The Story:
Down in the South Pole, two baby penguins are born to the colony's king. First pops out Princess Crystal (Hilary). Shortly after her twin sister, Princess Lucinda (Haylie) follows. But the law of the land says that the first baby out is the next heir to the throne. That's great for Princess Crystal, the feminine little blonde, warmhearted penguin. But it ruffles the feathers (do penguins have feathers?) of the spiked red hair of Princess Lucinda—who's animation is much more androgynous than female if you ask me.

So anyway, something incredible happens. A silver bell falls from the sky, and bops Crystal on the head. And she's sure it's a bell from one of the reindeer on Santa's sled as he flies over. Unfortunately, even though she finds stories of Santa in scrolls, The Terribly Deep Thinkers, the three wisest penguins in the land, teach that he is a myth, a lie created by humans. No one is allowed to believe in him. So before you know it, Crystal is on trial—and her jealous, vindictive sister Lucinda lies and says she GAVE the silver bell to Crystal! Therefore, Lucinda is crowned the future heir of the throne. So Crystal runs away to find Santa to prove he's real. But it's not long before Lucinda learns that The Terribly Deep Thinkers are hatching a terribly devious plot to overthrow the penguin government. So Lucinda catches up with her sister Crystal and accompanies her on a journey to find Santa that involves close calls with rather frightening killer whales, the adoption of a little baby seal, and some troublemaking pelican pirates.

For starters, let me say that this was some of the most vivid computer animation I've ever seen. If you have a high definition TV with a progressive scan DVD player, you are in for a treat. And this movie also featured one of the most beautiful renditions of Santa I've ever seen.

As for the movie itself, it was cute, and there was some funny banter between the two sisters, but it was mostly very run of the mill. Kids will enjoy it for a while, but I don't even think many of them will fall in love with it. I myself wasn't getting the whole penguin vibe. They kind of weirded me out. There were some nice messages about family, jealousy, supporting those you love, etc. The movie also touches on the concept of censorship and book burning, interestingly enough. There are some rather catchy musical numbers (and I don't even think the Duff sisters sang any of them). Unfortunately, although the girly guins travel the globe and make it to Santa, the movie didn't put me in much of a Christmas mood. As I said, this is really standard stuff. Perhaps this could be considered the poor sea creature's Finding Nemo. Wow, I just thought of that. What a great comparison. Let's go with it.

The DVD

Video:
The 1:33:1 aspect ratio isn't all that much of a distraction on a widescreen TV because cartoons tend to accommodate stretching better than live action movies. As for the film itself, it benefits from being a brand spanking new production slapped onto a disc. The visual is stunning. The digital animation looks like a video game on a high resolution computer monitor, and there are no signs of damage to the print. The color is vivid and gorgeous.

Sound:
This is one slammin' Dolby 5.1 surround experience. Audio is crystal clear, with a heavy emphasis on the surround sounds. The bass is thundering but incredibly clear, with no distortion.

Extras:
The disc auto launches into three previews, which you can skip. When you select "Sneak Peeks" from the menu, you can watch those three previews and four more. There's an option to turn on English captions for the hearing impaired. Scene selection offers 12 chapter breaks. And finally, the short 3 minute featurette "In the recording studio with Hilary & Haylie Duff" is clips of the two sisters being interviewed together, as well as goofing around in the studio as they record their voices for the film.

Final Thoughts:
In reflection, I'd say In Search of Santa pretty much IS a "seize the moment" opportunity to exploit the Duff popularity with a Christmas film. While this story of penguin sisters in search of Santa has its charm, most of which is its digital animation, it's just not going to bring tons of holiday cheer to the family. Expect it be a fleeting moment in your home instead of a seasonal mainstay like Rudolph or Frosty. Sort of like a Hilary Duff Christmas CD. It's new and fresh, but in 20 years, it will no longer be in your collection next to Nat King Cole.