"Stuck at Christmas" (marketed as "Stuck at Christmas: The Movie") is a special hour-length Christmas episode of the Disney Channel original series Stuck in the Middle, and also the season premiere of its third season. It premiered on December 8, 2017, and was split up into a two-part episode for reruns, with the individual parts being titled "Stuck in a Christmas Road Trip" and "Stuck in a Christmas Race".
Plot[]
As the Diaz family prepares their home for Christmas, Harley needs to know how long to steam pasteles and winds up calling Abuela to find out. Harley is hoping Abuela will ask whether the family will spend Christmas with her in Florida, but when the question does not come up, Harley is prompted to bring the family there. They initially take a plane to Florida, but when a storm in the flight's path causes the plane to land in Columbus, Ohio, they settle on two small, uncomfortable rental cars to continue their journey. The discomfort is short-lived as Harley spots a huge tour bus belonging to a rock band that is not around to claim it. With Tom having a license to drive that kind of vehicle, the family continues their trip in the bus and decorates it for the holiday. Daphne suddenly realizes her doll "Deathnee" is missing, which Harley traces back to the rental cars, so the family tracks down the doll, while Suzy confiscates the children's electronic devices which had distracted them when the doll went missing. The family ends up at a camp where they meet another family with a little girl named Joyanne, who has Deathnee and is not about to give her up. Georgie makes a deal with Joyanne, getting back Deathnee in exchange for toys she collected for a toy drive. As the Diaz family gets ready to leave, Tom sees a penny he hopes will bring good luck, but as he picks it up, the contents of his pouch, which includes their money, credit cards and electronic devices, falls into the camp fire. Adding to the misery, the bus later breaks down, with the impact causing Harley's glass ornament for Abuela to break.
Hoping to reach Abuela's by Christmas, the Diaz family turns to a repairman named Buddy Burtz, whom Harley discovers is a middle child just like her, often ignored by his brothers. With the backlog at the Burtz repair shop, Tom offers to pay double to get the bus fixed, while Suzy attempts to withdraw the necessary funds from the bank, which falls through. Harley finds out that Buddy's brothers are taking part in an annual holiday race known as the Iron Elf but are not interested in having Buddy on their team due to his fear in one event the year he took part. Harley strikes a deal with Buddy, having him compete with her family in the race, and if they win, he will fix the bus for free. Buddy ends up facing the event he struggled with before, but with Harley believing he will overcome his fear, he succeeds, helping the Diaz family pull out the victory. Harley gives the trophy to Buddy, while the children donate the presents they won on Georgie's request. Sticking to his end of the deal, Buddy prepares to work on the bus, with his brothers offering to help. The Diaz family makes it to Florida in time, and they surprise Abuela with their visit. She surprises them by celebrating the holiday on the beachside.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Jenna Ortega | Harley Diaz |
| Isaak Presley | Ethan Diaz |
| Ariana Greenblatt | Daphne Diaz |
| Kayla Maisonet | Georgie Diaz |
| Nicolas Bechtel | Lewie Diaz |
| Malachi Barton | Beast Diaz |
| Cerina Vincent | Suzy Diaz |
| Joe Nieves | Tom Diaz |
| Olga Merediz | Abuela |
| Steve Monroe | Buddy Burtz |
| Stephen Kramer Glickman | Benny Burtz |
| Judy Kain | Mrs. McDoogan |
| Eileen O'Connell | Marla |
| Ron G | Rental Agent |
| Troy Blendell | Roger |
| Chloe Perrin | Joyanne |
| Patrick Faucette | Cop |