It’s been two years since Disney Channel put out an original holiday movie, but the Mouse House is back again this year. The Naughty Nine premiered during the week of Thanksgiving, on the 2023 TV schedule, and I just recently found time to watch the movie. As a longtime fan of Disney Channel Movies, I knew to keep my expectations moderate since these projects can be a bit hit or a miss. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved the holiday movie, and I think fans of Big Fat Liar will be too.
Not only was The Naughty Nine entertaining from start to finish with a talented ensemble cast (led by Winslow Fegley, who is no stranger to Christmas movies having starred in Max’s 8-Bit Christmas), but it also had me fully in my nostalgia feels. The movie really hit different because of how much it reminded me of the epic 2002 teen movie Big Fat Liar.
The Naughty Nine Was Full Of Smart Hijinks
The Naughty Nine is the perfect title for this Disney Channel movie because it tells us all we need to know. Fifth grader Andy (Fegley) is constantly getting in trouble at school with his best friend for their mischievous schemes. Unfortunately, all of those naughty shenanigans catch up to him, and he wakes up on Christmas morning to discover that Santa hasn’t left him anything. After confirming he’s probably on the naughty list with the help of a tech-savvy friend, Andy puts together a team of other naughty list children in his neighborhood as they plan the heist of all heists: breaking into Santa’s workshop and stealing back the toys that should be there’s.
Along the way, Andy has to lie and rely on the other children he’s assembled to pull off his biggest scheme yet. From coaxing the local air force into helping to crashing an Elf party to running from Santa himself, The Naughty Nine is full of hilarious hijinks that will have audiences of all ages laughing.
Big Fat Liar Fans Will Have So Much Fun Finding Similarities
It’s been a minute since I've seen a movie for younger audiences with morally gray characters who are up to no good. So long, that while watching The Naughty Nine the first movie I thought of was the 2002 Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes-led Big Fat Liar.
For those of you too young to remember, Big Fat Liar centered on Jason Shepheard, a compulsive white liar who was always getting into trouble at school. His lies catch up to him when his creative writing assignment is stolen by a stuck-up Hollywood producer who plans to turn it into a movie. No one believes that Jason actually wrote the script, so, with the help of his best friend, the two team up to steal his original essay back and prove he’s not lying this time.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Jason and Andy are cut from the same cloth. Though they usually mean well in their schemes, they both always manage to find themselves in trouble. Not only that, but they have amazing best friends who are willing to put their own lives on the line to help them out of the mess they’ve created.
In addition, both movies feature some pretty clever and fun hijinks. Sure, no one is dyed blue like in Big Fat Liar, but the naughty list children do get up to their fair share of shenanigans. Plus, there's an action-packed running-from-the-antagonist montage in both that'll leave you on the edge of your seat. Of course, since these are kids' movies, they also do end on positive notes, turning the protagonist's scheming ways into a strong moral message for the young viewers.
The Naughty Nine might not be making best Christmas movie lists anytime soon, but it does deserve a veiwing. You can stream the film now with a Disney+ subscription. Unfortunately, Big Fat Liar is a little harder to check out, but if you have a premium Hulu subscription then you’re in luck! If you want more holiday movies, don’t forget to check out our 2023 Christmas movie schedule for all updates.
