A little over a month ago, Netflix released a new Netflix original Christmas movie called Holiday in the Wild, staring Kristin Davis as Kate and Rob Lowe as Derek. This movie contains everything we love about a Hallmark christmas movie, while not actually being a Hallmark movie: family traditions, christmas decorations, and of course, a love story. However, unlike traditional christmas movies that focus on our “ideal” christmas, this movie focuses on compassion for animals by helping and protecting elephants in Africa.

The movie starts with Kate surprising her husband Drew with a second honeymoon to Zambia, but to her surprise Drew announces he is moving out. Despite this, Kate decides to go on the trip alone. But rather than enjoying the five star luxury safari liked she planned, she ends up caring for an orphaned elephant with the help of Derek. While at the elephant sanctuary Kate falls in love with elephants, thus extending her stay, through Christmas. 

Holiday in the Wild was directed by Ernie Barbarash and written by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky. This movie contains many important actors such as, Fezile Mpela as Jonathan. He was the head caretaker of the elephants at the sanctuary. Fezile fit his role perfectly and was exactly what I pictured an elephant caretaker to be like. John Owen Lowe as Luke, Kate’s son and Colin Moss as Drew, Kate’s husband. Both of them were by no means a main character in this movie, but they were both very important to the story. Both of them played their parts perfectly and without them the story would have been completely different. Lastly Hayley Owen as Leslie, Derek’s girlfriend. She is part of the foundation that funds the sanctuary. She also played a big part in the storyline and she played it very well. She was very good at getting her feelings/emotions across by with just facial expressions.

The costumes in this movie fit perfectly with the setting. Throughout most of the movie the actors were wearing green clothes with the elephant sanctuary logo on it. However all the characters had on the same exact outfit all the time as if none of them brought/had other clothes.

There was one big thing that I did not particularly like. Within the last 30 minutes you knew exactly how the movie was going to end. Despite this, I do recommend Holiday in the Wild. It had an amazing storyline with a beautiful meaning behind it. This is a movie you will not regret watching.