Like everyone else, when I first saw the trailer for Netflix’s “Hot Frosty ” — about a snowman who comes to life to charm a single woman in a small town — I groaned and giggled at the same time. It felt like a parody of the cheesy Christmas TV movie genre, the kind of simplistic, home-for-the-holidays fun that Hallmark has long championed and Netflix has successfully showcased to a younger audience over the last handful of years. I figured I’d half-watch at some point while also imbibing in some holiday cheer when doom-scrolling got a little too bleak.
Well. I finally viewed the 90-minute smash starring Dustin Milligan as the titular Frosty and Lacey Chabert , and while it’s not winning any Emmys, it’s a sweet, surprisingly charming outing that should be able to hold its own entertaining both your parents and any teens in your life this holiday season. (I suppose this is the part where I tell you I’ve seen nearly all of Netflix’s Christmas films since the streamer first dipped its toe into the viral water with “The Christmas Prince” back in 2017; I find the “Princess Switch” films starring Vanessa Hudgens particularly delightful.
) Briefly: Chabert plays Kathy, a widow who lives in Hope Springs (perfect) and is sad this holiday season because she’s all alone . While wandering past all the snowmen on display for a contest in the town square, she wraps a red scarf a busybody neighbor gave her around one of the snow statues. Smash cut to the next mor.