Hot Frostytakes the concept introduced in the song “Frosty the Snowman” to brand-new heights, turning it into a romantic comedy. The Netflix original is one ofseveral Christmas moviescoming to the streaming service this holiday season, with this entry adding a festive dose of magical realism to the platform. The film starsMean Girls’ Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan ofSchitt’s Creekas the romantic leads, alongside comedic powerhouses likeBrooklyn 99’s Joe Lo Truglio andThe Office’s Craig Robinson.
Chabert plays Kathy, a woman still mourning the death of her husband that happened two years prior as Christmas approaches. One night, she places a scarf on a snowman displayed in the town center, only for him to come to life overnight. Assuming the name Jack (Milligan), the now-sentient snowman struggles to adjust to his corporeal form as he grows closer to Kathy. However, his existence is in jeopardy unless he finds a way tostop his imminent melting.
Hot Frosty Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In Netflix’s Christmas Movie
Netflix is releasing many Christmas movies for the holiday season in 2024, including Hot Frosty, which features numerous festive songs.
Screen Rantinterviewed Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan to discuss what it was like playing a newly-born snowman, forming a romantic dynamic, and what it was like on set with so many comedic cast members.
Hot Frosty Has More Layers Than Viewers Might Expect
Life Is Hard For A Snowman Brought To Life.
Screen Rant:Dustin, I would love to hear a little bit about what it was like getting into the headspace of a character like this, because it’s someone who is simultaneously sort of just been born in a way, but is also a very quick learner, and I’m just very curious about that.
Dustin Milligan: Yeah, it was interesting to me in reading the script, because this character is not, I think, what you kind of first expect with a title like Hot Frosty. You’re maybe not expecting the movie in general to be as layered as it is, but with Jack specifically, he’s not just kind of one-note dumb, or brand new. He is, as you said, kind of born into the world, but is born into the world with this enthusiasm for learning and discovery, and I think especially an enthusiasm for connection.
And that’s why he connects immediately to Cathy, because she’s the one who brought him to life through the magic and whimsy of this scarf that she puts around him. And it is something that I was really excited about, because the arc that he goes through, he very quickly is learning about what it is to be alive, but also what is the most important thing about being alive, and that is that connection, and being with friends, and family, and loved ones.
Lacey, your character at first, very understandably so, is very reticent to open up to Jack in any way, especially in a romantic sense. What do you think it is for her character that sort of pushes her over the edge in that regard, and gives her a change of heart?
Lacey Chabert: Well, she’s navigating grief after losing her husband two years prior, and I think that it feels scary - it’s so much easier for her to love other people and not herself. And there’s this one scene that we have in the car where Jack - she really lets her guard down and explains a bit about the broken pieces of her heart, and Jack just simply tells her how he views her, and I think it really changes something in her where she feels safe enough to have that little glimpse of possibility of opening her heart again.
I think that navigating grief, and perhaps sadness during the holidays is a place that a lot of people find themselves, and I hope that the movie offers some hope and reassurance. I think that there’s great comfort found in the community that’s within this movie, and the way the community rallies around, especially towards the end of the movie, and in the comfort she finds just the human connection, with the snowman, who may not be human at all.
Dustin Milligan: Who knows?
Lacey Chabert: But it’s quite a connection, the way that they bond before he hopefully doesn’t melt.
The Cast Of Hot Frosty Was Always “Down To Play”
The Film’s Incredible Comedic Cast Led To Lots Of Breaking
Like you said, there are a lot of layers to this movie, and I do like that it has that really fun, silly layer on the top of the deeper stuff as well. I’m curious in filming if there were just any scenes that were particularly hard for you guys to get through just because there was a lot of breaking, or anything like that?
Lacey Chabert: Yeah, there were quite a few. I always found it hard when we were filming in the diner with everyone, withthe entire cast, Craig [Robinson], and Joe [Lo Truglio], and Lauren [Holly], and Katie [Mixon Greer]. Everyone was so funny when everyone was together. I was typically the first one to break.
Dustin Milligan: I mean, we were just so blessed with this cast. Everyone was so incredible, and so down to just play. We were excited because there’s a blooper reel at the end of the movie, which is so rare to even see at all. But part of us, we were just kind of like, “Yeah, but it could be easily another 25 minutes longer.” Because there’s just so much that we were improvising with each other, and so much breaking. I think it’s a testament to the joy that we had, the joy that was had while we were filming, and I think - ideally - that the audience will have in watching it.
More About Hot Frosty (2024)
Two years after losing her husband, Kathy magically brings a handsome snowman to life! Through his naïveté, the snowman helps Kathy to laugh, feel and love again, as the two fall for each other just in time for the holidays…and before he melts.
