The Nine Lives of Christmas

As a fireman Zachary is always ready to help people, but since his parent's relationship was marked by conflict, he is opposed to commitments. He buys houses as an investment, fixes them up in his time off, dumps them and buys into his next project. Long-term commitments he avoids. He likes dating and has been seeing a model, but does not see how anyone could possibly know you are with someone you could commit to for life. Marilee has a very romantic view on things, even though it has not worked out that way for her. She is responsible and very capable. She is also the owner of a beautiful cat named Queenie, even though the apartment complex where she lives has a strict no pet policy. Working her way through veterinary school, she has promised herself not to get involved with anyone until she has started her career. Zach comes across a homeless cat named Ambrose who has been corned by a large dog. After he rescues the cat, the cat decides to move in with him, uninvited. Somehow the cats play a role in the two getting to know each other better.

• Brandon Routh as Zachary Stone
• Kimberley Sustad as Marilee White
• Gregory Harrison as Chief Sam
• Chelsea Hobbs as Blair
• Stephanie Bennett as Jaclyn
• Dallas Blake as Mark
• Sean Tyson as Ray
• Carey Feehan as Kyle
• Nicole Fraissinet as Anna
• Alison Araya as Lucy
• Giles Panton as Craig
• Jennifer Cheon Garcia as Sarah

The project was filmed in Fort Langley in the Langley Township, British Columbia.[1] Sustad said that she believes much of what people found appealing about the film were the cats. "There’s this whole vibrant community of cat lovers… And I had this moment where I went: I think that movie might actually be more famous because of the cats than any of the actors… how cute those cats were and how the cats interacted."[2]

The movie is based on the popular Christmas story by Sheila Roberts.[3][4] Roberts had a small cameo performance in the film. Her novel provides a much stronger perspective from the point of view of the cat, Ambrose.[5] The project paralleled Crown Media's Pet Project. Said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President of Programming at Crown Media Family Networks: "The Nine Lives of Christmas is a perfect fit for Hallmark Channel, as it not only brings our viewers a special holiday story, but also embraces pet adoption, the foundation of the network's corporate initiative, Pet Project. As millions have fallen in love with Sheila Roberts' novel The Nine Lives of Christmas, we couldn't be happier to partner with her to bring to life her beloved holiday book into a film that will resonate with our viewers."[6]

Sustad shared that her favorite moment in the film was the last scene. "It was so epic… She wants the ending. She wants the lion to climb up to the highest peak and declare his love for her. And then he does it. And I think it was so romantic. He climbed up to the height of that, all the way up the fire truck, and then he declared his love for me, and I just thought that was that ‘Pretty Woman’ moment, and I got to do that in one of my own movies... I loved that. It was full circle for me."[2]

The movie premiered on 8 November 2014 on Hallmark.[7]

David Rapp of Kirkus Reviews gave the film positive marks, highlighting the movie's screenplay. Written by Nancey Silvers, the daughter of comedian Phil Silvers, Rapp stated her screenplay offered a "master class" in how to write a good book adaptation.[8] Parade magazine's Connie Wang listed The Nine Lives of Christmas as her "favorite Hallmark Channel holiday movie."[9] The film also was given a positive mention by The New York Times.[10] Blaire Erskine of The List rated the film among Hallmark's best holiday offerings.[11] The film received particular attention from the cat lovers niche audience. Brooke Arnold of The Catington Post listed The Nine Lives of Christmas first among movies to watch with your cat.[12] Kristina Lotz, of I Heart Cats, also listed it among her favorite holiday movies.[13] Seven years after its premiere, reviewer Sarabeth Pollock of Fansided noted it was still a fan favorite on many people's lists of holiday films to watch, confessing: "After all, there’s nothing better than the holidays, firemen, and cats."[14]

The popularity of the film led to calls for a sequel. Hallmark obliged in 2021, with Sustad playing a significant role in the project's development. The sequel is titled The Nine Kittens of Christmas, and takes the characters through some difficult moments. But it all works out in the end, partly through the two cat lovers finding homes for a litter of nine kittens.[2] The sequel premiered on November 25, 2021, Thanksgiving Day.[15]

• The Nine Lives of Christmas (TV movie 2014) at IMDb
• The Nine Lives of Christmas at Hallmark
• The Nine Lives of Christmas movie preview
• Preview of The Nine Kittens of Christmas at Hallmark