Here's What We Learned from Anna Kendrick Herself on the Set of Noelle

Now that the Festival of Holidays decor is up at Disney Parks, we’re using that as our cue that the holidays are officially here! Plus, with the launch of Disney+ (OMG, it’s tomorrow!), we know we’re about to have hours of streaming holiday classics — like The Santa Clause and Mickey’s Christmas Carol — ahead of us. 

But the thing we’re probably most excited to watch this holiday season is the Disney+ original comedy Noelle. In Noelle, Anna Kendrick plays the daughter of the late Kris Kringle. She fully embodies the cheerful and fun spirit of Christmas, but wishes she could do something more “important” like her brother Nick (played by Bill Hader), who is supposed to take over Christmas duties for their father. When Nick begins to crumble under the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a quick vacation. But when Nick doesn’t return from his little getaway, Noelle sets out to find him and bring him back to save Christmas.

We got to visit the set of Noelle to chat with Anna Kendrick herself about what makes this movie so magical.

The set is incredible.

According to Anna, the production design is “bonkers.” She explained that the cottage where the Kringles live would be built, and then they’d sort of fold that set up and build new amazing sets in its place.

The cast is hilarious.

She recounted that both her and Bill Hader would often break character together, because it was so funny working together. “If I break, he breaks,” she described.

Anna just really loves Christmas movies.

What drew Anna to this script wasn’t necessarily just her connection to her character, but the fact that she genuinely loves the holidays.

I love Christmas movies, and I think this script is really funny and fun, and there are lots of fun set pieces in it. And that made me want to do it, you know? I don’t usually dive all that deep into character in terms of the decision-making. It’s just like ‘this looks like a fun movie and I would want to see this’ so, I was into it.

Anna truly enjoyed working on her scenes.

When asked if she had a particularly special moment in filming Noelle, Anna could hardly pick just one. From re-learning to ice skate to mechanical sleigh rides, she really seemed to have fun filming this movie, and we’re certain that will show.

The sleigh is on this big gimbal, and there’s a guy across the room holding a remote. And he just like throws you around. And we had to do a lot of takes of those because I couldn’t stop smiling, because it really feels like you’re on like a personalized rollercoaster. So I ruined a lot of takes because I could not contain how happy it made me, and I was supposed to be really scared.

Sounds like a pretty holly jolly movie to us — we can’t wait to heat up our hot cocoa and watch! Sign up for Disney+ now to stream Noelle starting tomorrow in the U.S.!