Naman Shrestha
With Terry Ingram at the helm, Hallmark’s ‘Happy Howlidays’ acquaints us with an experienced webpage editor named Mia, who comes across an adorable stray dog. Initially, the Seattle Tourism Board employee was of the opinion that she would be spending the holidays alone, but she is proven wrong when her new furry little companion leads her to an unexpected encounter with a dog shelter owner named Max. As his ailing dog makes a friendly connection with her dog, he requests her to allow them to form a friendship.
In return, Max promises to show Mia the hidden gems of Seattle that she might not know about. As the two explore the city and spend some quality time with each other, they eventually get comfortable and let down their walls. Forming a deep bond like their dogs, they open up about their perspectives and opinions without the fear of getting judged but with the comfort of knowing that they would be understood. The setting of Seattle is prominent in the romantic movie as the lead characters travel across the city side by side.
Happy Howlidays Filming Locations
‘Happy Howlidays’ was shot entirely in British Columbia, primarily across Vancouver. From what we can tell, the principal photography for the Christmas film got underway in October 2024 and continued for a few weeks before getting wrapped up in November of the same year. Highlighting the enjoyment of being on the set, Jessica Lowndes said, “I love being on set, bringing these characters to life and telling their stories. There’s nothing like the energy, creativity and pure magic 🪄 ✨ that comes from everyone working together to make something so special. I’m so unbelievably grateful for every moment of this project! Excited for you to meet my latest character Mia.”
Vancouver, British Columbia
The production of ‘Happy Howlidays’ was conducted in and around Vancouver, which is situated in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. The cast and crew members set up camp in various streets and neighborhoods, which they transformed into film sets to tape pivotal sequences against the ideal backdrops. In order to shoot indoor scenes, they also took over a few local establishments, including residential properties, in the city. During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, actor Erza Moreland opened up about his experience filming the movie and being on the set for the first time.
Admitting that he took acting classes for a couple of months, Erza said, “As much as I got to prepare with the script, nothing could’ve been able to prepare what it felt like to start filming for the first time. It’s hard to express in just one day what the experience was like. It was a beautiful eye-opening experience for me. As I was going through the first couple of days of filming, I’m thinking to myself, ‘This just as challenging, if not more than Rescue Swimmer school in the Navy,’ which guys left and right to me were getting kicked out because the stress and the training was so challenging. I’m like, ‘This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,’ but it was amazing and I can’t wait for everybody to see it.”
Happy Howlidays Cast
In the Hallmark production, Jessica Lowndes portrays Mia, the webpage editor who adopts a stray dog. She might be a familiar face to many of you as she is known for featuring in ‘90210’ as Adrianna, ‘The Prince’ as Angela, ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ as Jake Rainey, and ‘Major Crimes’ as Alex Snow. She also appears in various other Hallmark movies, including ‘Christmas at Pemberley Manor,’ ‘Over the Moon in Love,’ ‘Mix-Up in the Mediterranean,’ ‘Magical Christmas Ornaments,’ ‘A December Bride,’ and ‘Merry Matrimony.’ Hailing from Wichita, Kansas, Ezra Moreland essays the role of Max, the love interest of Mia, in ‘Happy Howlidays.’
Gaining prominence after winning Hallmark’s reality TV show titled ‘Finding Mr. Christmas,’ Ezra landed this role, which is likely to be the first of his many. Prior to kickstarting a career in the entertainment industry, he was a rescue swimmer in the US Navy. Other talented actors who feature in supporting roles in the romantic film include Ella Cannon as Amy, Cassandra Sawtell as Penny, Ryan Cook as Eddie, and Lisa Shields as a Potential Adopter.
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