Santa’s elves have been busy, and now, after 14 years of preparation, they’re ready to relaunch the secret organization known as Prep & Landing. The fourth installment in the Christmas special series, titled The Snowball Protocol, is set to premiere on the Disney Channel on Thanksgiving to help kick off the holiday season, before it streams on Disney+ the next day and airs on ABC and Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas thereafter. As part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview series for upcoming winter film and television titles, we’re excited to provide a sneak peek into Wayne and Lanny’s first mission since Naughty vs. Nice debuted in 2011. The duo accidentally creates unnecessary trouble for the Fruitcake Factory’s master chef, Geoff, voiced by Community star Danny Pudi, who is preparing something special for the holidays.
The footage opens on Chef Geoff putting the “final delicate flourish” on his masterpiece, a towering stack of fruitcake topped with a miniature Christmas tree and star. He barely gets a second to enjoy it, however, when the table suddenly shakes, and he looks down to see the culprit. The adorable seal pup Nog, short for Commodore Charles Eggnogginton III, flopped onto the surface with his ravenous gaze set on the colossal sweet treat. Wayne and Lanny arrive just a second too late as, much to Geoff’s horror, Nog dives mouth-first into the cake, devouring it in mere seconds before rolling over and taking a nap on the spot. It’s just one example of the holiday hijinks about to unfold in the special, but the elves barely have time to apologize as they need to return the little seal before Magee, the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator and Nog’s owner, returns to the office.
Outside the chaos caused by Nog’s presence, The Snowball Protocol will center on a holiday mission gone awry for Wayne and Lanny. After their mistake on the job, Wayne is convinced that he’s in serious trouble with Santa Claus, though the situation inadvertently reveals a slew of other holiday mishaps that will have the pair digging themselves out of one very deep snowbank. The Kids in the Hall Emmy nominee Dave Foley, who voiced Wayne through the previous three Prep & Landing specials, will be back once again, as will Derek Richardson as Lanny and Sarah Chalke as the eggnog-obsessed Magee. Pudi, meanwhile, leads a starry supporting cast that also includes The Acolyte alum Manny Jacinto, The Great North‘s Dulcé Sloan, and veteran voice actor Christopher Swindle taking over as “The Big Guy,” better known as Santa, from the late W. Morgan Sheppard.
‘Prep & Landing’ Brings Back Some Familiar Creative Voices for ‘The Snowball Protocol’
The original idea for Prep & Landing came from Bolt and The Sea Beast director Chris Williams, though it was ultimately directors Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton who developed it into the 2009 special that started it all. The franchise was a favorite during the holidays at the start of the 2010s, following the operations of elves who, as part of the titular organization, work under cover of darkness to prepare houses for Santa’s arrival on Christmas. Deters and Wermers-Skelton won’t be at the helm this time around, but they have stayed on as executive producers to help land the special after long trying to create a new adventure for Wayne and Lanny. Instead, Shane Zalvin, who has previously worked on episodes of Monsters at Work and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, has taken over the director’s chair, with Colleen Evanson serving as co-producer and story editor, Melissa Kurtz producing, and Hilary Helding writing.
Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol will arrive first on the Disney Channel on Thanksgiving, November 27, followed by a Disney+ release on November 29, an ABC premiere on November 30, and, finally, an appearance on Freeform on December 13. Check out our exclusive sneak peek in the player above and stay tuned here at Collider throughout the week for more on the hottest winter releases.
