---I wonder why more effort wasn't put in to disguising her a bit better. Other than that, the movie is a delight and I highly recommend it! Think I might just go and grab a coffee and watch it again!
beckeye_58
This is pretty high on the cheese-o-meter, even for those of us who love family films. Characters were fairly one-dimensional and it was never clear just why Blizzards' gifts were not celebrated since they were considered to be very special things for reindeer to have. I liked the skates being yellow, it was a nice detail.Katies' brothers were little pills and I wish the parents would have taken a better hand in controlling them. It seemed that even before Katie moved she had no friends, and the current daughter (Jess?) was never really explored why she was so upset when Bobby moved. Did she have no other friends? Did they not have telephones? I disagree with another viewers comment about the pierced ears. Perhaps in Canada this occurs later but I assure the viewer that in the Pacific Northwest of the United States girls have their ears pierced anywhere from birth on up, even as early as my own at age 13 in 1971.This is a movie that young children can enjoy as a Christmas tradition without anything objectionable for parents to be concerned about. All in all, a reasonable choice for families.
ginabowman2004
My family got this movie in a Christmas gift basket from my husband's employer. I looked at it and saw that it had a few actors I have heard of and I kind of put off watching it. Last night I noticed Levar Burton directed it and I changed my mind. I have enjoyed his work so much on Reading Rainbow and Star Trek TNG. We sat down today to watch Blizzard and no one left until the show was over. We absolutely enjoyed this movie. My youngest is just 2 and she was enthralled with the character of Blizzard. Whoopi Goldberg did an excellent job of playing a young gifted reindeer. Kevin Pollock was so fun to watch. He was soooo bossy. The story brings a touch of magic to Christmas and I wished we had watched it last week before the holidays. It will be a movie we watch every year.
SnakePlizzken
My family watched this last night during our Friday family film and pizza night. This is a really good, charming film! It's an engaging movie, with lots of positive lessons. It also tells a good Santa Claus tale that keeps the mystery of the North Pole intact for young viewers.I'd put this in with the league of quality family films like "Because of Winn-Dixie." My kids are 3, 6, and 11 years old. We all loved it. It even made my 6 year-old a bit weepy (he said he had dust in his eyes ;) This will be a holiday staple in our house for years to come. If you have kids, go out and rent or buy this little gem from Canada. Levar Burton has made a sweet family film here; he certainly appears to have a sense for what family moviegoers want to see.
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