Below are slight spoilers for Hot Frosty on Netflix. If you haven't seen it, you can check out the new Christmas movie with a Netflix subscription.
If you've been keeping up to date with the 2024 Netflix schedule, you might have noticed a few new Christmas films that have appeared under the tree for this time of year. One of those is Hot Frosty, starring Lacey Chabert, who has had her fair share of Christmas films over on the Hallmark Channel. But when it comes to the difference between Netflix and Hallmark, Chabert had an answer for me that makes me want to watch a lot more Hallmark Christmas films.
For those who don't know, Hot Frosty is a new rom-com about a snowman who comes to life and warms the heart of a widow during Christmas time. Chabert plays Kathy, the female lead, and the movie gives us all the cute Christmas feels that we're expecting.
Hot Frosty is Chabert's first time acting in Netflix Christmas film. While the actress has had plenty of training in that field when it comes to Hallmark Christmas movies, I wondered if there was any actual difference between the iconic channel and one of the best streaming platforms. So I asked Chabert what she believed the difference was – and the actress admitted that there isn't that much of a difference at all because both Netflix and Hallmark have "the same heart" when it comes to making people happy during the holidays. However, she did get to do a lot more comedy in this:
You know what, a lot of it's the same heart that I love to be able to hopefully put into all of the holiday movies because the thing that I personally love about watching these movies is it reminds me of cherished traditions and memories as you're creating new ones, hopefully with your friends and family. And there's a certain nostalgia that comes with watching a Christmas movie. And in this one in particular, we were really able to lean into the comedy, which is something I love and have gotten to do in the past. And so I just appreciated all of the opportunity.
Both the best Netflix Christmas movies and the best Hallmark Christmas movies tend to have the same traditions and happy stories that you would expect – from finding true love under the mistletoe to a small-town romance and so much more. As someone who has been in so many of those films, Chabert is an expert on this.
Truthfully, I've seen only a few Hallmark films – mainly because Netflix Christmas movies have consumed my life for the last few years, but hearing Chabert say that they both have "the same heart" really does make me want to watch more – if not just for the holiday season.
Even so, the Hot Frosty star also commented that this particular film was unique because of the incredible cast she got to work with this time around and how she felt she would "learn every day" from her co-stars:
The thing I enjoyed most was working with this incredible cast. I mean, Craig [Robinson] and Joe [Lo Truglio] and Lauren [Holly] and Katy [Mixon Greer] and just everyone. We had such a good time, and Dustin [Milligan], I admired his performance so much, his bravery, and how free he was in creating this character who's just learning to be human. There was so much that I would go to set and learn every day. And it's really fun for me, having been in this business almost my whole life, to go to work and be inspired and to learn something new every day. I cherish that.
Hot Frosty dominated the Netflix charts on its release, and critics have called it "cheeky, wanton lust" in a great way, so it's clear the rest of the world loves Hot Frosty as much as Chabert does. Now, after watching it, I might check out even more of those Hallmark Christmas films everyone talks about.
Whether Chabert continues through the Hallmark Channel or makes more films with Netflix in the future, they'll be bringing plenty of Christmas cheer for years to come. Now if I could find my own TV-watching Jack, that would be lovely.
