If I had a nickel for every time a 2023 animated movie involved stars, I'd have two nickels, but it'd still be weird it happened twice.

Where this movie truly shines is the creative worldbuilding. The north pole has several unique locations, the reindeer modernized while the elves didn't, and overall we get a taste of the day to day lives of the denizens of the far north. It adds quite a bit to the Santa mythos, making it feel more dynamic.

The plot unfortunately is still fairly generic, though I really like the protagonist, Marzipan. After a slew of quirky female leads, her relative ground to earthness while feeling like a true kid is a breath of fresh air.

The animation is a polished, probably-digital 2D, which doesn't particularly stand out.

Overall a 7/10.